Are you allergic to anything? Some people get mild cases of hay fever. Other people are deathly allergic to things such as peanuts. Do you know how to talk about your allergies in Japanese? Can you ask someone if he or she is allergic to anything? If you can't, you need to read this Newbie Japanese article. Being able to talk about what you are allergic to can be part of casual conversation, but it can also be vitally important. In addition to ni arerugii ga arimasu ("I'm allergic to..."), you'll learn how to list items using "also" in Japanese. For example you can say, "I'm allergic to dust and pollen, and I also get hay fever." As always, this Japanese article contains a number of helpful vocabulary words and expressions.

Vocabulary: In this article, you'll learn the following words and phrases:

jitsu wa - "as a matter of fact, actually"

soba - "soba" (buckwheat noodles)

arerugii - "allergy"

arimasu - "to exist" (masu form)

kawaisoo - "poor, pitiable"( -na adjective)

un - "yeah, uh huh"

bataa - "butter"

tamago - "egg"

neko - "cats"

kafunshou - "hay fever, pollen allergy"

Grammar: In this article, you'll learn the following words and phrases:

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

kawaisoo

Kawaisoo is an -na ending adjective. Review its usage below.

Examples:

Rorii-san wa kawaisoo desu.
"Poor Lori." (I feel sorry for Lori.)

Kawaisoo na hito!!
"Poor thing!"

Kawaisoo desu ne.
"It's a pity, isn't it?"

kafunshoo "pollen allergy, hay fever"

Kafun means "pollen," and -shoo is a suffix meaning "illness."

mo "also, too, either"

When mo replaces the particles wa, ga, or o, it adds the meaning "too" or "also." See the examples below.

Examples:

Wa: Watashi wa gakusei desu. "I'm a student." Mo: Watashi mo gakusei desu. "I'm also a student."
Wa: Soba o tabemasu. "I eat buckwheat noodles." Mo: Sashimi mo tabemasu. "I also eat Sashimi."
Wa: Tamago arerugii ga arimasu. "I'm allergic to eggs." Mo: Neko arerugii mo arimasu. "I'm also allergic to cats."

Today's Target Phrase

(Watashi wa) arerugii ga arimasu. "I have an allergy."
(Watashi wa) tamago (ni) arerugii ga arimasu. "I'm allergic to eggs."

Arimasu means "to exist, to be," or "to possess," and the subject-marking particle ga usually precedes it.

Formation

___ ga arimasu "there is ___ / there are ___ / I have ___ "

When you are allergic to something, insert the thing you are allergic to, plus the particle ni, in front of arerugii. Remember that we often omit ni from conversations.

For example:

___ ni arerugii ga arimasu "I'm allergic to ___ ."

Sentence Patterns

Affirmative Sentences

Watashi wa arerugii ga arimasu.
Watashi wa tamago (ni ) arerugii ga arimasu.
Watashi wa hokori (ni ) arerugii ga arimasu.
Watashi wa nattsu (ni ) arerugii ga arimasu.

hokori "dust"

nattsu "nuts"

Examples:

Arerugii ga arimasu ka.
"Do you have any allergies?"

Iie, arimasen.

"No, I don't."

Arerugii ga arimasu ka.
"Do you have any allergies?"

Hai, hokori ni arerugii ga arimasu.
" Yes, I'm allergic to dust."

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