16. Basic vocabulary: Hobbies and leisure

In chapter 16 of our e-book, we are going to address a very interesting and relevant topic for daily conversation: Hobbies and Leisure. This is a theme that can help you connect with native Japanese speakers in a more personal and authentic way. Let's get started!

In Japanese, the word for "hobby" is "趣味" (shumi). To express that you enjoy doing something in your spare time, you can use the structure "私の趣味は____です" (Watashi no shumi wa ____ desu), which means "My hobby is ____". For example, if you like to read, you can say "私の趣味は読書です" (Watashi no shumi wa dokusho desu).

Let's learn some words related to hobbies and leisure:

• 読書 (Dokusho) - Reading
• 映画鑑賞 (Eiga kanshou) - Watch movies
• 音楽鑑賞 (Ongaku kanshou) - Listen to music
• 料理 (Ryouri) - Cooking
• 旅行 (Ryokou) - Travel
• 運動 (Undou) - Sport
• 絵を描く (And kaku) - Draw
• 写真撮影 (Shashin satsuei) - Photography
• 釣り (Tsuri) - Fishing
• ガーデニング (Gaadeningu) - Gardening

Also, it's important to learn to ask about other people's hobbies. The question "あなたの趣味は何ですか?" (Anata no shumi wa nani desu ka?) means "What is your hobby?". If you want to ask someone if they like a specific hobby, you can use the structure "____が好きですか?" (____ ga suki desu ka?), which means "Do you like ____?".

For example, if you wanted to ask someone if they like to read, you could say "読書が好きですか?" (Dokusho ga suki desu ka?).

Another useful way to discuss hobbies is to talk about how often you do something. Here are some time expressions you can use:

• 毎日 (Mainichi) - Every day
• たまに (Tama ni) - Sometimes
• 週に一回 (Shuu ni ikkai) - Once a week
• 月に二回 (Tsuki ni nikai) - Twice a month
• 年に三回 (Nen ni sankai) - Three times a year

For example, if you read every day, you could say "私は毎日読書します" (Watashi wa mainichi dokusho shimasu), which means "I read every day".

Finally, let's learn some useful phrases to talk about hobbies:

• 私は____が大好きです (Watashi wa ____ ga daisuki desu) - I love it ____
• 私は____が得意です (Watashi wa ____ ga tokui desu) - I'm good at ____
• 私は____を始めたいと思っています (Watashi wa ____ o hajimetai to omotteimasu) - I'm thinking of starting ____

We hope this chapter has helped you expand your Japanese vocabulary and feel more confident discussing your hobbies and interests. Remember, practice is the key to becoming fluent in any language, so try to use these new words and phrases as much as possible!

Next page of the Free Ebook:

58Basic grammar: Japanese particles

3 minutes