FAM: Overview

Family

Family has been the most important module in Japanese society for centuries. Immediate family members are considered to be part of uchi, or insiders, while others are considered soto, or outsiders. For that reason, there are two distinct ways to name family members: honorific and humble forms. While you use a humble term for your own mother because she is an "insider," you have to use honorific terms for others' mothers because they are "outsiders." A bit confusing? Don't worry. In this module, you will learn how to use those two different forms in the correct situation.

Essential Questions:

• How do you talk about your own family to others?
• How do you address your own family members?
• How do you ask and talk about another's family?
• How do you state the number of people in the family?
• How about siblings?

Key Terms

Your key terms for this module will appear in the content pages that follow. Be sure to ask your instructor if you have any questions.

Goals

By the end of this module, for listening and speaking skills, you will be able to name and identify the members of your own family and of other's family, ask about and state the number of family members. For reading and writing skills, you will learn to read and write in hiragana なにぬねの ん、 はひふへほ、ばびぶべぼ、ぱぴぷぺぽ , and kanji 人 for person. For cultural understanding, you will learn about family relationships in honorific and humble forms.

Japanese I Standards

• Japanese I Standards - FAM Links to an external site.
• National Technology Net Standards Links to an external site.

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