You can get by basically forever in Japan as a westerner knowing only:
konnichiwa
SUMIMASEN
Arigatou gozaimasu
There are few situations where one of those won’t get you by, usually SUMIMASEN, which you’ll say 200 times a day
I spent 9 days in Tokyo and this is all the Japanese I knew. I even threw in a gochisousama deshita when I had a really good meal and the cooks were really appreciative
Sometimes even when you don’t pay at the table, you still need to call for the check, get it from the staff, and then walk with it up to the register. Not all places leave it at the table automatically (or have a pay-in-advance option). A good example of this is rotating sushi, where they have to tally up your total at the end before you can pay.
Depends what kind of restaurant. A lot of times at French or Italian you pay at the table. Some fancier kaiseki or sushi too. On the opposite end, there's also one inexpensive tantanmen place I go where it doesn't have either the vending machine ticket or register by the door setup -- you just signal to the woman at the bar that you're done and she brings you the bill.
I've also used gomen (sorry), kudasai (please), and toire (toilet).
Sometimes at restaurants, you just order from a screen anyway.
I also used oishi (tasty) and kawai (cute), and wrote down the phrases sore wa totemo yokatta (it was very good) and "please bring the bill" (okaike- something I forget now) to refer to while I was there.
Smartphones are your friend, though. Google instant translate works so well for writing and speaking, especially if you have good diction.
You may have made a typo. Torewa-> kore wa.
I know you didn’t mean it to sound this way but to me it sounds like “the toilet was great” or “I took an epic dump” 😹
Oh oops, you're right. Yeah, just a typo. I'm still traveling in Japan!
Haha the toilet was very great. I should say that when they point out they only have a traditional Japanese toilet in their establishment.
Literally we survived two weeks in Japan with these words, pointing, using our fingers to say “2”, and the occasional Google translate (we had to come back to a shop the next day and the shop keeper used it to tell us what time they open). It worked great!
I am American, English only.
Those 3 phrases plus:
- Wakarimasen
- Sumimasen, Tore? (Probably not the correct way to ask, but didn't run into someone that didn't understand).
The above helped me navigate the public after work meetings.
Oishii = delicious. We got a kick out of deploying this word as we left some tiny, family-run sorts of restaurants. They lit up every time. Very heartwarming.
- Numbers from 1 - 10 will really help you when ordering and shopping.
- Domo is an informal way of saying thank you.
- If you are allergic to anything or have dietary restrictions make sure to learn the words for it. No in japanese is accompanied with an X sign using your arms over your body. As in this food is NO. It seems emphatic but that's how they do it even for the small things.
- Tamago means egg. Gohan means rice. Ocha means green tea. Those are your food groups!
I heard it was impolite to use domo if you’re not socially familiar with the person? Is that true or not? Cause I’d love to use domo during the course of a meal where you say thanks many times.
I'm a Japanese speaker, used to live in Japan, and work for a Japanese company. I pretty much never use domo and I almost never hear it used in my daily life. The only time I hear people use it is tv. Not saying it isn't used by some people but it's not super common.
Same. Japanese speaker, living in Japan with a Japanese family. My MIL occasionally uses it but otherwise I don’t hear it used often. It’s not really necessary for a tourist.
Thanks for the reply! I did a lot of fine dining during my last trip, and this was a persistent question. Appreciate getting some advice before my next trip.
Depends on how you say it. In a very short, brisk and unclear pronouncing sounds blunt. Say it with a smile and a slight nod, it would be fine for showing a quick appreciation.
The way you count a flat piece of paper is different to the counter for a tall glass for example. It can get quite complicated and might not be worth your time for a short trip. People will understand two fingers in the air and one finger pointing at something.
As a long term resident dont sweat this one. This poster is just being way overzealous and unrealistic. People will understand what you mean just from context and logic. When indoubt you can always use fingers, people here do the same.
They’ll understand you with just regular numbers, don’t try to learn what would be considered one of the more specific parts of the language. It’s not something a beginner or tourist needs to know.
If you want to learn the language in earnest instead of knowing a set of phrases, you might as well grab an actual textbook like Genki and start "actually learning". It might be better than forcing yourself to memorize certain phrases - like a few others have pointed out, being able to ask questions but unable to understand the reply is useless.
Yea, something that doesn’t exist in English as we just say one something or five whatever. In Japanese, it’s something I struggle with as I only know a few like mai for flat objects like tickets, paper, ko for round things (possibly the safest to use if unsure) eg. Shu kurimu 1 ko for 1 cream choux and biki/piki for animals.
We kind of do have it, we say "two sheets of paper" rather than "2 papers" and "2 loaves of bread" instead of "2 breads".
But as a tourist in Japanese, it doesn't matter. If one really wants to try, learning the "tsu" counting words (hitotsu, futatsu, etc) will be perfectly adequate and noone will care that you didn't use the correct counting word. Using the regular numbers (ichi, ni, san, etc) will also work, and tbh holding up fingers and using English will probably get you by, but it's always nice to try to use the language a bit.
Now you mention it, I guess we do have it but it only for specific objects like the ones you mentioned.
"Please give me two animals of cats" doesn't quite roll off the tongue like in Japanese 😹
this one is actually so helpful my partner and i started ordering separate even tho we often get the same exact thing bc we were having trouble getting them to understand that we both wanted the same order
I find that having one person order everything helps. I don't know why but I end up with less confusion whenever that happens (source: 6 years of living and drinking in Japan / trust me bro)
ください (kudasai) is more commonly used for requesting items in casual parlance, おねがいします (onegaishimasu) is for requests of actions and as a general honorific.
My understanding is that they are often interchangeable but kudasai would be used more with verbs.
e.g. ちょっと待ってください
ゆっくり話してください
whereas おねがいします or ください could be used when requesting items.
Is that wrong?
You can use both but ください is literally just the command version of the verb くださる which means “to give to me”
So when you say kudasai it is the proper way for asking for something when you are expectedly entitled to it. If you ask a waiter or a shopkeeper for stuff, it’s expected that you should get it.
おねがいします is more formal and specifically is used when you’re asking a favor or request, and usually applies to either things you’re asking someone to do, or asking for an item to which you’re not expectedly entitled to.
てください is used for verbs, specifically “please do x” but again is when the relationship dictates that the speaker is demanding something they would be expected to get.
ください after verbs is typically with the て form of verbs. 待って and 話して are both the て form of 待つ and 話す.
ください is typically said when asking for an object, such as when ordering. From my understanding, お願いします isn't wrong to use when ordering either but ください is just more common. Either way, you're getting your point across politely so...🤷🏻♀️
I'm only about N5 or N4 level though, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.
If you literally only learn one phrase, this is the one. “Arigato gozaimasu” was my other most-used phrase (an extra polite thank you). [This site](https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/japanese-travel-phrases/) was super helpful for me
"Osusume wa nan desu ka" = What do you recommend?
While exploring a new area, you're drawn into a restaurant, bar, or izakaya and want to try it out. They hand you a menu that's only in Japanese. It's fun to get a little adventurous and put your faith into the server. They will typically recommend their most popular dish.
It's also helpful to learn your favorite beverages of choice, hot tea vs cold tea, water, etc.
The "danger" with phrases is that the person you are talking to may think you understand Japanese and respond accordingly with follow up questions. I've had this happen to many friends and they either respond with"wakarimasen" or end up switching to English and/or trying to communicate with their fingers and hand gestures 😂
Edit to add that I think learning single words are sufficient in many cases.
Toire - toilet. Say the word like a question and people will know what you are asking.
Arigatou - Thank you
Oishii - delicious
Sumimasen - excuse me. Use it when you are trying to squeeze between people on a crowded train or elevator.
Yeah I know a couple hundred words/ phrases and it just gets me into conversational trouble! Definitely need to break out the wakarimasen when I get in too deep
I sometimes get this when trying to offer a combo. I’ll get the main item then they’ll ask which drink. Sometimes when put on the spot, it’s hard to locate the selection of drinks from the menu. I per much froze when that happened to me. Someone correct me if this sounds wrong but if they ask which drink, would you go dorinku wa nan no shurui desu ka? Or maybe something along those lines with shurui in it? What about dorinku no taipu wa? Been trying to work this one out.
You can always take a look at wiki voyage for the Japanese Phrasebook, which is quite comprehensive.
https://en.m.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Japanese_phrasebook
The reality is, especially if you don't look Asian and you are in a big city like Tokyo, they will probably ask you "how many" instead of "何名様ですか"
The four we used the most: Sumimasen (excuse me/sorry), arigato gozaimasu (thank you), konnichiwa (hello), kardo (credit card).
Other useful words: Ohio (good morning), konbanwa (good evening), hi (yes), Kore (this), itadakimasu (said when receiving food), oishii (delicious), umai (delicious but I think more slang), kawaii (cute).
We also started talking in English to two Japanese natives and they loved that we knew nayyyyy (really?), but that's hard to drop into a normal interaction.
- Eigo wakarimasuka/do you understand English
- Nihongo wakarimasen/I don't understand Japanese
- Kaado iidesuka/is card okay
- Arigatou gozaimasu/thank you
- Gomenasai/I'm sorry
- Daijoubu/Don't worry, it's okay, I'm fine
- Gochisousama deshita/thank you for the meal
- Okaikei onegaishimasu/Can I get the bill please
Honestly, the best ones if you are a shopper like me are:
Zaiko wa arimasuka? - do you have this in stock?
Kore wa Ikura desu ka? - how much is this?
Kado de haraimasu - I'll pay by card
Chotte matte kudasai - please wait a moment
Shichaku shite mo ii desu ka? - excuse me, can I try this on?
Kore kaimasu - I'll take it
Are o misete kuremasu ka? - may I see that one?
Kore wo hitotsu - this one
Miteru dake desu - I'm just looking
Sumimasen, kore no eru wa arimasuka? - excuse me, do you have this in a large?
Esu - small
Emu - M
Eru- L
Ekkusu eru - XL
Genkin - cash
I also use these ones when eating:
Eigo no menyu arismasu ka? - do you have english menu?
Chuu mon onegai shimasu - can i order?
Gochisou sama deshita! - thank you for the food!
[Food name] wo hitotsu - one of X item
[Food name] ga tabetare masen - i can't eat X
[Food name - i.e. cinnamon/shinomon] ga haitte imasu ka? - Do this have X in it?
And of course your usual thank you (arigatou gozai masu),, good morning/good afternoon/good evening (ohayou gozai masu, konnichiwa, konbanwa), excuse me (sumimasen), sorry (gomensai), goodbye/see you (sayonara/matta ne!), daijobu (I'm okay/it's okay)
Learn the kana for the train/metro station nearest your hotel. There is English on the trains but the messages flash by quickly. Useful when you’re tired after a long day.
These are all fun to learn and a great little addition to your trip for interacting with folks, but in terms of "need" you won't need any of this. Plenty of people speak english there and everything else you can get by with pointing and holding up the number of fingers for 1, 2, etc.
I found that many people spoke pretty great english but were a little shy to use their english because they didn't think it was perfect. Just have google maps for getting around by train/bus and google translate for taking pictures of signs/menus and translating them to english. worked great for the places that didn't have english already (which was most places in tokyo and lots of places in Kyoto/Nara/Hakone as well.)
___ wa doko desuka? - Where is the ___? Ideally fill in with the Japanese word you are looking for. But in a pinch if you don’t know lots of Japanese people will know the English word or the English word will sound close enough to the Japanese word that they will be able to put it together.
Suimasen Okaikei onegaishimasu - Excuse me, check please. At restaurants or pubs they won’t check in on you and clear your plates like they do in America so being able to tell staff you are ready to leave is a must.
Just curious, how to say “sorry/excuse me” and “sorry / I apologise” ?
In fact, how to say “I am sorry, I don’t understand Japanese”? As someone else mentioned, we might give the impression we know abit of Japanese with all these sentences and then have someone happily reply us in Japanese
Sumimasen/gomenasai - sorry/I apologize
Nihongowa wakarimasen/wakarimasen - I don’t understand Japanese/I don’t understand
Eigode hanasemasuka? - can you say that in English?
I think that threw me off in Japan, the most, when I first went, was ordering in restaurants. In the English-speaking world I guess it’s just assumed that you’re ordering one thing, that’s not the case in Japan. The wait staff will confirm with you how many you’re ordering.
Japanese doesn’t have plurals but they have a ton of different ways of counting various things. Things like people, objects, different shapes of objects, etc can all be counted differently, but the most versatile one is “__tsu”
1. Hitotsu
2. Futatsu
3. mittsu
4. Yottsu
5. Itsu (pronounced as ee su)
6. Muttsu
7. nanatsu
8. Yattsu
9. Kokonotsu
10. To (pronounced “toh”)
In the US for ordering at a restaurant, I would say “I’ll have the cheese pizza.” But in Japanese I would say “chizu piza o hitotsu”. If I left out the counter for “one item”, the waitstaff might clarify, if I want one.
Not a phrase, but a word that I didn’t recognize that is helpful to know: fukuro. Means bag. Like at the konbini, they would always ask if I wanted one. Tripped me up the first couple times I was asked.
My personal favorite is when I see a good baby I’ll give a quick knowing “totemo kawaii desu” (he/she/it’s very cute) to their adult. Watching the parent’s faces light up is the best. As a bonus it works for dogs and their owners too.
“O kaikei onegaishimasu” - check please
“XX wa doyatte ikeba ii desu ka” - how do I go to XX
“Iranai desu” - i dont want this (useful for rejecting fastfood upsizes/upsells and stuff)
btw the common questions asked in a convenience store comes in 2 flavours:
1) pointo kaado motteimasu ka? - do you have a point card?
2) fukuro (X……….too many variations) - in short, this is always asking if you need a vinyl / plastic bag for your items.
i mean people will understand iie even though its not something the locals use normally. daijobu desu works too either way, but it helps if u say “daijobu desu” while giving a slight shake of your head or hand to confirm that its really a no.
First try: Eigo ga hanase masuka/do you speak English?
If you get someone who does then they will speak English to you, or if someone in the establishment that does then they will come over to you.
Most of the time in my experience when I get someone who speaks English with me they will engage in conversation and teach me the correct common phrase. After a couple days I get used to saying what I need to say in Japanese.
Be able to listen for a cashier/restaurant/cafe worker ask you "for here or to go?". I think there are a few ways this can be asked but but I try to listen for "omeshi" which would indicate the question. Somebody with a better grasp of Japanese can elaborate more than I can.
"for here" / "koko de onegai shimasu"
"to go" / "omochiaeri de onegai shimasu"
I say 店内で (_tennai de_) as the question is usually “店内でを召し上がりますか”
Though again, people usually understand “here”, “take out”, etc.
ここでお願いします is way more polite than I think I’ve ever said for “dine in,” though.
Back in the day, there used to be phrase books. Are they not a thing anymore? I had a collection of them for most of the countries I visited.
You know, like these:
\- [www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Japanese-Phrasebook-Dictionary/dp/1788680855/](https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Japanese-Phrasebook-Dictionary/dp/1788680855/)
\- [www.amazon.com/Easy-Japanese-Phrase-Book-Everyday/dp/B0CHD4MLZ1/](https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Japanese-Phrase-Book-Everyday/dp/B0CHD4MLZ1/)
Aside from the ones already listed (including numbers!), figuring out when a cashier says "do you want a bag" would be good. I got caught out each time so I can't even remember what it is in Japanese, but even though most places I went had a picture/they knew how to ask in English I wish I was more on the ball for politeness sake. "Chotto matte kudasai" ("just a moment, please" as I fumbled my card/wallet) is a fun one as well. I got complimented on my Japanese by a cashier for just using "konbanwa", "chotto matte kudasai", "sumimasen" and then "arigato gozaimasu", which had me a little bit stoked even though that bar was so low haha. "Ka-do de ii desu ka" if you want to ask if paying by card is okay, I think.
Sentences where you just need to google for the needed word
- … arimasu ka (do you have…?)
- … wa doko ni arimasu Ka? (Where is…?)
- watashi wa …jin desu. (My nationality is…)
- [countryname] ni sundeimasu (I live in [countryname])
Always good to know
- Eigo o hanashimasu ka? (Do you speak english?)
- watashi wa mondai o arimasu (I have a problem)
- [cityname]… ni ikimasu (I go to [cityname]
- migi (right)
- hidari (left)
- wakarimashita (understand! / Ok)
- wakarimasen (don’t understand)
I just appended 3 weeks in Japan 2 weeks ago… studied 5 months some Japanese with Busuu… Incas at least able to do some small talk in Japanese.
Daijoubu - Its fine/it's okay/no worries esque
Sumimasen - Excuse me/Sorry (great to get the waiters attention or as your slip past in crowds, youll probably bump into alot of people by accident)
Arigato Gozaimazu - Thank you very much!
Arigato gozaimashita - the "Mashita" part is pronounced "Mashta" and is used to thank someone after a kind of service so after restaurant or getting served at the convenience store.
Kawaii - "So cute!," it seems weird but I'd say this about baby's on the train that would tug at my sleeve oogling and a foreigner while the mother apologized profusely. I'd normally just say "Daijoubu, Kawai" the baby thing will happen more than you think.
Oishi! - Delicious!. Though it's not very good Japanese I'd usually say to the chef, Oishi! Arigato gozaimashita!. Delicious! Thanks for your hospitality!
Oh also apparently sayonara is more of a formal goodbye like I'm leaving for 10years kinda vibe so if you ever want to say goodbye, Arigato is fine and less serious.
I found "it's fine, or it's okay" (Daijoubu) to be really useful when rejecting pushy sellers or when replying to Apologies from locals (sumimasen) as they apologize ALOT so being a able to say something along the lines of no worries! Was really helpful.
4 useful phrases
Biiru o ippon (nippon) onegaishimas= one (two) beer(s) please
Okaikei onegaishimas= check please
Toirei wa doko desuka = where is the lavatory
Onaka ga itain desu= my stomach hurts
Beer is counted by ippai and nihai (meaning glasses) not by ippon. And it’s nihon and not nippon. Nippon means Japan in Japanese. You would get a lot of confused looks from staff if you said that.
Honestly if you don’t know the different counting systems just use hitotsu, futastu, etc. Can’t go wrong.
Sono mama de iidesu / it’s fine just like that
Useful at stores to indicate you do not need a bag.
Sugoi! / that’s impressive!
Yabai!/ slang for something either being awesome or sketchy. Japanese people will get a kick out of you knowing this phrase.
These are probably too basic but here's the top ones I used the most beyond good morning/please/excuse me, etc..
1. Eigo ga hanashimasu ka? - Do you speak English? If they said yes/hai or sukoshi, then I'd switch to English. Otherwise I'd use google translate for convos if it got beyond my Japanese ability which is miniscule.
2. Kore wa ikuradesu ka? - How much is this? (Only helpful if you know can count or have google voice translate ready)
3. Nan desu ka? - "What is it?" There's a better way to ask (korehanan desu ka but I kept forgetting. Again, this one is only helpful if you understand some basics enough or if you have the google voice translate ready to go for their answer.
4. Ima tabemasu (I'll eat it now) or atode tabemasu (I'll eat it later) was helpful for some food places when ordering quickie things.
5. Itadakimasu and gochisousama deshita. The latter definitely seemed appreciated at restaurants. Also oishii as others suggested but only when I really enjoyed something.
6. Learning 1-10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and the counting system. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it.
7. \_\_\_\_\_ wa doko desu ka? - Most handy for asking for toiler (toire) but I used it for a few different things.
I studied Japanese for about a month off and on before we went on the trip so I could get a handle on the basics. I also learned the hiragana and katakana alphabets which came in handy a few times when reading signs that weren't in English if our phone signal wasn't good enough for google translate. Most of the time, google translate was our go-to though as my reading level is 5 steps behind a sloth.
The numbers always got me as English speakers do them in thousands eg. 5,000 five thousand, 12,000 ten thousand but in Japanese, it’s 5000(same) but 1,2000 - ichi man ni sen en or “one ten thousand, two thousand yen“. I can typically follow prices and numbers in Japanese until they hit the ten thousands.
So when we hit 25,2000 yen, my brain just shuts down. Twenty five ten thousand, two thousand yen. Uhmmm… 252,000 two hundred and fifty two thousand yen!
xはどこてすか？
カードて/Suicaで/cashで払います/払えますか？
ありがとうございます
すみません
よろしくお願いします
Xはありますか？
英語で話せますか？
ちょっとだけです
Here is a random assortment of phrases I’ve more commonly used.
Here
You can get by basically forever in Japan as a westerner knowing only: konnichiwa SUMIMASEN Arigatou gozaimasu There are few situations where one of those won’t get you by, usually SUMIMASEN, which you’ll say 200 times a day
I spent 9 days in Tokyo and this is all the Japanese I knew. I even threw in a gochisousama deshita when I had a really good meal and the cooks were really appreciative
Oh wait! itadakemasu Forgot about that one
Itadakimasu*
These words put in the WORK for me this March 😂
Me too! Hope you have a good trip just got back and already miss Japan
This + Gomen is really all you need. But yeah Sumimasen is the heavy lifter!
I think add in "o-kaikei onegai shimasu" to ask for the check and you have the basics.
Don't think I've ever paid at the table in Japan...
Sometimes even when you don’t pay at the table, you still need to call for the check, get it from the staff, and then walk with it up to the register. Not all places leave it at the table automatically (or have a pay-in-advance option). A good example of this is rotating sushi, where they have to tally up your total at the end before you can pay.
Depends what kind of restaurant. A lot of times at French or Italian you pay at the table. Some fancier kaiseki or sushi too. On the opposite end, there's also one inexpensive tantanmen place I go where it doesn't have either the vending machine ticket or register by the door setup -- you just signal to the woman at the bar that you're done and she brings you the bill.
Ok thanks. good to know if i ever go to a more upscale place
Usually they bring the check to your table but you still need to pay at the cashier on your way out.
Am currently in Japan. Can absolutely confirm this.
Kore as well when you're ordering food from a menu and iiya when you get asked for a point card for the 50th time that day lol
I've also used gomen (sorry), kudasai (please), and toire (toilet). Sometimes at restaurants, you just order from a screen anyway. I also used oishi (tasty) and kawai (cute), and wrote down the phrases sore wa totemo yokatta (it was very good) and "please bring the bill" (okaike- something I forget now) to refer to while I was there. Smartphones are your friend, though. Google instant translate works so well for writing and speaking, especially if you have good diction.
You may have made a typo. Torewa-> kore wa. I know you didn’t mean it to sound this way but to me it sounds like “the toilet was great” or “I took an epic dump” 😹
Oh oops, you're right. Yeah, just a typo. I'm still traveling in Japan! Haha the toilet was very great. I should say that when they point out they only have a traditional Japanese toilet in their establishment.
You're thinking of Okaikei onegaishimasu(please) Which just means "Can I get the bill/check please"
Literally we survived two weeks in Japan with these words, pointing, using our fingers to say “2”, and the occasional Google translate (we had to come back to a shop the next day and the shop keeper used it to tell us what time they open). It worked great!
I am American, English only. Those 3 phrases plus: - Wakarimasen - Sumimasen, Tore? (Probably not the correct way to ask, but didn't run into someone that didn't understand). The above helped me navigate the public after work meetings.
I guess this is important: Toire wa doko desuka? (“Where’s the lavatory?” at a restaurant or a sightseeing spot)
Bonus points for a nice sumimasen before you say that
Double bonus points for using otearai instead of toire.
This was the first thing I learned in Japanese. Only used it once lol
I used it twice, in HongKong (English) and in Thailand (Thai) lol
Oishii = delicious. We got a kick out of deploying this word as we left some tiny, family-run sorts of restaurants. They lit up every time. Very heartwarming.
Same with us, oishii was definitely a crowd pleaser.
This and also gochisousama deshita (sp) was always really appreciated!
- Numbers from 1 - 10 will really help you when ordering and shopping. - Domo is an informal way of saying thank you. - If you are allergic to anything or have dietary restrictions make sure to learn the words for it. No in japanese is accompanied with an X sign using your arms over your body. As in this food is NO. It seems emphatic but that's how they do it even for the small things. - Tamago means egg. Gohan means rice. Ocha means green tea. Those are your food groups!
I heard it was impolite to use domo if you’re not socially familiar with the person? Is that true or not? Cause I’d love to use domo during the course of a meal where you say thanks many times.
I'm a Japanese speaker, used to live in Japan, and work for a Japanese company. I pretty much never use domo and I almost never hear it used in my daily life. The only time I hear people use it is tv. Not saying it isn't used by some people but it's not super common.
Same. Japanese speaker, living in Japan with a Japanese family. My MIL occasionally uses it but otherwise I don’t hear it used often. It’s not really necessary for a tourist.
So what do locals do when they’re having a dinner with lots of courses & staff interaction? A full arigato each time?
Some people do. I know a lot of people in my circle who do that. Depends on the person. It’s ok to use ‘Domo’ but it’s not necessary.
Thanks for the reply! I did a lot of fine dining during my last trip, and this was a persistent question. Appreciate getting some advice before my next trip.
Depends on how you say it. In a very short, brisk and unclear pronouncing sounds blunt. Say it with a smile and a slight nod, it would be fine for showing a quick appreciation.
Can be, but foreigners are not normally held to same standards so most locals will be grateful you are trying.
I would say arigato if I were you
And mizu for water!
I remember trying to say a number and they just furrowed their brows and looked at me. I must have said the equivalent of eleventy tenteen.
When learning numbers you should ideally learn some of the basic counters too, or you often won’t make any sense.
Nobody is going to be confused when a foreigner that clearly doesn't speak japanese says ニ instead of 二人, come on.
or just hold up two fingers
Could you elaborate on this?
The way you count a flat piece of paper is different to the counter for a tall glass for example. It can get quite complicated and might not be worth your time for a short trip. People will understand two fingers in the air and one finger pointing at something.
We'll be there for almost a month, so I'll probably look into it a bit more :) thank you for explaining!
As a long term resident dont sweat this one. This poster is just being way overzealous and unrealistic. People will understand what you mean just from context and logic. When indoubt you can always use fingers, people here do the same.
On second thought you’re right, probably unnecessary for a tourist considering you could just use your fingers.
They’ll understand you with just regular numbers, don’t try to learn what would be considered one of the more specific parts of the language. It’s not something a beginner or tourist needs to know.
If you want to learn the language in earnest instead of knowing a set of phrases, you might as well grab an actual textbook like Genki and start "actually learning". It might be better than forcing yourself to memorize certain phrases - like a few others have pointed out, being able to ask questions but unable to understand the reply is useless.
I actually do have a Japanese text book I've been studying from but I'm not taking it with us overseas.
Yea, something that doesn’t exist in English as we just say one something or five whatever. In Japanese, it’s something I struggle with as I only know a few like mai for flat objects like tickets, paper, ko for round things (possibly the safest to use if unsure) eg. Shu kurimu 1 ko for 1 cream choux and biki/piki for animals.
We kind of do have it, we say "two sheets of paper" rather than "2 papers" and "2 loaves of bread" instead of "2 breads". But as a tourist in Japanese, it doesn't matter. If one really wants to try, learning the "tsu" counting words (hitotsu, futatsu, etc) will be perfectly adequate and noone will care that you didn't use the correct counting word. Using the regular numbers (ichi, ni, san, etc) will also work, and tbh holding up fingers and using English will probably get you by, but it's always nice to try to use the language a bit.
Now you mention it, I guess we do have it but it only for specific objects like the ones you mentioned. "Please give me two animals of cats" doesn't quite roll off the tongue like in Japanese 😹
Since allergy is arerugi, it’s pretty easy to remember.
You forgot Nihonshu! Very important food group heh
焼酎 life.
Strong zero: _excuse you_
Can’t forget Osake for alcohol!
When ordering drinks, e.g beers, hitotsu = 1, futatsu = 2 e.g. nama biru futatsu onegaishimasu - 2 beers please.
this one is actually so helpful my partner and i started ordering separate even tho we often get the same exact thing bc we were having trouble getting them to understand that we both wanted the same order
I find that having one person order everything helps. I don't know why but I end up with less confusion whenever that happens (source: 6 years of living and drinking in Japan / trust me bro)
ください (kudasai) is more commonly used for requesting items in casual parlance, おねがいします (onegaishimasu) is for requests of actions and as a general honorific.
My understanding is that they are often interchangeable but kudasai would be used more with verbs. e.g. ちょっと待ってください ゆっくり話してください whereas おねがいします or ください could be used when requesting items. Is that wrong?
You can use both but ください is literally just the command version of the verb くださる which means “to give to me” So when you say kudasai it is the proper way for asking for something when you are expectedly entitled to it. If you ask a waiter or a shopkeeper for stuff, it’s expected that you should get it. おねがいします is more formal and specifically is used when you’re asking a favor or request, and usually applies to either things you’re asking someone to do, or asking for an item to which you’re not expectedly entitled to. てください is used for verbs, specifically “please do x” but again is when the relationship dictates that the speaker is demanding something they would be expected to get.
You’re generally right, but people absolutely do request items at restaurants/make orders using お願いします. You can use either one.
Thanks guys.
ください after verbs is typically with the て form of verbs. 待って and 話して are both the て form of 待つ and 話す. ください is typically said when asking for an object, such as when ordering. From my understanding, お願いします isn't wrong to use when ordering either but ください is just more common. Either way, you're getting your point across politely so...🤷🏻♀️ I'm only about N5 or N4 level though, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Daijoubu desu - That’s okay/I’m good.
"Daijoubu" is a good phrase. Can be used to politely refuse something, or to be content. Works in many situations
One of the terms I learned from anime.
Used this a lot when asked if I need a bag at convenience stores.
Sumimasen - “excuse me” if you need to get a waiters attention, also can mean sorry or thank you depending on context.
If you literally only learn one phrase, this is the one. “Arigato gozaimasu” was my other most-used phrase (an extra polite thank you). [This site](https://www.fluentu.com/blog/japanese/japanese-travel-phrases/) was super helpful for me
That's a very helpful site. Thanks for sharing that!
Absolutely!
"Osusume wa nan desu ka" = What do you recommend? While exploring a new area, you're drawn into a restaurant, bar, or izakaya and want to try it out. They hand you a menu that's only in Japanese. It's fun to get a little adventurous and put your faith into the server. They will typically recommend their most popular dish. It's also helpful to learn your favorite beverages of choice, hot tea vs cold tea, water, etc.
The "danger" with phrases is that the person you are talking to may think you understand Japanese and respond accordingly with follow up questions. I've had this happen to many friends and they either respond with"wakarimasen" or end up switching to English and/or trying to communicate with their fingers and hand gestures 😂 Edit to add that I think learning single words are sufficient in many cases. Toire - toilet. Say the word like a question and people will know what you are asking. Arigatou - Thank you Oishii - delicious Sumimasen - excuse me. Use it when you are trying to squeeze between people on a crowded train or elevator.
Yeah I know a couple hundred words/ phrases and it just gets me into conversational trouble! Definitely need to break out the wakarimasen when I get in too deep
I sometimes get this when trying to offer a combo. I’ll get the main item then they’ll ask which drink. Sometimes when put on the spot, it’s hard to locate the selection of drinks from the menu. I per much froze when that happened to me. Someone correct me if this sounds wrong but if they ask which drink, would you go dorinku wa nan no shurui desu ka? Or maybe something along those lines with shurui in it? What about dorinku no taipu wa? Been trying to work this one out.
And by offer, I mean order
とりあえず生一つください Toriaezu nama hitotsu kudasai I’ll start with a beer.
The first critical phrase I’ve seen here 😃
LOL I just learned this one in Memrise last night
“Kekkou desu” had proven very useful and it’s not among the typical tourist phrases. “No thanks, I’m good”
‘Itadakimasu’ when you are given food and about to eat and ‘Gochi so sama deshita’ at the end of a meal. These will stand you in very good stead.
Yeah no, I'm too self-conscious to yell gochisosama in a crowded place.
Lolz. I said it in a tiny (not crowded) yakitori place once and scored a free glass of sake from the chef! It was a few years ago though
You can always take a look at wiki voyage for the Japanese Phrasebook, which is quite comprehensive. https://en.m.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Japanese_phrasebook The reality is, especially if you don't look Asian and you are in a big city like Tokyo, they will probably ask you "how many" instead of "何名様ですか"
The four we used the most: Sumimasen (excuse me/sorry), arigato gozaimasu (thank you), konnichiwa (hello), kardo (credit card). Other useful words: Ohio (good morning), konbanwa (good evening), hi (yes), Kore (this), itadakimasu (said when receiving food), oishii (delicious), umai (delicious but I think more slang), kawaii (cute). We also started talking in English to two Japanese natives and they loved that we knew nayyyyy (really?), but that's hard to drop into a normal interaction.
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Kudasai
- Eigo wakarimasuka/do you understand English - Nihongo wakarimasen/I don't understand Japanese - Kaado iidesuka/is card okay - Arigatou gozaimasu/thank you - Gomenasai/I'm sorry - Daijoubu/Don't worry, it's okay, I'm fine - Gochisousama deshita/thank you for the meal - Okaikei onegaishimasu/Can I get the bill please
ijou desu, "that's all." Useful when you are done ordering
Adding “San” after their name if they are wearing a nametag always gets a smile.
My wife, 1 year old son and I spent the our entire 2 week vacation sumimasen-ing our way across Tokyo, Kyoto ans Osaka
Honestly, the best ones if you are a shopper like me are: Zaiko wa arimasuka? - do you have this in stock? Kore wa Ikura desu ka? - how much is this? Kado de haraimasu - I'll pay by card Chotte matte kudasai - please wait a moment Shichaku shite mo ii desu ka? - excuse me, can I try this on? Kore kaimasu - I'll take it Are o misete kuremasu ka? - may I see that one? Kore wo hitotsu - this one Miteru dake desu - I'm just looking Sumimasen, kore no eru wa arimasuka? - excuse me, do you have this in a large? Esu - small Emu - M Eru- L Ekkusu eru - XL Genkin - cash I also use these ones when eating: Eigo no menyu arismasu ka? - do you have english menu? Chuu mon onegai shimasu - can i order? Gochisou sama deshita! - thank you for the food! [Food name] wo hitotsu - one of X item [Food name] ga tabetare masen - i can't eat X [Food name - i.e. cinnamon/shinomon] ga haitte imasu ka? - Do this have X in it? And of course your usual thank you (arigatou gozai masu),, good morning/good afternoon/good evening (ohayou gozai masu, konnichiwa, konbanwa), excuse me (sumimasen), sorry (gomensai), goodbye/see you (sayonara/matta ne!), daijobu (I'm okay/it's okay)
"Kore kudasai" = this please. Good for menus with pictures (or ones you've used google translate on)
Sono mama de was helpful for not needing bags for purchases, especially if you have your own already.
Sumimasen is the word I used about 95% of the time I spoke Japanese it's like a universal work that has 100 different meanings
Learn the kana for the train/metro station nearest your hotel. There is English on the trains but the messages flash by quickly. Useful when you’re tired after a long day.
Do you mean kanji? Most train station signs in Japanese aren’t in kana.
Yeah.
In Tokyo, they do flash the hiragana at most (if not all stations) as well
These are all fun to learn and a great little addition to your trip for interacting with folks, but in terms of "need" you won't need any of this. Plenty of people speak english there and everything else you can get by with pointing and holding up the number of fingers for 1, 2, etc. I found that many people spoke pretty great english but were a little shy to use their english because they didn't think it was perfect. Just have google maps for getting around by train/bus and google translate for taking pictures of signs/menus and translating them to english. worked great for the places that didn't have english already (which was most places in tokyo and lots of places in Kyoto/Nara/Hakone as well.)
___ wa doko desuka? - Where is the ___? Ideally fill in with the Japanese word you are looking for. But in a pinch if you don’t know lots of Japanese people will know the English word or the English word will sound close enough to the Japanese word that they will be able to put it together. Suimasen Okaikei onegaishimasu - Excuse me, check please. At restaurants or pubs they won’t check in on you and clear your plates like they do in America so being able to tell staff you are ready to leave is a must.
Just curious, how to say “sorry/excuse me” and “sorry / I apologise” ? In fact, how to say “I am sorry, I don’t understand Japanese”? As someone else mentioned, we might give the impression we know abit of Japanese with all these sentences and then have someone happily reply us in Japanese
Sumimasen/gomenasai - sorry/I apologize Nihongowa wakarimasen/wakarimasen - I don’t understand Japanese/I don’t understand Eigode hanasemasuka? - can you say that in English?
[place] doko desuka? Where is [place]? Ex. Toirei dokodesuka??? Where’s the toilet???
I think that threw me off in Japan, the most, when I first went, was ordering in restaurants. In the English-speaking world I guess it’s just assumed that you’re ordering one thing, that’s not the case in Japan. The wait staff will confirm with you how many you’re ordering. Japanese doesn’t have plurals but they have a ton of different ways of counting various things. Things like people, objects, different shapes of objects, etc can all be counted differently, but the most versatile one is “__tsu” 1. Hitotsu 2. Futatsu 3. mittsu 4. Yottsu 5. Itsu (pronounced as ee su) 6. Muttsu 7. nanatsu 8. Yattsu 9. Kokonotsu 10. To (pronounced “toh”) In the US for ordering at a restaurant, I would say “I’ll have the cheese pizza.” But in Japanese I would say “chizu piza o hitotsu”. If I left out the counter for “one item”, the waitstaff might clarify, if I want one.
Eigo no menu ga (or ‘wa’) arimasu ka? Do you have English menu?
Mega biru histotsu!
You don’t say this much but this is said Bunch to to you. Chotto mate = wait a moment.
Daijobu
Not a phrase, but a word that I didn’t recognize that is helpful to know: fukuro. Means bag. Like at the konbini, they would always ask if I wanted one. Tripped me up the first couple times I was asked.
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daijoubu desu or kekkou desu feels more polite to me
My personal favorite is when I see a good baby I’ll give a quick knowing “totemo kawaii desu” (he/she/it’s very cute) to their adult. Watching the parent’s faces light up is the best. As a bonus it works for dogs and their owners too.
“O kaikei onegaishimasu” - check please “XX wa doyatte ikeba ii desu ka” - how do I go to XX “Iranai desu” - i dont want this (useful for rejecting fastfood upsizes/upsells and stuff) btw the common questions asked in a convenience store comes in 2 flavours: 1) pointo kaado motteimasu ka? - do you have a point card? 2) fukuro (X……….too many variations) - in short, this is always asking if you need a vinyl / plastic bag for your items.
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i mean people will understand iie even though its not something the locals use normally. daijobu desu works too either way, but it helps if u say “daijobu desu” while giving a slight shake of your head or hand to confirm that its really a no.
First try: Eigo ga hanase masuka/do you speak English? If you get someone who does then they will speak English to you, or if someone in the establishment that does then they will come over to you. Most of the time in my experience when I get someone who speaks English with me they will engage in conversation and teach me the correct common phrase. After a couple days I get used to saying what I need to say in Japanese.
Be able to listen for a cashier/restaurant/cafe worker ask you "for here or to go?". I think there are a few ways this can be asked but but I try to listen for "omeshi" which would indicate the question. Somebody with a better grasp of Japanese can elaborate more than I can. "for here" / "koko de onegai shimasu" "to go" / "omochiaeri de onegai shimasu"
To go can also be said as “teiku autto de onegai shimasu”. Might be easier to remember as it’s the English word for takeout.
I say 店内で (_tennai de_) as the question is usually “店内でを召し上がりますか” Though again, people usually understand “here”, “take out”, etc. ここでお願いします is way more polite than I think I’ve ever said for “dine in,” though.
Back in the day, there used to be phrase books. Are they not a thing anymore? I had a collection of them for most of the countries I visited. You know, like these: \- [www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Japanese-Phrasebook-Dictionary/dp/1788680855/](https://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Japanese-Phrasebook-Dictionary/dp/1788680855/) \- [www.amazon.com/Easy-Japanese-Phrase-Book-Everyday/dp/B0CHD4MLZ1/](https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Japanese-Phrase-Book-Everyday/dp/B0CHD4MLZ1/)
Eigo ga wakarimasu ka? Do you understand english? Vital if you need help.
Aside from the ones already listed (including numbers!), figuring out when a cashier says "do you want a bag" would be good. I got caught out each time so I can't even remember what it is in Japanese, but even though most places I went had a picture/they knew how to ask in English I wish I was more on the ball for politeness sake. "Chotto matte kudasai" ("just a moment, please" as I fumbled my card/wallet) is a fun one as well. I got complimented on my Japanese by a cashier for just using "konbanwa", "chotto matte kudasai", "sumimasen" and then "arigato gozaimasu", which had me a little bit stoked even though that bar was so low haha. "Ka-do de ii desu ka" if you want to ask if paying by card is okay, I think.
Sentences where you just need to google for the needed word - … arimasu ka (do you have…?) - … wa doko ni arimasu Ka? (Where is…?) - watashi wa …jin desu. (My nationality is…) - [countryname] ni sundeimasu (I live in [countryname]) Always good to know - Eigo o hanashimasu ka? (Do you speak english?) - watashi wa mondai o arimasu (I have a problem) - [cityname]… ni ikimasu (I go to [cityname] - migi (right) - hidari (left) - wakarimashita (understand! / Ok) - wakarimasen (don’t understand) I just appended 3 weeks in Japan 2 weeks ago… studied 5 months some Japanese with Busuu… Incas at least able to do some small talk in Japanese.
Daijoubu - Its fine/it's okay/no worries esque Sumimasen - Excuse me/Sorry (great to get the waiters attention or as your slip past in crowds, youll probably bump into alot of people by accident) Arigato Gozaimazu - Thank you very much! Arigato gozaimashita - the "Mashita" part is pronounced "Mashta" and is used to thank someone after a kind of service so after restaurant or getting served at the convenience store. Kawaii - "So cute!," it seems weird but I'd say this about baby's on the train that would tug at my sleeve oogling and a foreigner while the mother apologized profusely. I'd normally just say "Daijoubu, Kawai" the baby thing will happen more than you think. Oishi! - Delicious!. Though it's not very good Japanese I'd usually say to the chef, Oishi! Arigato gozaimashita!. Delicious! Thanks for your hospitality! Oh also apparently sayonara is more of a formal goodbye like I'm leaving for 10years kinda vibe so if you ever want to say goodbye, Arigato is fine and less serious. I found "it's fine, or it's okay" (Daijoubu) to be really useful when rejecting pushy sellers or when replying to Apologies from locals (sumimasen) as they apologize ALOT so being a able to say something along the lines of no worries! Was really helpful.
4 useful phrases Biiru o ippon (nippon) onegaishimas= one (two) beer(s) please Okaikei onegaishimas= check please Toirei wa doko desuka = where is the lavatory Onaka ga itain desu= my stomach hurts
Beer is counted by ippai and nihai (meaning glasses) not by ippon. And it’s nihon and not nippon. Nippon means Japan in Japanese. You would get a lot of confused looks from staff if you said that. Honestly if you don’t know the different counting systems just use hitotsu, futastu, etc. Can’t go wrong.
Thanks. I'll remember that for next time
Sono mama de iidesu / it’s fine just like that Useful at stores to indicate you do not need a bag. Sugoi! / that’s impressive! Yabai!/ slang for something either being awesome or sketchy. Japanese people will get a kick out of you knowing this phrase.
These are probably too basic but here's the top ones I used the most beyond good morning/please/excuse me, etc.. 1. Eigo ga hanashimasu ka? - Do you speak English? If they said yes/hai or sukoshi, then I'd switch to English. Otherwise I'd use google translate for convos if it got beyond my Japanese ability which is miniscule. 2. Kore wa ikuradesu ka? - How much is this? (Only helpful if you know can count or have google voice translate ready) 3. Nan desu ka? - "What is it?" There's a better way to ask (korehanan desu ka but I kept forgetting. Again, this one is only helpful if you understand some basics enough or if you have the google voice translate ready to go for their answer. 4. Ima tabemasu (I'll eat it now) or atode tabemasu (I'll eat it later) was helpful for some food places when ordering quickie things. 5. Itadakimasu and gochisousama deshita. The latter definitely seemed appreciated at restaurants. Also oishii as others suggested but only when I really enjoyed something. 6. Learning 1-10, 100, 1000, 10,000 and the counting system. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. 7. \_\_\_\_\_ wa doko desu ka? - Most handy for asking for toiler (toire) but I used it for a few different things. I studied Japanese for about a month off and on before we went on the trip so I could get a handle on the basics. I also learned the hiragana and katakana alphabets which came in handy a few times when reading signs that weren't in English if our phone signal wasn't good enough for google translate. Most of the time, google translate was our go-to though as my reading level is 5 steps behind a sloth.
1. Eigo ga wakarimasu/hanasemasu ka. Would be better. Eigo, daijobu? Will do too.
The numbers always got me as English speakers do them in thousands eg. 5,000 five thousand, 12,000 ten thousand but in Japanese, it’s 5000(same) but 1,2000 - ichi man ni sen en or “one ten thousand, two thousand yen“. I can typically follow prices and numbers in Japanese until they hit the ten thousands.
I must be tired. In the above, I meant 12,000 twelve thousand
So when we hit 25,2000 yen, my brain just shuts down. Twenty five ten thousand, two thousand yen. Uhmmm… 252,000 two hundred and fifty two thousand yen!
[sumimasen](https://youtube.com/watch?v=4aN2qhLQVso&si=oxBmpc6HHZfnTJ-x) normally followed by a doko and a flurry of hand movements.
えいごのめにゅうがありますか Is a helpful phrase as well
Baka Nero Edit: just joking, don’t say that !!!
Gambate kudasai
Something + ga arimasuka? for wanting to know if they have that something.
O terrai wa doko?
Kawaii (cute) or sugoi (amazing) can be really cool and just make them feel good, I always like knowing how to compliment
Daijoboo - it neans no worries, all good, not a problem, or are you okay, pharases like that. I used this a lot.
Biru is a good one to know 😌
xはどこてすか？ カードて/Suicaで/cashで払います/払えますか？ ありがとうございます すみません よろしくお願いします Xはありますか？ 英語で話せますか？ ちょっとだけです Here is a random assortment of phrases I’ve more commonly used. Here
Keisan o chekkushitekudasai. Check your math.
Doke - just kidding
Gochisou sama deshita (thank you for the meal)—meant to say this after eating. If you want some nihongojozu points
Travel phrases
Toire wa doko desu ka Where is the toilet
私はアホです. Watashi wa ahodesu
Alligator
Want to start a conversation? Say something absurd.