Ms. Nakamura's page on the traditional Japanese house
Unit Objectives: By the end of this unit, you will know basic architectural features of traditional Japanese living spaces, as well as how those features have been incorporated into contemporary houses and apartments. You will also have an understanding of the etiquette and customs peculiar to Japanese living spaces. In terms of language, you will be able to compare two or more items and express relative judgments about them. See end-of-unit project and oral assessment.
The main new grammar patterns you will learn in this unit are:
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Particles: More on wa versus ga
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Comparatives: Comparing only 2 items: Which one is ~er? This is one more ~ than that one.
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Superlatives: Comparing among 3 or more items: Which one is the ~est? That one is the ~est.
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Adverbs for relative degree: chotto, motto, zutto
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Excessiveness: Stating that something is too ~ (too big, too far, too much, etc.) ~sugiru
Design features of a traditional Japanese house
tokonoma: decorative alcove
genkan: entryway
shoji and fusuma: paper wall panels
butsudan: Buddhist altar
kamidana: Shinto altar
ofuro-ba: bathing room
oshi-ire: closets
Other links
test yourself
model-building project