Phrases › Japanese
Phrases
In Japanese, hello is こんにちは (Konnichiwa) and thank you is ありがとうございます (Arigatō gozaimasu). Here are 71 everyday Japanese phrases with pronunciation, for travel and a first conversation.
How to say hello in Japanese · How to say thank you in Japanese · How to say goodbye in Japanese · How to say please in Japanese · How to say sorry in Japanese · How to say how are you in Japanese · How to say nice to meet you in Japanese · How to say my name is in Japanese
| English | Japanese | Say It Like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | こんにちは Konnichiwa | kon-nee-chee-wah |
| Goodbye | さようなら Sayōnara formal/final-sounding; じゃあね (jā ne) is casual | sah-yoh-nah-rah |
| Please | お願いします Onegaishimasu | oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mahs |
| Thank you | ありがとうございます Arigatō gozaimasu | ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee-mahs |
| Yes | はい | Hai |
| No | いいえ Iie | ee-eh |
| Excuse me / Sorry | すみません Sumimasen covers both 'excuse me' and 'sorry' | soo-mee-mah-sehn |
| Do you speak English? | 英語を話せますか？ Eigo o hanasemasu ka? | ay-goh oh hah-nah-seh-mahs kah? |
| I don't understand | わかりません Wakarimasen | wah-kah-ree-mah-sehn |
| Please speak slowly | ゆっくり話してください Yukkuri hanashite kudasai | yook-koo-ree hah-nah-shee-teh koo-dah-sah-ee |
| How much is it? | いくらですか？ Ikura desu ka? | ee-koo-rah dess kah? |
| Where is the bathroom? | トイレはどこですか？ Toire wa doko desu ka? | toh-ee-reh wah doh-koh dess kah? |
| I'd like this, please | これをお願いします Kore o onegaishimasu | koh-reh oh oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mahs |
| The bill, please | お会計お願いします Okaikei onegaishimasu | oh-kah-ee-kay oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mahs |
| Where is …? | …はどこですか？ … wa doko desu ka? put the place name before wa | … wah doh-koh dess kah? |
| Help! | 助けて！ Tasukete! | tah-soo-keh-teh! |
| I need a doctor | 医者が必要です Isha ga hitsuyō desu | ee-shah gah hee-tsoo-yoh dess |
| Call the police! | 警察を呼んでください！ Keisatsu o yonde kudasai! | kay-sah-tsoo oh yohn-deh koo-dah-sah-ee! |
| I don't speak Japanese | 日本語は話せません Nihongo wa hanasemasen | nee-hohn-goh wah hah-nah-seh-mah-sehn |
| Can you help me? | 手伝ってもらえますか？ Tetsudatte moraemasu ka? | teh-tsoo-daht-teh moh-rah-eh-mahs kah? |
| English | Japanese | Say It Like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | こんにちは | Konnichiwa |
| How are you? | お元気ですか？ said to someone you haven't seen for a while; at a first meeting people usually go straight to はじめまして | O-genki desu ka? |
| I'm fine, thank you. | 元気です。ありがとうございます。 | Genki desu. Arigatō gozaimasu. |
| And you? | …さんは？ put the person's name + さん (san) in the gap; Japanese avoids あなた (anata, 'you'), which sounds cold | … san wa? |
| What's your name? | お名前は何ですか？ more polite: お名前を伺ってもいいですか (O-namae o ukagatte mo ii desu ka) | O-namae wa nan desu ka? |
| My name is … | …と申します。 humble form; simpler: …です (… desu) | … to mōshimasu. |
| Nice to meet you. | はじめまして。よろしくお願いします。 said together when you first meet someone | Hajimemashite. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. |
| Where are you from? | どちらから来ましたか？ polite | Dochira kara kimashita ka? |
| I'm from … | …から来ました。 put your country in the gap | … kara kimashita. |
| Goodbye, see you later. | では、また。 さようなら (sayōnara) sounds final; with friends: じゃあね (jā ne) | Dewa, mata. |
| English | Japanese | Say It Like |
|---|---|---|
| Slower, please. | もう少しゆっくりお願いします。 | Mō sukoshi yukkuri onegai shimasu. |
| Again, please. | もう一度お願いします。 | Mō ichido onegai shimasu. |
| I don't understand. | わかりません。 | Wakarimasen. |
| How do you say … in Japanese? | …は日本語で何と言いますか？ pointing: これは日本語で何と言いますか？ (Kore wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?) | … wa Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka? |
| What does … mean? | …はどういう意味ですか？ | … wa dō iu imi desu ka? |
| Can you write it down, please? | 書いてもらえますか？ | Kaite moraemasu ka? |
| I'm learning Japanese. | 日本語を勉強しています。 | Nihongo o benkyō shite imasu. |
| One moment, please. | ちょっと待ってください。 more formal: 少々お待ちください (Shōshō o-machi kudasai), what staff say | Chotto matte kudasai. |
| English | Japanese | Say It Like |
|---|---|---|
| Take me to the airport, please. | 空港までお願いします | Kūkō made onegaishimasu |
| Take me to this address, please. | この住所までお願いします show the address on your phone as well | Kono jūsho made onegaishimasu |
| How much is it to go to …? | …までいくらですか？ put the place name in the gap | … made ikura desu ka? |
| Stop here, please. | ここで止めてください | Koko de tomete kudasai |
| One ticket to …, please. | …まで一枚お願いします put the destination in the gap | … made ichimai onegaishimasu |
| Which bus goes to …? | …に行くバスはどれですか？ put the place name in the gap | … ni iku basu wa dore desu ka? |
| Where is the train station? | 駅はどこですか？ 駅 (eki) means train station | Eki wa doko desu ka? |
| I'm lost. | 道に迷いました | Michi ni mayoimashita |
| Call an ambulance! | 救急車を呼んでください！ | Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai! |
| Where is the pharmacy? | 薬局はどこですか？ drugstores are also called ドラッグストア (doraggu sutoa) | Yakkyoku wa doko desu ka? |
| I'm allergic to … | …アレルギーがあります put the food in the gap, e.g. ナッツ (nattsu, nuts) | … arerugī ga arimasu |
| It hurts here. | ここが痛いです point to the spot | Koko ga itai desu |
| I've lost my passport. | パスポートをなくしました go to the police box (交番, kōban) | Pasupōto o nakushimashita |
| My bag was stolen. | かばんを盗まれました | Kaban o nusumaremashita |
| A table for two, please. | 二人です literally 'we are two'; for three say 三人です (sannin desu) | Futari desu |
| The menu, please. | メニューをお願いします | Menyū o onegaishimasu |
| I'm vegetarian. | ベジタリアンです many dishes use fish stock, so also say 魚もだめです (sakana mo dame desu, no fish either) | Bejitarian desu |
| Water, please. | お水をお願いします | Omizu o onegaishimasu |
| Is it spicy? | 辛いですか？ | Karai desu ka? |
| I have a reservation. | 予約しています add your name: 名前は…です (namae wa … desu) | Yoyaku shiteimasu |
| Is breakfast included? | 朝食は付いていますか？ | Chōshoku wa tsuiteimasu ka? |
| What is the Wi-Fi password? | Wi-Fiのパスワードは何ですか？ | Wi-Fi no pasuwādo wa nan desu ka? |
| What time is checkout? | チェックアウトは何時ですか？ | Chekkuauto wa nanji desu ka? |
| Where is the nearest grocery store? | 一番近いスーパーはどこですか？ コンビニ (konbini) = convenience store | Ichiban chikai sūpā wa doko desu ka? |
| Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか？ many small shops are cash only | Kādo de haraemasu ka? |
| Where is an ATM? | ATMはどこですか？ convenience stores (コンビニ, konbini) have ATMs that accept foreign cards | ATM wa doko desu ka? |
| That's too expensive. | 高すぎます prices are usually fixed in Japan; bargaining is uncommon | Takasugimasu |
| I'm just looking. | 見ているだけです | Mite iru dake desu |
| How do you say this in Japanese? | これは日本語で何と言いますか？ | Kore wa nihongo de nan to iimasu ka? |
| My name is … | …と申します put your name in the gap; humble form | … to mōshimasu |
| I'm from … | …から来ました put your country in the gap | … kara kimashita |
| Can you write it down? | 書いてもらえますか？ | Kaite moraemasu ka? |
| Can you say that again, please? | もう一度言っていただけますか？ shorter: もう一度お願いします (mō ichido onegaishimasu) | Mō ichido itte itadakemasu ka? |
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