Many Japanese actions can't be translated word-for-word from English. For instance, you don't "make" a phone call in Japanese — you かける it (literally "hang/cast"). These fixed noun-verb pairings are called collocations, and memorizing them is one of the most important tasks at the N5 level.
The Phone Trio: かける, 切る, 出る
電話 (denwa, phone) is the same noun, but paired with three different verbs it means completely different things:
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| 電話をかけます | denwa o kakemasu | to make a phone call |
| 電話を切ります | denwa o kirimasu | to hang up the phone |
| 電話に出ます | denwa ni demasu | to answer the phone |
Notice the particle change: making and hanging up use を (acting on the phone), while answering uses に (responding to the phone).
友達に電話をかけました。 → I called my friend.
もう遅いですから、電話を切ります。 → It's already late, so I'm hanging up.
電話に出てください。 → Please answer the phone.
Memory Tips
- かける = "cast" the call outward → make a call
- 切る = "cut" the connection → hang up
- 出る = "come out" to respond → answer
教える vs 習う: Same Event, Different Perspectives
This pair is particularly tricky for learners:
| Japanese | Reading | English | Perspective |
|---|---|---|---|
| 教えます | oshiemasu | to teach | teacher's side |
| 習います | naraimasu | to learn (from someone) | student's side |
Both describe the same event — one from the teacher's viewpoint, the other from the student's:
私は弟にテニスを教えます。 → I teach my younger brother tennis.
弟は私にテニスを習います。 → My younger brother learns tennis from me.
Notice: the person being taught uses に, and the person being learned from also uses に.
教える vs 習う vs 勉強する
勉強します also means "to study," but it differs from 習います:
| 習います | 勉強します | |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Learning a skill from someone | Studying knowledge |
| Example | 先生にピアノを習います | 家で日本語を勉強します |
| Context | Has a teacher → learn from | Self-study counts → study |
Tableware Vocabulary: Loanword Pronunciation
Many Japanese tableware words come from English, but the pronunciation follows Japanese rules:
| Japanese | Reading | Origin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ナイフ | naifu | knife | knife |
| フォーク | fooku | fork | fork |
| スプーン | supuun | spoon | spoon |
| 箸 | hashi | native Japanese | chopsticks |
箸 is a native Japanese word, not a loanword. It pairs with the verb 使います (tsukaimasu = to use):
日本人は箸でご飯を食べます。 → Japanese people eat with chopsticks.
Here, で indicates the tool or means — "using chopsticks."
一人で: By Yourself
一人で (hitori de) is a set phrase meaning "alone / by oneself":
一人で行きますか。 → Are you going alone?
いいえ、母と行きます。 → No, I'm going with my mother.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 一人で | alone / by oneself |
| 〜と（一緒に） | with someone (together) |
Summary
- 電話をかける / 切る / に出る: make / hang up / answer the phone — same noun, different verbs
- 教える vs 習う: teach vs learn from someone — same event, different perspectives
- 習う vs 勉強する: skill learning with a teacher vs general studying
- Loanword tableware: ナイフ, フォーク, スプーン; native word: 箸
- 一人で = by oneself; 〜と = with someone
Practice Quiz
Q1. How do you say "I called my friend" in Japanese?
Show Answer
友達に電話をかけました。
"My friend" is marked with に (the person called). "Make a phone call" is 電話をかけます, past tense → かけました.
Q2. 「私は弟にテニスを教えます」 — rewrite this from the younger brother's perspective.
Show Answer
弟は私にテニスを習います。
The teacher (私) becomes the source, marked with に. The verb changes from 教えます to 習います.
Q3. How do you say "Japanese people eat with chopsticks" in Japanese?
Show Answer
日本人は箸でご飯を食べます。
"With chopsticks" → 箸で (で indicates the tool/means).