Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 9
おとうとが いますI have a younger brother
Existence and having with imasu/arimasu: living things take imasu (Otōto ga imasu — I have a younger brother; Neko ga imasu), things take arimasu (Hon ga arimasu). What exists is marked with ga. Ask about people with dare (who). Culture: uchi and soto. Kana: read full sentences smoothly, pulling all the family words together.
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
おとうとが います— I Have a Younger Brother
- Yukiマイクさんはおとうとがいますか。Mike, do you have a younger brother?
- Mikeはい、おとうとがあります。Yes, I have a younger brother. (mistake: arimasu for a person)
- Yukiひとは「います」ですよ。「おとうとがいます」。For people it's "imasu". "Otōto ga imasu".
- Mikeあ、おとうとがいます。ねこもいます!Ah, I have a younger brother. I have a cat too!
Dialogue
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
あの ひとは だれですか— Who Is That Person?
- Kenマイクさん、あのひとはだれですか。Mike, who is that person?
- Mikeあれはあにです。あにもいます。That's my older brother. I have an older brother too.
- Kenみんないっしょですね。Everyone's together, isn't it.
- Mikeはい、かぞくはとてもいいです。Yes, my family is really nice.
Vocabulary
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
- いる
verbto be / exist (animate)
- ある
verbto be / exist (inanimate)
- います
verb(there) is (animate, polite)
- あります
verb(there) is (inanimate, polite)
- だれ
pronounwho
- どなた
pronounwho (polite)
- みんな
nouneveryone
- いっしょ
nountogether
- とても
adverbvery
- ね
particle(particle: …right?)
Grammar
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
imasu / arimasu (existence & having)
Explanation
In Japanese the verb changes depending on whether the thing that exists is alive. People and animals take imasu; non-living things like books and clocks take arimasu. What exists is marked with ga: Otōto ga imasu (I have a younger brother), Hon ga arimasu (There is a book). English uses "have / there is" for both, but Japanese splits them — so take care. (The locational "X ni Y ga arimasu" is Book 2.)
Examples
- おとうとが います。I have a younger brother.
- ねこが います。There is a cat. / I have a cat.
- ほんが あります。There is a book. / I have a book.
Culture
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
うちと そとUchi & soto — inside vs outside
Japanese constantly tracks whether someone is uchi (inside your group) or soto (outside it) — and it changes the very words you use. Family words are the clearest first example.
Two words for each relative
Talking about your own family to others, you use humble terms: chichi (my father), haha (my mother). Talking about someone else's family, you use respectful terms: otōsan, okāsan. Same person, different word, depending on whose group they are in.
Why it matters
Calling your own father otōsan to an outsider sounds like you are elevating your own group — slightly off. The humble chichi signals modesty about your uchi.
It extends beyond family
Your company, school, and team are all uchi too; you speak modestly about them to outsiders and politely about their group. This is the seed of Japanese politeness logic. Inside the family, though, kids do call their parents otōsan/okāsan — the humble chichi/haha are only for referring to them with outsiders.
When unsure: about your own family to others → chichi/haha; about anyone else's → otōsan/okāsan.
Kana
i
Study this section in the Bookverse app
- Spaced repetition schedules your reviews
- Practice tasks with pass tracking
- A teacher on every study screen
- Progress saved across chapters and devices — laptop and phone
- Audio playback for dialogues and words
- Speaking practice with feedback
- Search dictionaries and chat with AI, all inside the app
Sign up and start studying in the Bookverse app.
You will be asked to register first.
ひらがな: かぞくの ことばを すらすら よむ— Hiragana: Reading Family Words Smoothly
Practise reading in chunks, not kana by kana:
- おとうとが います。Otōto ga imasu.I have a younger brother.
- かぞくは よにんです。Kazoku wa yonin desu.My family is four people.
- おじいさんと おばあさんが います。Ojīsan to obāsan ga imasu.I have a grandfather and grandmother. (と previewed)
Read in chunks:
Want to actually learn this — with audio, spaced repetition and progress tracking?
Study in the app →