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Japanese

Both kenka and kumite are translated as "fight", but kumite is more like "match", while kenka refers to an altercation. Shomen actually is literally "front". For example, at the beginning of a martial arts class you might hear "Shomen ni, rei!" which is "bow to the front".

Angel would be tenshi, meaning something like "heavenly agent".
 
I will say that Japan is one interesting culture. working on their cars is like also learning their arts.
 
Angel said:
I am 31 years old.
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Sanjuissai desu. (sanjuissai = 31 years old, desu = the Japanese copula, usually translated as "am", "is" or "are").

(Note that the subject, "I", is seldom said, being understood that the speaker is speaking about themself. However, it would not be technically incorrect to include it, which would be "Watashi wa sanjuissai desu.")
 
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Desu means I am, right?

Why do they say ne or na after each sentence?

And what do you do when there is a word, but as its spelled there are missing letters of the hiragana? I was teaching myself to read and write at the same time but I got confused by this. Do you know why that is?
 
Angel said:
Desu means I am, right?

Why do they say ne or na after each sentence?

And what do you do when there is a word, but as its spelled there are missing letters of the hiragana? I was teaching myself to read and write at the same time but I got confused by this. Do you know why that is?
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Desu is a deceptively complicated word. It is the polite form for the plain or dictionary form "da". It is often translated into English as the verb am/is/are/be, but that is just a convenient conversion. Technically desu is a "copula", or word particle that connects the subject to a verb (even if the subject is omitted). There was a time that desu/da wasn't used at all, but became popularized in Edo-speak (Edo is the old name for the capital Tokyo) as a politeness device.

So, for now, forget all that (it's so wonderful to be a beginner). Right now, just translate desu as is, are, am, or be as the context of the sentence dictates. In the sentence "Sanjuissai desu" you would use the translation "(I) am thirty-one years old". Sanjuichi is 31, sai means age (when you moosh them together it becomes sanjuissai). The subject "I" is not expressed at all, as it is assumed the speaker is talking about themself.
 
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Angel said:
Why do they say ne or na after each sentence?
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"Ne" means "isn't it?" and is a politeness device. Japanese is a very polite language, and much of it involves what seems to English speakers as unnecessary utterances, but in Japanese are very important. For example, it would sound too sharp to just say "Atsui desu" ("It is hot"). Much better to say "Atsui desu, ne" meaning "It's hot, isn't it?" Much less severe.

"Na" is a particle or marker word that signifies a whole class of words known as NA Adjectives. These are adjectives which must have the suffix na attached to them. For example, "hen" (strange) is a NA Adjective. You could not say "hen hito", you must say "hen na hito" (strange man).

The other major class of adjectives is called the i-Adjectives. You'll learn about these early in your education. You would not use na with these words, as they already contain in them a sense of "verbal force". You'll learn more about that later.
 
Angel said:
And what do you do when there is a word, but as its spelled there are missing letters of the hiragana? I was teaching myself to read and write at the same time but I got confused by this. Do you know why that is?
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Not sure what you're asking here. Can you give me an example of what you're saying?
 
Ok. Here's what I don't understand.

Konnichi wa has the exact letters of the Hirigana in its spelling-

Ko n ni chi ha/wa

But in Good Morning there are missing letters:

Ohayoo gozaimasu-

O ha su u go gi i ma su

Can you explain why it is missing some letters?
 
The Romaji for Ohayo Gozaimasu would be "O Ha You Go Za I Ma Su". (In hiragana that is おはよお ございます.) I'm not sure how you're getting your translation. There's no Su except at the very end. There's no Gi at all. Your Konnichiwa is correct.
 
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I just figured out where you're going wrong. You're misreading some of the kana. You're reading "Suu" (すう), but it should be read "Yoo" (よお). Similarly, you're reading "Gi" (ぎ), where it is actually "Za" (ざ).

Kana characters are tricky at first. Even a small extra stroke can make a big difference in the reading. You'll get it eventually.
 
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