アイドル、なみの夜の日記

Thanks to ChanneiReview for pointing out that not ANY noun can be turned to plural by adding TACHI. Some pronouns become plurals by adding RA...and still other nouns become plural by doubling up their sounds! It's a bit more complicated...looks like I need a video! 
 
Here is a list of the most common examples:
私達=watakushi-tachi=most formal "we"
(notice the kanji above and below are the same! But the pronunciation would change depending on the situation and the level of politeness demanded!)
私達=watashi-tachi=formal "we"
僕たち=boku-tachi=casual "we"
俺たち=ore-tachi=casual, some would say rude "we"
あなた達=anata-tachi=standard "you guys"
彼女たち=kanojo-tachi=plural of female "them"
君たち=kimi-tachi=plural of casual "you guys"
生徒たち=seito-tachi=students
犬たち=inu-tachi=dogs
猫たち=neko-tachi=cats
男たち=otoko-tachi=men 
女たち=onna-tachi=women
人たち hito tachi (the group of people, some bunch of people 
政治家たち=seijika tachi=politicians
Some words become plural by adding GATA/方 to the end. GATA is usually used to show respect. 
Examples: 
先生方=sensei gata=teachers
あなた方=anata gata=polite
Another suffix used to make plurals is ら(等) ra. This is usually used with less respect than GATA or TACHI.
工事業者ら=koujigyousha ra=constructors
被害者ら=higaisha-ra=victims
貴様ら=kisama-ra=you son of *****, you idiot; in ancient ages 
Kisama was an honorable pronoun), 
政治家ら=seijika-ra=bad politicians
彼ら=karera=standard plural of male "them"
俺ら=ore-ra=casual, some would say rude "we"
奴ら=yatsu-ra=informal "those guys"
あいつら=aitsu-ra=informal "those guys"
お前ら=omae-ra=VERY informal, some would say rude "you guys"
Examples of words that become plural by repeating them are:
人々=hitobito=people
神々=kamigami=gods
年々=nennen=in years, every year
月々=tsukidzuki=every month, in months
日々=hibi=every day, in days
色々=iroiro=various
端々=hashibashi=every edge, unintentionally, observable (not used with literal edges..but refers mostly to things that all "all around" -- metaphorically speaking)
There is no way to make a plural for inanimate objects. When trying to indicate that there is more of one thing you have to actually give a number. But this opens another can of worms! In Japan you can count things by the standard one, two three, (一つ/hitotsu, 二つ,futatsu,　三つ, mittsu) BUT many things are counted using numbers that change depending on the shape or type of noun that is being counted.
Example: 
（私は）本を三冊買いました。
（Watashi ha）hon wo san satsu kaimashita.
Watashi = I
ha=(pronounced WA) noun marker
hon=book 
wo=particle used to indicate an object that is going to be acted upon
san=3/three
satsu=counter for books
kaimashita=polite past tense of "BUY" (買う=kau)
See in this sentence the counter is SATSU.
If you count other things that are shaped differently the counters may change.
Examples?
big things: dai
small things: ko
people: nin (hitori, futari, sannin, yonnin, etc.)
small animals: hiki, biki, piki
large cattle like animals: tou
bottle shaped things: hon, bon, pon
flat paper shaped things: mai
Rate & comment please! Thanks!
Arigatou!
Victor
More notes at 
http://gimmeabreakman.com/The_%22Break%22_Room.html
For more on GA/HA differences...
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese/Grammar/Basic_Particles
THANKS CHANNEIREVIEW!
http://youtube.com/user/channeireview

カテゴリー :Education
投稿日 :2008-06-17
更新日 :2008-06-19

投稿者 :Gimmeabreakman
評価 :4.92
表示回数 :1353

タグ :burnvictim77, by, culture, house, japan, japanese, lessons, live, music, nihon, plural, study, 勉強, 日本語

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