What is your major (in Japanese)?

あなたの せんもんは なんですか？= What is your major?

If you'd like to answer your major in Japanese, the following site may help you to find the Japanese name of your major.
http://www.chonmage-eigojuku.com/tangohen/tango20.html

or find your major in the "List of academic disciplines (Wikipedia)," click your major, and change the language to Japanese, "日本語"（にほんご). I hope this information will help you. :)
Now you can answer,
わたしの せんもんは ○○です。= My major is ○○. 

Beginners 1 on 03/09/10

Number of students: 11 including 1 new student
Summary
(1)Hiragana reading practice
・names of a part of a face (あたま、かお、くび、まゆげ、め、まつげ、はな、くち、etc.)
・common Japanese names (たなか、すずき、きくち、みやざき、まつもと、etc.)
・days of a week
・names of family and some jobs

(2)Lesson 1: じかん・とし（Time / Age） (Genki text p.29, p21)
    - じかん（Time）：Add じ（ji） after numbers.
　　　・ごぜん（gozen） = a.m. / ごご（gogo） = p.m.
　　　・ex) ごぜん ７じ です。（gozen shichi ji desu.） = It's 7 a.m.
    - とし（Age）：The counter suffix ～さい is used to indicate "-years old."

(3)Lesson 1: Questions for Numbers (Genki text pp.15-16)
  1).いま、なんじですか。（Ima, nan ji desu ka.） = What time is it now?
     - ７じ です。（Shichi ji desu.） = It's 7 o'clock.

  2).メアリーさんは なんさい ですか。（Mary san wa nansai desu ka.） = How old is Mary?
     - 19 さい です。（juu kyuu sai desu.） = She is 19 years old.
     - おいくつですか。（oikutsu desu ka.） = How old are you? (more polite than "なんさいですか.")

  3).たけしさんは なんねんせい ですか。（Takeshi san wa nan nensei desu ka.） = What year is Takeshi in college?
     - 2ねんせい です。（Ni nensei desu.） = I am a sophomore.
     - だいがく 3ねんせい です。（Daigaku san nensei desu.） = I am a junior in college.
     - しゅうし 1ねんせい です。（Shuushi ichi nensei desu.） = I am the 1st year of the Master.
     - はくし (or はかせ) 4ねんせい です。（Hakushi (or Hakase) yo nensei desu.） = I am the 4th year of the Ph.D.

  4).でんわばんごうは なんですか。（Denwabangou wa nan desu ka.） = What is your telephone number?
     - 123 - 4567です。（Ichi ni san no yon go roku nana desu.） = It's 123-4567.

(4)Lesson 1: Review Exercises (Genki text p.27)

Homework
(1)a Hiragana practice sheet (I gave you in today's class)
(2)Review today's lesson (ひらがな、カタカナ、Numbers, Questions for numbers)!!
     
We won't have a class next week (March 16th) because of Spring break.
Happy Spring Break! （たのしい はるやすみ を！）

See you on March 23rd!!

Beginners 1 on 03/02/10

Number of students: 8 including 1 new student
Summary
(1)Writing Hiragana and Katakana, らりるれろ, わをん, ラリルレロ, and ワヲン.
(2)Similar Hiragana
    - I gave a handout for similar hiragana.
(3)Lesson 1:  Reviewing a particle 「の」

(4)Lesson 1:  Numbers (0-100) (Genki text p.20)
    -You can see Japanese numbers in this website.
      http://japanese.about.com/od/japanesevocabulary/a/numbers.htm
      http://www.ajalt.org/sfyj/index.html
    - Exercise p.20 A,B, and C
    <how to pronounce +, -, =  >
     ・   +   たす（tasu）
     ・   -    ひく（hiku）
     ・   =   は（wa）
     ex.1)  4 + 5 = 9 　よん たす ご は きゅう. (yon tasu go wa kyuu)
     ex.2)  7 - 7 = 0 　なな ひく なな は れい. (nana hiku nana wa ree)

Homework
(1)Review ひらがな, カタカナ, Numbers.
    Practice numbers with these websites!
      - Numbers Listening Quiz
        http://genki.japantimes.co.jp/self/site/gakusyu/number.html
      - Number song (kids like this ;))
        http://www.genkienglish.net/genkijapan/learnjapanesenumbers.htm

Next Week
(1)Time (p.21)
(2)Time (minutes) and Age (p.29)
(3)What time is it? / What is your cellphone number? / What year are you in college (or high school)? / How old are you? (p.16)
(4)Interviewing game (p.27)
(5)(if we have time) more exercises (some pages from pp.22,23)

Please print out Lesson 1 of Genki textbook and bring them to the class!!!

See you next week!!

Additional information

1) If you would like to know Japanese pronunciation more and practice them, the site below may help you to learn.  Especially long vowels and consonant doubling are needed to be pronounced properly!  Let's practice!
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Japanese/Pronunciation

2) Students asked a question about the prefix お(o), a polite marker, in last class. For example, おちゃ(o-cya = tea), おゆ(o-yu = hot water), and おみず(o-mizu = water).  I said you cannot say おせんもん(o-senmon = major →×), but instead, you can say ごせんもん(go-senmon = major).  For more information about "お(o)" and "ご(go)," please take a look at this site.
http://japanese.about.com/library/blqow20.htm

Beginners 1 on 02/23/10

Number of students: 9 including 1 new student
Summary
(1)Writing Hiragana and Katakana, まみむめも, やゆよ, マミムメモ, and ヤユヨ.
(2)Lesson 1:  Reviewing
・XはYです。（X wa Y desu.）
・XはYですか。（X wa Y desuka.）

(3)Lesson 1:  (Xは) なんですか。（X wa nandesu ka.） = What is X? (Genki text p.15)
　・おなまえは なんですか。(Onamae wa nandesuka.) = What is (your) name?
　・おしごとは なんですか。(Oshigoto wa nandesuka.) = What is (your) job?
　・せんもんは なんですか。(Senmon wa nandesuka.) = What is (your) major?

(4)どこ から きましたか。（Doko kara kimashita ka.） = Where are you from?
 <How to answer> ex. アメリカ から きました。（Amerika kara kimashita.） = I'm from America.
 <grammar>
　・どこ（doko） = where
　・から（kara） = from
　・きました（kimashita） = came
　・か（ka） = a question marker (a particle)

(5)どこにすんでいますか。（Doko ni sunde imasu ka.） = Where do you live?
 <How to answer> ex. ブルーミントン に すんでいます。（Bloomington ni sundeimasu.） = I live in Bloomington.
 <grammar>
　・どこ（doko） = where
　・に（ni） = a particle which is used to indicate the place.
　・すんでいます（sunde imasu） = live
　・か（ka） = question marker (a particle)

Homework
(1)Practice ひらがな（Hiragana） and カタカナ (Katakana), まみむめも、やゆよ
(2)Review the today's lesson.

We will study the Numbers next week!! Please print out genki textbook pp.20-21.
See you next week!!