📌 Intermediate Japanese Lesson ⑥: Understanding Casual vs. Formal Japanese

Welcome back to our Intermediate Japanese Course! Today, we’ll dive into one of the most important aspects of speaking natural Japanese: the difference between casual (タメ口) and formal (敬語) speech.

🔹 1. What is Casual vs. Formal Japanese?

Speech Type	Usage	Common Settings
カジュアル (Casual)	Used with friends, family, and close relationships	Talking to close friends, texting, social media
フォーマル (Formal)	Used in polite or professional settings	Talking to teachers, coworkers, customers, business emails

🔹 2. Key Differences in Casual vs. Formal Speech

1️⃣ Verbs: Casual vs. Formal

English	Casual	Formal
To eat	食べる	食べます
To go	行く	行きます

2️⃣ Copula (Endings for Statements)

English	Casual	Formal
It is...	だ	です
It was...	だった	でした

3️⃣ Questions: Casual vs. Formal

English	Casual	Formal
What is this?	これなに？	これは何ですか？
Where are you going?	どこ行くの？	どこへ行きますか？

🔹 3. How to Switch Between Casual & Formal Speech

1️⃣ Talking to Friends vs. Bosses

Casual: 明日ひま？ (*Are you free tomorrow?*)

Formal: 明日はお時間がありますか？ (*Do you have time tomorrow?*)

2️⃣ Apologizing: Casual vs. Formal

Casual: ごめん！ (*Sorry!*)

Formal: 申し訳ありません。 (*I sincerely apologize.*)

3️⃣ Saying "Thank You"

Casual: ありがとう！ (*Thanks!*)

Formal: ありがとうございます。 (*Thank you very much.*)

🔹 4. Conversation Examples

Example 1: Chatting with a Friend

🧑 A: 昨日、映画見た？ (*Did you watch a movie yesterday?*)

👩 B: うん、見たよ！ (*Yeah, I did!*)

Example 2: Talking to a Teacher

🧑 A: 先生、昨日の宿題について質問があります。 (*Sensei, I have a question about yesterday’s homework.*)

👨‍🏫 B: いいですよ。何ですか？ (*Sure. What is it?*)

💬 Let’s Talk! Your Thoughts & Requests

Now that you’ve learned the difference between casual and formal Japanese, let’s practice! 🚀

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