Japanese Lesson 21 – Daily Routines · N5

📋 Expression Reference — Daily Routines

Key phrases across formality levels. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

STANDARD — ていねい (TEINEI)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
まいにちしちじにおきます。	Mainichi shichi-ji ni okimasu.	はやいですね！ Hayai desu ne!	Describing wake-up time politely
あさごはんをたべてからがっこうにいきます。	Asagohan wo tabete kara gakkou ni ikimasu.	わたしもおなじです。 Watashi mo onaji desu.	Describing sequence: after eating, go to school
たいていじゅういちじにねます。	Taitei juuichi-ji ni nemasu.	そうですか。わたしはもっとおそいです。 Sou desu ka. Watashi wa motto osoi desu.	Saying bedtime with frequency adverb
シャワーをあびてからきがえます。	Shawaa wo abite kara kigaemasu.	わたしはさきにきがえます。 Watashi wa saki ni kigaemasu.	Morning routine sequence

CASUAL — くだけた (KUDAKETA)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context
いつもなんじにおきる？	Itsumo nan-ji ni okiru?	しちじくらいかな。 Shichi-ji kurai kana.	Casual question about wake-up time
やすみのひはおそくまでねてる。	Yasumi no hi wa osoku made neteru.	わかる！わたしも！ Wakaru! Watashi mo!	Talking about sleeping in on days off
あさごはんたべるまえにはをみがく。	Asagohan taberu mae ni ha wo migaku.	えっ、さきにたべないの？ E, saki ni tabenai no?	Describing order: before eating, brush teeth

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three scenes at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — STANDARD · Student Describing Their Day to a Teacher

せんせい

まいにちなんじにおきますか？

Mainichi nan-ji ni okimasu ka?

What time do you wake up every day?

まいにち [TIME] に [VERB-ます] か？

mainichi [time] ni [verb-masu] ka?

every day [time] at [action] ?

→ "What time do you [action] every day?"

ゆうき

ろくじはんにおきます。あさごはんをたべてからがっこうにいきます。

Roku-ji han ni okimasu. Asagohan wo tabete kara gakkou ni ikimasu.

I wake up at 6:30. After eating breakfast, I go to school.

[VERB-て] から [VERB-ます]

[verb-te] kara [verb-masu]

[do something] after [do next thing]

→ "After [doing A], I [do B]."

せんせい

いいですね。たいていなんじにねますか？

Ii desu ne. Taitei nan-ji ni nemasu ka?

That's good. What time do you usually go to bed?

B — STANDARD · Colleagues Comparing Morning Routines

あきこ

あさなにをしますか？

Asa nani wo shimasu ka?

What do you do in the morning?

たけし

まずシャワーをあびます。そしてあさごはんをたべます。

Mazu shawaa wo abimasu. Soshite asagohan wo tabemasu.

First I take a shower. Then I eat breakfast.

まず [A] 。そして [B] 。

mazu [A] . soshite [B]

first [action A] . then [action B]

→ "First [A]. Then [B]." — sequence markers for listing steps

あきこ

わたしはあさごはんのまえにコーヒーをのみます。

Watashi wa asagohan no mae ni koohii wo nomimasu.

I drink coffee before breakfast.

[NOUN] のまえに [VERB-ます]

[noun] no mae ni [verb-masu]

[thing] before [action]

→ "Before [noun], I [do something]."

C — CASUAL · Friends Chatting About Weekend vs Weekday Routines

さくら

やすみのひはなんじにおきる？

Yasumi no hi wa nan-ji ni okiru?

What time do you wake up on days off?

れん

じゅうじくらい。ひるまでねてることもあるよ。

Juu-ji kurai. Hiru made neteru koto mo aru yo.

About 10. Sometimes I sleep until noon.

さくら

いいなあ。わたしはときどきあさはしるよ。

Ii naa. Watashi wa tokidoki asa hashiru yo.

Nice. I sometimes go running in the morning.

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

Describing a routine action at a time

STANDARD

[TIME] に [VERB-ます] 。

[time] ni [verb-masu].

→ e.g. しちじにおきます。= "I wake up at 7."

CASUAL

[TIME] に [VERB-plain] 。

[time] ni [verb-plain].

→ e.g. しちじにおきる。= "I get up at 7."

Sequencing — ～てから (after doing)

🟢 STANDARD

たべてからいきます。

Tabete kara ikimasu.

After eating, I go.

て-form + から = "after doing ~". The second verb sets the formality.

🟡 CASUAL

たべてからいく。

Tabete kara iku.

After eating, I go.

Same structure — only the final verb drops to plain form.

Before doing — ～まえに

🟢 STANDARD

あさごはんのまえにコーヒーをのみます。

Asagohan no mae ni koohii wo nomimasu.

I drink coffee before breakfast.

NOUN + のまえに. For verbs: dictionary form + まえに (e.g. ねるまえに = before sleeping).

🟡 CASUAL

ねるまえにはをみがく。

Neru mae ni ha wo migaku.

I brush my teeth before sleeping.

Verb (plain) + まえに. Same structure, casual ending.

Frequency adverbs

📊 High → Low

いつも → たいてい → よく → ときどき → あまり(…ない)

itsumo → taitei → yoku → tokidoki → amari (…nai)

always → usually → often → sometimes → not often

Place before the verb. あまり pairs with a negative verb: あまりたべません (I don't eat much).

🕐 Example

たいていしちじにおきます。

Taitei shichi-ji ni okimasu.

I usually wake up at 7.

Frequency word sits naturally at the start of the sentence or right before the verb.

A — Flashcards

Click a card to flip it. Use ▶ to hear the Japanese.

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1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then choose the correct English meaning.

C — Choose the Right Response

Listen to the question, then choose the most natural reply.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou / oo). Double consonants → write them twice (きって = kitte).

E — Shadowing Practice

Press ▶ to hear each line, say it aloud, then mark it as practised.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

～じに + verb — time + action

Use the particle に (ni) after a specific time to say "at [time]". Attach じ (ji) to the hour number, then に, then the verb.

• ろくじにおきます = I wake up at 6
• じゅういちじにねます = I go to bed at 11

⚠️ Do NOT use に with relative time words: まいにち (every day), あした (tomorrow), きょう (today) stand alone without に.

[NUMBER] じに [VERB-ます]

[number] ji ni [verb-masu]

→ "I [verb] at [number] o'clock."

しちじにおきます。

Shichi-ji ni okimasu.

I wake up at 7.

～てから — after doing

Connect two actions in sequence. The て-form of the first verb + から means "after doing [first action]".

  • たべてから = after eating
  • あびてから = after showering
  • みがいてから = after brushing

The second verb determines the politeness level of the whole sentence.

[VERB-て] から [VERB-ます]

[verb-te] kara [verb-masu]

→ "After [doing A], I [do B]."

あさごはんをたべてからがっこうにいきます。

Asagohan wo tabete kara gakkou ni ikimasu.

After eating breakfast, I go to school.

～まえに — before doing

まえに (mae ni) means "before". Two patterns:

• NOUN + のまえに: あさごはんのまえに = before breakfast
• VERB (dictionary form) + まえに: ねるまえに = before sleeping

Note: with nouns, の is required between the noun and まえに.

[NOUN] のまえに [VERB]

[noun] no mae ni [verb]

→ "Before [noun], I [verb]."

あさごはんのまえにコーヒーをのみます。

Asagohan no mae ni koohii wo nomimasu.

I drink coffee before breakfast.

Frequency adverbs — いつも / たいてい / ときどき / あまり

These adverbs express how often you do something. Place them before the verb or at the start of the sentence:

  • いつも (itsumo) = always (100%)
  • たいてい (taitei) = usually (~80%)
  • よく (yoku) = often (~60%)
  • ときどき (tokidoki) = sometimes (~30%)
  • あまり…ません (amari…masen) = not often (~10%) — pairs with negative verb

⚠️ あまり always needs a negative ending: あまりたべません (I don't eat much). Never: あまりたべます ❌

[FREQUENCY] [TIME] に [VERB-ます]

[freq] [time] ni [verb-masu]

→ "I [frequency] [verb] at [time]."

たいていじゅういちじにねます。

Taitei juuichi-ji ni nemasu.

I usually go to bed at 11.

Sequence markers — まず / つぎに / そして / さいごに

Use these to list steps in order when describing a routine:

  • まず (mazu) = first
  • つぎに (tsugi ni) = next
  • そして (soshite) = then / and then
  • さいごに (saigo ni) = finally / lastly

Place at the beginning of each sentence. Very natural for describing morning or evening routines.

まず [A] 。そして [B] 。さいごに [C] 。

mazu [A]. soshite [B]. saigo ni [C].

→ "First [A]. Then [B]. Finally [C]."

まずシャワーをあびます。そしてあさごはんをたべます。

Mazu shawaa wo abimasu. Soshite asagohan wo tabemasu.

First I take a shower. Then I eat breakfast.

～ます daily verb conjugation

All routine verbs in standard/polite speech use the ます form. Key daily verbs:

  • おきます (okimasu) = wake up   ← おきる
  • ねます (nemasu) = go to bed   ← ねる
  • たべます (tabemasu) = eat   ← たべる
  • のみます (nomimasu) = drink   ← のむ
  • あびます (abimasu) = take (a shower)   ← あびる
  • いきます (ikimasu) = go   ← いく
  • かえります (kaerimasu) = return home   ← かえる

In casual speech, use the dictionary form (right column) instead of ます.

[OBJECT] を [VERB-ます]

[object] wo [verb-masu]

→ "I [verb] [object]." — standard daily action

シャワーをあびます。

Shawaa wo abimasu.

I take a shower.

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
おきます	okimasu	to wake up / get up
ねます	nemasu	to go to bed / sleep
たべます	tabemasu	to eat
のみます	nomimasu	to drink
あびます	abimasu	to take (a shower)
あらいます	araimasu	to wash
みがきます	migakimasu	to brush (teeth)
きがえます	kigaemasu	to change clothes
でかけます	dekakemasu	to go out / leave
かえります	kaerimasu	to return home
いきます	ikimasu	to go
あさごはん	asagohan	breakfast
まいにち	mainichi	every day
いつも	itsumo	always
たいてい	taitei	usually