Hey, does anyone know the best way to go about saying "I know a little Japanese?" I… - Feed Post by SoulReturns

• 
  Teirusu

  I believe it would be the following:
  日本語が少し分かります。(kanji)
  にほんごがすこしわかります。(kana)

  May 8, 2014 at 7:06am
• 
  kekkou

  I think 分ります is "understand" and 知っています is "know".

  May 8, 2014 at 7:31am
• 
  Teirusu

  You're totally right. I just read it to be the one I posted though. I got it from a Japanese book.

  May 8, 2014 at 7:43am
• 
  SoulReturns

  Okay thanks, I guess ちょっと and すこし are similar; they only part I don't understand is using が instead of は、thanks for the replies.

  May 8, 2014 at 12:10pm
• 
  freakymrq

  @soulreturns check this out-->http://www.imabi.net/l9theparticlesgawa.htm

  May 8, 2014 at 12:54pm
• 
  meighy

  I've heard that ちょっと actually works better in this situation. And while it's hard to understand when to use は d when to use が, in this case you could think of it like (わたしはにほんごがすこしわかります.

  May 8, 2014 at 7:59pm
• 
  beee_17

  Maybe if you added a だけ after the ちょっと, it would sound a little more natural, I think.
  

  May 9, 2014 at 1:23am
• 
  SoulReturns

  From what I've seen が seems to be used more for a very direct topic/subject. Who went to the house? YOU went to the house (が) as opposed to: Where did you go? The house (は). Because the topic isn't asking for a specific subject/person who did it it would be は [/rant]
  
  But I will check out that link and probably be humbled. Thanks guys :D

  May 9, 2014 at 8:43am
• 
  keiririn

  「ちょっと日本語（が）分かります。」= I understand a bit of Japanese.
  「ちょっと日本語（を）話す事（が）出来ます。」= I can speak a bit of Japanese.
  
  depending on how formal you have to be, you can totally drop the particles, and/or use dictionary form. i.e.,
  「ちょっと 日本語 分かる。」
  「ちょっと 日本 語話す事 出来る。」

  May 10, 2014 at 4:47am
• 
  keiririn

  sorry for kanji.
  
  「ちょっと　にほんご　（が）　わかります。」
  「ちょっと　にほんご　（を）　はなすこと　（が）　できます。」
  
  or informally,
  
  「ちょっと　にほんご　わかる。」
  「ちょっと　にほんご　はなすこと　できる。」

  May 10, 2014 at 6:17am