日本に初めて来た日の経験
My experience on the first day I came to Japan
Tap an underlined word for its meaning.
Show English translation
I came to Japan from China in 2021. That day I was very nervous. On the plane, I thought 'I wonder what kind of place Japan is.' When I arrived at the airport in Japan, the town was very beautiful and the people were quietly standing in line. I thought 'Japanese people are serious.' After arriving at the hotel, I went to a convenience store. There were lots of onigiri and bento boxes, and they all looked very delicious. That night I was a little lonely, but I decided to work hard and study in Japan.
Show romaji
Watashi wa 2021-nen ni chūgoku kara nihon ni kimashita. Sono hi wa totemo kinchō shimashita. Hikōki no naka de 'nihon wa donna tokoro kana' to kangaemashita. Nihon no kūkō ni tsuita toki, machi wa totemo kirei de, hitotachi wa shizuka ni narande imashita. Watashi wa 'nihonjin wa majime da na' to omoimashita. Hoteru ni tsuita ato, konbini ni ikimashita. Onigiri ya bentō ga takusan atte, totemo oishisō deshita. Sono hi no yoru, sukoshi sabishikatta kedo, nihon de ganbatte benkyō shiyō to kimemashita.
Key vocabulary from this passage
Learn these 15 words first and the passage gets much easier to read.
nervousness, tension
きんちょう · noun/verb
少し緊張しています。
I am a little nervous.
airplane
ひこうき · noun
飛行機に乗ります。
I will ride a plane.
airport
くうこう · noun
空港で友だちを待ちます。
I will wait for my friend at the airport.
to arrive, to reach
つく · verb
空港に着きました。
I arrived at the airport.
to line up, to stand in line
ならぶ · verb
みんな、並んでください。
Everyone, please line up.
serious, hardworking, diligent
まじめ · na-adjective
彼はまじめな人です。
He is a serious person.
convenience store
コンビニ · noun
コンビニで買い物をします。
I shop at a convenience store.
bento, boxed meal
べんとう · noun
今日の弁当はおいしいです。
Today's bento is delicious.
looks delicious
おいしそう · expression
この料理はおいしそうです。
This dish looks delicious.
lonely
さびしい · i-adjective
一人でいるとさびしいです。
I feel lonely when I am alone.
to do one's best, to work hard
がんばる · verb
テスト、頑張って！
Good luck on your test!
after doing 〜
たあと · grammar expression
ホテルに着いたあと、コンビニに行きました。
After arriving at the hotel, I went to a convenience store.
night, evening
よる · noun
夜、星がきれいです。
The stars are beautiful at night.
but, however (casual)
けど · conjunction
さびしかったけど、頑張りました。
I was lonely, but I did my best.
what kind of, what sort of
どんな · pre-noun adjective
日本はどんなところですか？
What kind of place is Japan?
Grammar in this passage
The 5 patterns this passage is built on, each with an example straight from the text.
〜ました
Polite past tense — 'did / went / came'. Used to talk about completed actions.
動詞「ます」→「ました」に変える（例：行きます → 行きました） Change 'masu' to 'mashita' for polite past tense
日本に来ました。
I came to Japan.
〜とき
When 〜. Used to say when something happened or happens.
文 ＋ とき / 名詞 ＋ の ＋ とき Sentence + toki / Noun + no + toki
空港に着いたとき、町はとてもきれいでした。
When I arrived at the airport, the town was very beautiful.
〜たあと
After doing 〜. Describes the action that comes next.
動詞た形 ＋ あと（例：着いた → 着いたあと） Verb ta-form + ato
ホテルに着いたあと、コンビニに行きました。
After arriving at the hotel, I went to a convenience store.
〜て（接続）
Connects two descriptions or actions. Similar to 'and' or 'so'.
動詞て形 ＋ 文（例：きれいで、…） Verb/adjective te-form + sentence
おにぎりや弁当がたくさんあって、おいしそうでした。
There were lots of onigiri and bento, and they looked delicious.
〜しようと決めました
Decided to do 〜. Shows a firm personal decision.
動詞の意向形（〜しよう・行こう・食べよう）＋ と決めました Volitional form + to kimemashita
日本で頑張って勉強しようと決めました。
I decided to work hard and study in Japan.