From Wikitravel
Japanese (日本語 nihongo) is spoken in Japan, and essentially nowhere else
other than South
Korea and China, where some
use it as a second language. The language is strongly influenced by
Chinese though the two are
unrelated; Japanese may be distantly related to Korean,
although the written form uses a combination of Katakana, Hiragana
and Kanji characters which were all derived from Chinese
characters.
Pronunciation guide
Japanese is not a tonal language like Chinese or Thai, and is
comparatively easy to pronounce. The vowels are pronounced
virtually identical to the "Italian way" and there are very few
consonants that do not exist in English. All syllables are to be
pronounced equal in length. Long vowels take the length of two
syllables. Combinations like kya are treated like one
syllable and are the only occurrence of sliding vowels, all other
syllables are to be pronounced rather separately.
Also avoid placing too much emphasis on particular words or
syllables. Although Japanese does have a form of stress and
intonation, it is significantly flatter than English. Word stress
is much more subtle and neglecting it at this point should not
interfere with meaning. Trying to keep your intonation flat will
make your attempts to speak Japanese more comprehensible to local
listeners. When asking questions, you can raise the tone at the
end, as in English.
Vowels
Japanese has only five basic vowels, but the distinction between
short and long vowels is often important. The sounds below are
first given in romanized Japanese, then hiragana and finally
katakana.
The short vowels are:
- a, あ, ア
- like 'a' in "palm"
- i, い, イ
- like 'i' in "bean"
- u, う, ウ
- like 'oo' in "hoop", but short (best described
as the sound said without rounded lips)
- e, え, エ
- like 'e' in "set"
- o, お, オ
- like 'o' in "rope", but less round
Note that "u" is often weak at the end of syllables. In
particular, the common endings desu and masu are
usually pronounced as des and mas respectively.
Also, the kana "do" and "to" are sometimes pronounced with a weak
"o".
The long vowels are generally the same sound as
the short vowels, only held approximate 60% longer. The long
vowels, marked with a macron in this phrasebook, are:
- ā, ああ, アー
- like 'a' in "father"
- ii, いい, イー
- like 'ee' in "cheese"
- u, うう, ウー
- like 'oo' in "hoop"
- ei, えい, エー
- like the 'ay' in "pay"
- ō, おう, オー
- stretch out the 'o' in "soap"
All descriptions above are approximations, it's best to practice
with a native speaker.
Consonants
With the solitary exception of "n" (ん・ン), consonants in Japanese
are always followed by a vowel to form a syllable. Consonants and
vowels are not freely combinable as in English, see table on the
right for all possible syllables and note irregularities like し
shi or ふ fu. Certain syllables can be marked with
diacritics, which alters the pronunciation of the consonant part.
The list below first gives the consonant part of the syllable in
romanized Japanese, then the Japanese syllables that the sound
occurs in first in Hiragana, then Katakana.
- k in かきくけこ・カキクケコ
- like 'k' in "king"
- g in がぎぐげご・ガギグゲゴ
- like 'g' in "go"
- s in さすせそ・サスセソ
- like 's' in "sit"
- z in ざずぜぞ・ザズゼゾ
- like 'z' in "haze"
- t in たてと・タテト
- like 't' in "top"
- d in だでど・ダデド
- like 'd' in "dog"
- n in なにぬねの・ナニヌネノ
- like 'n' in "nice"
- h in はひへほ・ハヒヘホ
- like 'h' in "help"
- p in ぱぴぷぺぽ・パピプペポ
- like 'p' in "pig"
- b in ばびぶべぼ・バビブベボ
- like 'b' in "bed"
- m in まみむめも・マミムメモ
- like 'm' in "mother"
- y in やゆよ・ヤユヨ
- like 'y' in "yard"
- r in らりるれろ・ラリルレロ
- no equivalent in English, a sound between 'l', 'r' and 'd', but
close to a very soft 'r'
- w in わ・ワ
- like 'w' in "wall"
- sh in し・シ
- like 'sh' in "sheep"
- j in じ・ジ
- like 'j' in "jar"
- ch in ち・チ
- like 'ch' in "touch"
- ts in つ・ツ
- like 'ts' in "hot soup"
- f in ふ・フ
- like 'wh' in "who"
- n, ん, ン
- short 'n', slides towards 'm' in some cases
- っ・ッ (small tsu)
- glottal stop; the following consonant is prepared, held and
stopped for the duration of one syllable. For example, にっぽん
nippon is pronounced "nip-(pause)-pon". (Note that the
double consonants nn, mm, which are not written with っ, do
not have this pause.)
- kon'nichiwa → kon-nee-chee-wa
(not kounneeCHEEua)
- sumimasen → soo-mee-mah-sen
(not sue my maysen)
- onegai shimasu → oh-neh-gigh shee-mahss
(not ouneeGAY SHYmessu)
Katakana chart, with
hiragana and Roman letters
below each
kana character
Katakana are used to write foreign and loanwords and are hence a
good choice for travellers to learn. The katakana set of characters
encompasses exactly the same sounds as hiragana; they only look
different. The table on the left only reproduces the basic
character set and diacritics (カ → ガ). Combinations (キャ) apply just
as for hiragana. One additional sound though is ヴ vu and
combinations like ヴェ ve based on it, accommodating
additional foreign sounds. Every once in a while you may spot
additional ingenious combinations or use of diacritics.
Since Japanese doesn't very well accommodate rapid successions
of consonants, the katakana transcription can often only
approximate the actual pronunciation of a foreign word. While some
words like café (カフェ kafe) can be represented quite
gracefully, other words like beer (ビール bīru) or rent-a-car
(レンタカー rentakā) seem slightly strange to the native
English speaker. Nonetheless, many English expressions and concepts
are used in everyday life, as are a number of German, French, Dutch
and Portugese loanwords. Oftentimes the exact meaning of a word has
changed in Japanese (de: Arbeit → アルバイト arubaito is used
only for part-time work) or a completely new meaning was invented
(ワンマンカー wanmankā → "one-man car", trains and buses without
an inspector, only one driver), but you can usually at
least guess at the meaning.
To identify a katakana word, it's usually helpful to repeat it
out loud a few times and to leave out superfluous vocals,
especially the 'u' in ス su and 'o' in ト to. That
way ライス raisu quickly becomes "rice" and チケット
chiketto becomes "ticket". Don't try too hard though, as
sometimes original Japanese words are written in katakana as well,
similar to the use of uppercase or italic letters in English. In
addition, some words were not derived from English but from other
languages such as German, French or Dutch.
Grammar
At its core, Japanese grammar is pretty simple, though sentence
structures differ greatly from English. For instance, Japanese uses
postpositions instead of prepositions (Japan in and not
in Japan). It has no gender, declensions or plurals. Nouns
never conjugate while adjectives follow a generally standardised
conjugation pattern. However, verbs have extensive conjugation
patterns and much of Japanese lessons for foreign language learners
is about getting these conjugations right. Verbs and adjectives
also conjugate by politeness level though, and in a rather peculiar
way.
Japanese is a so called agglutinative language, meaning several
morphemes which have purely grammatical functions are glued to the
end of a word stem to express the grammatical function. The more
the intended meaning differs from the basic form of the word, the
more morphemes are glued together.
| Japanese verb and adjective conjugation |
stem
見 mi |
basic form
見る miru, "to see" |
polite basic form
見ます mimasu, "to see" (pol.) |
negative form
見ない minai, "to not see" |
pol. neg. form
見ません mimasen, "to not see" (pol.) |
past tense
見た mita, "seen" |
pol. past tense
見ました mimashita, "seen" (pol.) |
neg. past tense
見なかった minakatta, "not seen" |
pol. neg. past tense
見ませんでした mimasendeshita, "not seen" (pol.) |
possibility
見える mieru, "can see" |
pol. possibility
見えます miemasu, "can see" (pol.) |
neg. possibility
見えない mienai, "can not see" |
stem
赤 aka |
adjective
赤い akai, "red" |
negative form
赤くない akakunai, "not red" |
neg. past tense
赤くなかった akakunakatta, "was not red" |
|
Particle pronunciation
The hiragana syllables は ha, へ
he and を wo are
pronounced as wa,
e and o
respectively when used as a particle.
|
Japanese grammar generally employs a subject-object-verb order,
but is very modular and flexible since the grammatical meaning of a
word is expressed by the morphemes glued to its end and special
marker particles. The two most important particles are the topic
marker は wa and the object marker を o.
- I saw the movie.
- 私は映画を見ました。
- Watashi-wa eiga-o
mimashita.
- I-[topic] movie-[object]
seen.
It becomes a little more complicated if both objects and
subjects are mixed within a sentence and the subject marker が
ga is thrown in.
- I discovered that she likes tea.
-
私は彼女がお茶を好きな事
が分かった。
Watashi-wa kanojo-ga
ocha-o sukinakoto-ga
wakatta.
- I-[topic] she-[subj.]
tea-[obj.] like-[subj.]
understood.
Students of the language can spend years wrapping their heads
around the difference between the topic of a sentence
(marked by は wa) and the subject of a sentence
(marked by が ga). However, as a beginner, you can fairly
safely always use は wa to mark the person doing the action
and get your message across.
Some other useful particles are:
- の no
- possessive marker
- The mother's child
- 母の子
- haha no ko
- で de, に ni
- indicating places and times
- in Tokyo
- 東京で
- Tōkyō-de
- at 2 o'clock
- ２時に
- niji-ni
- から kara, へ e, まで made
- from, towards, until
- From here towards Osaka until Nara.
- ここから大阪へ奈良まで
- koko kara Ōsaka-e
Nara-made
- と to, か ka
- and, or
- This and that.
- これとそれ
- kore to sore
- This or that.
- これかそれ
- kore ka sore
- か？ ka?
- question forming particle
- Are you going to Tokyo?
- 東京に行きますか？
- Tōkyō ni ikimasu ka?
The verb "to be"
Japanese does not have an exact equivalent to the English verb
"to be". Instead, the easiest way to form "A equals
B" type expressions like "I am ..." or "This is ..." is
the pattern A wa, B desu.
- 私は、山田です。 Watashi wa, Yamada desu ("I [am]
Yamada.")
- これは、りんごです。 Kore wa, ringo desu ("This [is]
apple.")
- それは、赤いです。 Sore wa, akai desu ("That [is] red.").
The word です desu here is not a verb, it's a
polite copula (linking word), which can be omitted in colloquial
speech or replaced with other copulas including でした
deshita (polite past), でしょう deshō (polite
suggestion) or だ da (plain). The topic indicated by は
wa is also optional and is often implied by context:
- あなたはだれですか？ Anata wa dare desu ka? ("Who [are]
you?")
- 山田です。 Yamada desu. ("[I am] Yamada.")
- これは何ですか？ Kore wa nan desu ka? ("What [is] this?")
- りんごです。 Ringo desu. ("[This is] an apple.")
- それは何色ですか？ Sore wa nani-iro desu ka? ("What color [is]
that?")
- 赤いです。 Akai desu. ("[That is] red.")
The two verbs いる iru > imasu and ある
aru > arimasu express the physical
presence of a person or an object respectively. To say
"A is located in B", use the pattern A
ga B ni imasu/arimasu:
- 山田さんがここにいます。 Yamada-san ga koko ni imasu. ("Mr. Yamada
is [physically located] here.")
- 本が棚にありますか？ Hon ga tana ni arimasu ka? ("Is there a
book on the shelf?")
- はい、あります。 Hai, arimasu. ("Yes, [the book] is [on the
shelf].")
|
Me, myself and I
As long as you're not 100% sure what you're doing you should
always refer to yourself as 私 watashi and address others
by their name. If you feel adventurous, here are a number of ways
to address people.
I
- 私 watashi, watakushi
- the most common polite form for "I", lit. "private"
- あたし atashi
- informal feminine version of watashi
- うち uchi
- dialect form of watashi, lit "(my) house", usually
used to refer to one's family or home
- 僕 boku
- boyish and more informal
- 俺 ore
- male speak (rude)
you
- あなた anata
- most common form for "you", not too direct
- あんた anta
- more direct, used only by females, tends to be insulting
- 君 kimi
- more direct, mostly from a man to a woman
- お前 omae
- very direct and informal, used only by males
- てめえ temē
- very rude, used only by males
|
More a cultural than a grammatical problem is the problem of
addressing somebody. Even though there exist a multitude of words
with the meaning "you", it is generally avoided to address somebody
directly. The closest equivalent to "you" is あなた anata,
but it's only used among friends or equals. It is usually preferred
to address somebody by name, title or status, applying appropriate
honorifics.
- さん -san
- The most basic honorific, about equivalent to Mister or Miss
(no distiction between the two in Japanese). 山田さん
Yamada-san: Mister Yamada
- 様 -sama
- Politer than -san, used to address people ranking
higher on the social ladder. It is also used by shop assistants to
address customers.
- ちゃん -chan
- Usually used to address young children. Also used to address
(usually female) close friends.
- 君 -kun
- Used to address male close friends.
- お客様 okyaku-sama
- "Mister customer", used by hotel or shop owners to address
you.
- 店長さん tenchō-san
- The way to address the owner of a shop, though not the
part-time workers.
- お兄さん onī-san, お姉さん onē-san
- Literally brother and sister respectively, is used to address
young people who you're having a hard time finding a better
honorific for.
- お爺さん ojī-san, お婆さん obā-san
- "Gramps" and "granny", very popular to address old people.
Cuter when used with -chan.
- 社長 shachō
- The boss of the company.
- そちら sochira
- Means something like "on your side" and is used when absolutely
no better honorific can be found.
There are also several different words for "I", with 私
watashi being the most commonly used. Grammatically it's
often unnecessary to use the words "you" or "I" as the intended
meaning is obvious from context, so they should generally be
avoided. Sometimes people will also call themselves by their own
name. When doing so they must not add any additional honorifics
though; one only does this when addressing others.
There's no specific form for "we" or the plural "you". To
address groups of people you add the plural particle たち
-tachi to somebody within the group or the group
designator.
- 私たち watashi-tachi
- lit. "the group around myself", meaning "we"
- 我々 ware-ware
- a less formal way of saying "we"
- あなたたち anata-tachi
- "the group around you", plural "you"
- 子供たち kodomo-tachi
- "a group of children", meaning "the children"
- 山田さんたち Yamada-san-tachi
- "the group around Yamada-san", everybody you'd
associate with Mr. Yamada, based on context
Reading and writing
Reading and writing Japanese are advanced skills which take
years of work to gain much real proficiency. Japanese themselves
use three different writing systems of various complexity, two of
which (hiragana and katakana) are syllabic and
relatively easy to learn with 50 characters each.
The clincher is the set of Chinese characters known as
kanji, roughly 2,000 of which are in daily use while many
more exist. Kanji originated as pictures, where each character
originally represented a meaning, idea or concept, not a sound as
in English. Even though kanji have since evolved dramatically and
many have long since jettisoned any connection to the original
concept, the meaning of some simple kanji can still be easily
guessed at (see below).
One difficulty in reading Japanese lies often in the fact that a
kanji can have several different pronunciations. The kanji 人 for
example has the meaning of a person, and by itself it may be
pronounced hito. The kanji 大 means big (imagine a person
with outstretched arms) and can be pronounced as dai or
ō. Together they form the word 大人 otona, "adult"
(lit. big person). In the word 外国人 gaikokujin
("foreigner", lit. outside country person) the same kanji
人 is pronounced jin. These pronunciations exist because a
single kanji may be used to write one or more different words, or
parts of words. These "readings" are normally categorized as either
Sino-Japanese (音読み onyomi); a Japanese approximation of
the Chinese pronunciation of the character at the time it was
introduced to Japanese, or native Japanese (訓読み kunyomi);
based on the pronunciation of a native Japanese word. Generally,
kanji are read with their native Japanese reading when on
their own (eg. 話, hanashi) and with Sino-Japanese
readings when part of compound words (eg. 電話,
denwa), though there are many exceptions.
While knowing Chinese will give one a huge advantage in tackling
kanji, and someone who knows Chinese would generally be able to
guess the meanings of new kanji with about 70% accuracy, one should
still be careful. While most characters have similar meanings in
both Japanese and Chinese, there are a few which have drastically
different meanings. For example, the word 手紙 "hand paper" means
"toilet paper" (shouzhi) in China, but "letter"
(tegami) in Japan.
Kanji are mixed with hiragana and katakana in everyday writing
for historical reasons. Japan adopted the Chinese hanzi
system, but found it difficult to impossible to express sound-based
Japanese grammatical inflections with the meaning-based Chinese
characters. Hence the sound-based hiragana characters have been
invented and tacked onto the end of hanzi/kanji characters. The
katakana system was invented to express foreign and loan words.
There are also several competing systems for rendering Japanese in
the Latin alphabet, although the Hepburn
romanization system is the most common and is used on
Wikitravel as well. Do not be surprised if you see these words
romanized differently elsewhere.
Also note that there are many homophones in Japanese, i.e. words
with different meanings that have the same prononciation (like
"there", "they're" and "their"). This can be confusing even to
native speakers, to the extent that words have to be explained with
an alternative reading or need to be drawn. These words may also
employ a pitch-accent system to distinguish them, which speakers of
non-tonal languages may have difficulty learning to understand.
|
hashi |
橋 "bridge" |
端 "edge" |
箸 "chopsticks" |
|
noboru |
登る "to climb" |
昇る "to ascend" |
上る "to go up" |
|
Common signs
- 営業中
- Open
- 準備中
- Closed
- 入口
- Entrance
- 出口
- Exit
- 大・中・小
- Big / Middle / Small
- 押
- Push
- 引
- Pull
- お手洗い, トイレ, 化粧室
- Toilet
- 男
- Men
- 女
- Women
- 禁止
- Forbidden
- 円
- Yen (ja: en)
|
- Good afternoon.
- こんにちは。 Konnichiwa. (kon-nee-chee-wah)
- How are you?
- お元気ですか? O genki desu ka? (Oh-GEN-kee
dess-ka?)
- Fine, thank you.
- はい、元気です。 Hai, genki desu. (Ha-ee, gen-kee
dess)
- How about you?
- あなたは？ Anata wa? (Ah-nah-tah wa)
- What's your name? (lit. "Your name is...")
- お名前は？ O namae wa? (Oh-nah-mah-eh wah?)
- My name is ... .
- … です。 ... desu. (... dess.)
- Nice to meet you. (formal)
- 始めまして。どうぞ宜しくお願いします。 Hajimemashite. Dōzo yoroshiku
onegaishimasu. (Hah-jee-meh-mash-teh dohh-zoh
yoh-roh-sh-ku oh-neh-gah-ee shee-mah-ss)
- Please. (request)
- お願いします。 Onegai shimasu. (oh-neh-gah-ee
shee-mahs)
- Please. (offer)
- どうぞ。 Dōzo. (Dohh-zoh)
- This person is ... . (when introducing somebody)
- こちらは … Kochira wa ... (ko-chi-rah
wah...)
- Thank you very much. (formal)
- どうもありがとうございます。 Dōmo arigatō gozaimasu. (doh-moh
ah-ree-GAH-toh go-ZAh-ee-mah-ss)
- Thank you. (less formal)
- ありがとうございます。 Arigatō gozaimasu. (ah-ree-GAH-toh
go-ZAh-ee-mahs)
- Thank you. (normal)
- ありがとう。 Arigatō. (ah-ree-GAH-toh)
- Thanks. (informal)
- どうも。 Dōmo. (doh-moh)
- You're welcome.
- どういたしまして。 Dō itashimashite. (doh EE-tah-shee
mah-shteh)
- yes
- はい hai (High)
- no
- いいえ iie (EE-eh)
- Excuse me.
- すみません。 Sumimasen. (soo-mee-mah-sen)
- I'm sorry.
- ごめんなさい。 Gomen'nasai.
(goh-men-nah-sah-ee)
- I'm sorry. (informal)
- ごめん Gomen (goh-men)
- Goodbye. (long-term)
- さようなら。 Sayōnara. (sa-YOHH-nah-rah)
- Goodbye. (informal)
- じゃね。 Ja ne. (Jah-neh)
- I can't speak Japanese (very well).
- 日本語が（よく）話せません。 Nihongo ga (yoku) hanasemasen. (
nee-hohn-goh gah (yo-koo) hah-nah-seh-mah-sen)
- Do you speak Japanese?
- 日本語が話せますか？ Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka? (ni-HON-go
gah hah-nah-se-mahs-KAH?)
- Yes, a little.
- はい、少し。 Hai, sukoshi. (HIGH sko-shee)
- Do you speak English?
- 英語が話せますか？ Eigo ga hanasemasu ka? (EHH-goh gah
hah-nah-seh-mahs-KAH?)
- Is there someone here who speaks English?
- 誰か英語が話せますか？ Dareka eigo ga hanasemasu ka?
(dah-reh-kah EHH-goh gah hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH?)
- Please speak slowly.
- ゆっくり話してください。 Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. (YOO-kuree
hanash-teh koo-dah-sah-ee)
- Please say it again.
- もう一度言ってください。 Mō ichido itte kudasai. (mo
EE-chee-doh ee-te koo-dah-sah-ee)
- Please help!
- 助けて！ Tasukete! (tahs-keh-teh!)
- Look out!
- 危ない！ Abunai! (ah-boo-NIGH!)
- Good morning.
- お早うございます。 Ohayō gozaimasu. (oh-hah-YOH
go-zah-ee-mahs)
- Good morning. (informal)
- おはよう。 ohayō
- Good evening.
- こんばんは。 Kombanwa. (kohn-bahn-wah)
- Good night (to sleep)
- お休みなさい。 Oyasuminasai.
(oh-yah-soo-mee-nah-sigh)
- Good night (to sleep) (informal)
- お休み。 Oyasumi
- I don't understand.
- 分かりません。 Wakarimasen.
(wah-kah-ree-mah-sen)
- I am not Japanese.
- 日本人ではありません。 Nihonjin dewa arimasen. (nee-hon-jin
ja a-ree-ma-sehn)
- Where is the toilet?
- お手洗い(トイレ)はどこですか？ Otearai(Toire) wa doko desu ka?
(Oh-teh-ah-rah-ee wah DOH-koh dess kah?)
- What?
- 何？ Nani? (nah-nee)
- Where?
- どこ？ Doko? (doh-koh)
- Who?
- 誰？ Dare? (dah-reh)
- When?
- いつ？ Itsu? (it-soo)
- Which?
- どれ？ Dore? (doh-reh)
- Why?
- どうして Dōshite (doh-sh'teh)
- How?
- どうやって？ Dōyatte (dohh-yah-teh)
- How much?
- いくら？ Ikura? (ee-koo-rah)
- What type of?
- どんな？ Donna? (dohn-nah)
|
What part of "no" don't you understand?
The Japanese are famously reluctant to say the word "no", and in
fact the language's closest equivalent, いいえ iie, is
largely limited to denying compliments you have received. ("Your
Japanese is excellent! "Iie, it is very bad!"). But there
are numerous other ways of expressing "no", so here are a few to
watch out for.
- いいです。 結構です。
Ii desu. Kekkō desu.
- "It's good/excellent." Used when you don't want more beer,
don't want your bentō lunch microwaved, and generally are
happy to keep things as they are. Accompany with teeth-sucking and
handwaving to be sure to get your point across - both of these
expressions may be interpreted as positive responses if
you don't include enough nonverbal indications to the
contrary.
- ちょっと難しいです･･･
Chotto muzukashii desu...
- Literally "it's a little difficult", but in practice "it's
completely impossible." Often just abbreviated to sucking in air
through teeth, saying "chotto" and looking pained. Take the
hint.
- 申し訳ないですけど･･･
Mōshiwakenai desukedo...
- "This is inexcusable but..." But no. Used by sales clerks and
such to tell you that you cannot do or have something.
- 駄目です。
Dame desu.
- "It's no good." Used by equals and superiors to tell you that
you cannot do or have something. The Kansai equivalent is akan.
- 違います。
Chigaimasu.
- "It is different." What they really mean is "you're wrong". The
casual form chigau and the Kansai contraction chau are also much
used.
|
- Leave me alone.
- ほっといてくれ。 Hottoitekure.
- Don't touch me!
- さわらないでくれ！ Sawaranaidekure!
- I'll call the police.
- 警察をよびます。 Keisatsu o yobimasu.
- Police!
- お巡りさん！ Omawarisan!
- Stop! Thief!
- 待て! 泥棒！ Mate! Dorobō!
- I need your help.
- たすけてください。 Tasukete kudasai.
- It's an emergency.
- 緊急です。 Kinkyū desu.
- I'm lost.
- 迷子です。 Maigo desu.
- I lost my bag.
- 鞄をなくしました。 Kaban wo nakushimashita.
- I dropped my wallet.
- 財布をおとしました。 Saifu wo otoshimashita.
- I'm sick.
- 病気です。 Byōki desu.
- I don't feel well.
- 気分がわるいです。 Kibun ga warui desu.
- I've been injured.
- けがをしました。 Kega wo shimashita.
- Please call a doctor.
- 医者を呼んでください。 Isha wo yonde kudasai.
- Can I use your phone?
- 電話を使っても良いですか？ Denwa wo tsukattemo ii desu ka?
Medical emergencies
- I need a doctor.
- 医者に見てもらいたいです。 Isha ni mite moraitai desu.
- Is there a doctor who can speak English?
- 英語の出来る医者はいますか？ Eigo no dekiru Isha wa imasu ka?
- Please take me to a doctor.
- 医者に連れてって下さい。 Isha ni tsuretette kudasai.
- My wife/husband/child is sick.
- 妻・主人・子供が病気です。 Tsuma/shujin/kodomo ga byōki desu.
- Please call an ambulance.
- 救急車を呼んで下さい。 Kyūkyūsha wo yonde kudasai.
- I need first aid.
- 応急手当をして下さい。 Ōkyū teate wo shite kudasai.
- I need to go to the emergency room.
- 救急室にいかなければなりません。 Kyūkyūshitsu ni ikanakereba
narimasen.
shorter: 救急室に行かないと。 Kyūkyūshitsu ni ikanai to.
- How long will it take to get better?
- 治るまでどの位かかりますか？ Naoru made dono kurai kakarimasu
ka?
- Where is a pharmacy?
- 薬局はどこですか？ Yakkyoku wa doko desu ka?
Allergies
- I'm allergic to ... .
- 私は … アレルギーです。 Watashi wa ... arerugii
desu.(ja.Arerugii,de.Allergie)
- antibiotics
- 抗生物質 kōsei busshitsu
- aspirin
- アスピリン asupirin
- codeine
- コデイン kodein
- dairy products
- 乳製品 nyūseihin
- food coloring
- 人工着色料 jinkō chakushokuryō
- fungus
- 菌類 kinrui
- MSG
- 味の素 ajinomoto
- mushrooms
- キノコ kinoko
- peanuts
- ピーナッツ pīnattsu
- penicillin
- ペニシリン penishirin
- pollen
- 花粉 kafun
- seafood
- 魚介類 gyokairui
- sesame
- ゴマ goma
- shellfish
- 貝類 kairui
- tree nuts, fruits or berries
- 木の実 kinomi
- wheat
- 小麦 komugi
Explaining symptoms
|
Body parts
- head
- 頭 atama
- face
- 顔 kao
- eyes
- 目 me
- nose
- 鼻 hana
- throat
- 喉 nodo
- chin
- 顎 ago
- neck
- 首 kubi
- shoulders
- 肩 kata
- chest
- 胸 mune
- waist
- 腰 koshi
- arms
- 腕 ude
- wrists
- 手首 tekubi
- fingers
- 指 yubi
- hands
- 手 te
- elbow
- 肘 hiji
- buttocks
- (お)尻 (o)shiri
- thigh
- 腿 momo
- knee
- 膝 hiza
- legs, foot
- 足 ashi
|
- ... hurts.
- … が痛い。... ga itai.
- Feeling unwell.
- 気分が悪い kibun ga warui
- Having a fever.
- 熱があります。 Netsu ga arimasu.
- Coughing a lot.
- 咳がでます。 Seki ga demasu.
- Feeling listless.
- 体がだるい。 Karada ga darui.
- Feeling nauseated.
- 吐き気がします。 Hakike ga shimasu.
- Feeling dizzy.
- めまいがします。 Memai ga shimasu.
- Having the chills.
- 寒気がします。 Samuke ga shimasu.
- Swallowed something.
- 何かを呑んでしまいました。 Nanika o nonde shimaimashita.
- Bleeding.
- 出血です。 Shukketsu desu.
- Broken bone.
- 骨折です。 Kossetsu desu.
- He/she is unconscious.
- 意識不明です。 Ishiki fumei desu.
- Burned.
- 火傷です。 Yakedo desu.
- Trouble breathing.
- 呼吸困難です。 Kokyū konnan desu.
- Heart attack.
- 心臓発作です。 Shinzō hossa desu.
- Vision worsened.
- 視力が落ちました。 Shiryoku ga ochimashita.
- Cannot hear well.
- 耳が良く聴こえません。 Mimi ga yoku kikoemasen.
- Nose bleeds a lot.
- 鼻血が良くでます。 Hanaji ga yoku demasu.
Extreme weather
Japan has more than its fair share of natural disasters.
- Blizzard
- 吹雪 (fubuki)
- Earthquake
- 地震 (jishin)
- Flood
- 洪水 (kōzui)
- Landslide
- 地滑り (jisuberi)
- Tsunami
- 津波 (tsunami)
- Typhoon
- 台風 (taifū)
- Volcano eruption
- 噴火 (funka)
Numbers
While Arabic (Western) numerals are employed for most uses in
Japan, you will occasionally still spot Japanese numerals at eg.
markets and the menus of fancy restaurants. The characters used are
nearly identical to Chinese numerals, and like Chinese,
Japanese uses groups of 4 digits, not 3. "One million" is thus 百万
(hyaku-man), literally "hundred ten-thousands".
There are both Japanese and Chinese readings for most numbers,
but presented below are the more commonly used Chinese readings.
Note that, due to superstition (shi also means "death"), 4
and 7 typically use the Japanese readings yon and
nana instead.
|
Down for the count
When counting objects, Japanese uses special
counter words. For example, "two bottles
of beer" is ビール２本 biiru nihon, where ni is
"two" and -hon means "bottles". Unlike in English, where
counter words are often optional or non-existent, in Japanese
they're mandatory whenever you count something (e.g. 車２台 kuruma
ni-dai, two cars; 台 dai counts machines). Alas, the
list of possible counters is vast, but some useful ones
include:
- small roundish objects (apples, sweets)
- 個 -ko
- people
- 人 -nin , 名様 -meisama (polite)
- animals
- 匹 -hiki, -biki, -piki
- flat objects (papers, tickets)
- 枚 -mai
- long objects (bottles, pens)
- 本 -hon, -bon, -pon
- cups, glasses
- 杯 -hai, -bai, -pai
- nights of a stay
- 泊 -haku, -paku
- years (age)
- 歳 -sai
Note how many counters change form depending on the previous
number: one, two, three glasses are ippai, nihai,
sanbai respectively. There are also a few exceptions: one
person and two people are hitori and futari. 20
years old is usually pronounced hatachi. You'll still be
understood if you get these wrong though.
For numbers from one to nine, an old counting system is often
used which applies to virtually any object you may want to count,
without the need to attach a specific counter:
- 1
- 一つ hitotsu
- 2
- 二つ futatsu
- 3
- 三つ mittsu
- 4
- 四つ yottsu
- 5
- 五つ itsutsu
- 6
- 六つ muttsu
- 7
- 七つ nanatsu
- 8
- 八つ yattsu
- 9
- 九つ kokonotsu
It is always a good idea to use a specific counter whenever
possible, but using the generic numbers above is often equally
acceptable. This system is rarely used anymore for numbers greater
than nine.
|
- 0
- 〇 (zero or maru) / 零 (rei) in
finance
- 1
- 一 (ichi)
- 2
- 二 (ni)
- 3
- 三 (san)
- 4
- 四 (yon or shi)
- 5
- 五 (go)
- 6
- 六 (roku)
- 7
- 七 (nana or shichi)
- 8
- 八 (hachi)
- 9
- 九 (kyū)
- 10
- 十 (jū)
- 11
- 十一 (jū-ichi)
- 12
- 十二 (jū-ni)
- 13
- 十三 (jū-san)
- 14
- 十四 (jū-yon)
- 15
- 十五 (jū-go)
- 16
- 十六 (jū-roku)
- 17
- 十七 (jū-nana)
- 18
- 十八 (jū-hachi)
- 19
- 十九 (jū-kyū/jū-ku)
- 20
- 二十 (ni-jū)
- 21
- 二十一 (ni-jū-ichi)
- 22
- 二十二 (ni-jū-ni)
- 23
- 二十三 (ni-jū-san)
- 30
- 三十 (san-jū)
- 40
- 四十(yon-jū)
- 50
- 五十 (go-jū)
- 60
- 六十 (roku-jū)
- 70
- 七十(nana-jū)
- 80
- 八十 (hachi-jū)
- 90
- 九十 (kyū-jū)
- 100
- 百 (hyaku)
- 200
- 二百 (nihyaku)
- 300
- 三百 (sambyaku)
- 600
- 六百 (roppyaku)
- 800
- 八百 (happyaku)
- 1000
- 千 (sen)
- 2000
- 二千 (ni-sen)
- 3000
- 三千 (san-zen)
- 10,000
- 一万 (ichi-man)
- 1,000,000
- 百万 (hyaku-man)
- 100,000,000
- 一億 (ichi-oku)
- 1,000,000,000,000
- 一兆 (itchō)
- 0.5
- 〇・五 (rei ten go)
- 0.56
- 〇・五六 (rei ten go-roku)
- number _____ (train, bus, etc.)
- _____番 (____ ban)
- half
- 半分 (hambun)
- less (few)
- 少ない (sukunai)
- more (many)
- 多い (ōi)
- now
- 今 (ima)
- later
- 後で (atode)
- before
- 前に (mae ni)
- before ___
- ___ の前に ( ___ no mae ni)
- morning
- 朝 (asa)
- afternoon
- 午後 (gogo)
- evening
- 夕方 (yūgata)
- night
- 夜 (yoru)
Clock time
Clock times are formed as Chinese numeral plus 時 ji,
for example, goji 5時 for five o'clock. The exception is
four o'clock which is pronounced yoji (四時) instead of
shiji. You will be understood if you simply substitute
gozen 午前 for "AM" and gogo 午後 for PM, although
other time qualifiers like 朝 asa for morning and 夜
yoru for night may be more natural. The 24-hour clock is
also commonly used in official contexts such as train schedules. TV
schedules occasionally use a modified 24-hour clock, with late
night showtimes counted from the previous day, e.g. Monday at 26:00
indicates Tuesday at 2:00 AM.
- six o'clock in the morning
- 朝6時 (asa rokuji)
- nine o'clock AM
- 午前9時 (gozen kuji)
- noon
- 正午 (shōgo)
- one o'clock PM
- 午後1時 (gogo ichiji.)
- two o'clock PM
- 午後2時 (gogo niji)
- midnight
- 夜12時 (yoru jūniji), 零時 (rēji)
Duration
Confusingly, the Japanese words for "N days" (long) and "Nth
day" are the same, so eg. 二日 futsuka means both "two days"
and "the second day of the month". (See #Days of the Month for the
full list.) You can tag on -間 kan at the end, eg.
futsukakan 2日間, to clarify that you mean "two days long".
The exception is 一日, which is read ichinichi to mean "one
day/all day", but tsuitachi to mean "first day".
- _____ minute(s)
- _____ 分 (fun or pun)
- _____ hour(s)
- _____ 時間 (jikan)
- _____ day(s)
- _____ 日間 (nichikan or (k)kakan, see note
above)
- _____ week(s)
- _____ 週間 (shūkan)
- _____ month(s)
- _____ ヶ月 (kagetsu)
- _____ year(s)
- _____ 年 (nen)
Days
- today
- 今日(kyō)
- yesterday
- 昨日(kinō)
- tomorrow
- 明日(ashita)
- tomorrow (formal)
- 明日(asu)
- this week
- 今週(konshū)
- last week
- 先週(senshū)
- next week
- 来週(raishū)
Days of the week
The days of the week are named after the sun, the moon and the
five elements of Chinese philosophy.
- Sunday
- 日曜日 (nichiyōbi)
- Monday
- 月曜日 (getsuyōbi)
- Tuesday
- 火曜日 (kayōbi)
- Wednesday
- 水曜日 (suiyōbi)
- Thursday
- 木曜日 (mokuyōbi)
- Friday
- 金曜日 (kin'yōbi)
- Saturday
- 土曜日 (doyōbi)
Days of the month
The 1st through the 10th of the month have special names:
- First day of the month
- 1日 (tsuitachi)
- Second day of the month
- 2日 (futsuka)
- Third day of the month
- 3日 (mikka)
- Fourth day of the month
- 4日 (yokka)
- Fifth day of the month
- 5日 (itsuka)
- Sixth day of the month
- 6日 (muika)
- Seventh day of the month
- 7日 (nanoka)
- Eighth day of the month
- 8日 (yōka)
- Ninth day of the month
- 9日 (kokonoka)
- Tenth day of the month
- 10日 (tōka)
The other days of the month are more orderly, just add the
suffix -nichi to the ordinal number. Note that 14, 20, and
24 deviate from this pattern.
- Eleventh day of the month
- 11日 (jūichinichi)
- Fourteenth day of the month
- 14日 (jūyokka)
- Twentieth day of the month
- 20日 (hatsuka)
- Twenty-fourth day of the month
- 24日 (nijūyokka)
Months
Months are very orderly in Japanese, just add the suffix
-gatsu to the ordinal number.
- January
- 1月 (ichigatsu)
- February
- 2月 (nigatsu)
- March
- 3月 (sangatsu)
- April
- 4月 (shigatsu)
- May
- 5月 (gogatsu)
- June
- 6月 (rokugatsu)
- July
- 7月 (shichigatsu)
- August
- 8月 (hachigatsu)
- September
- 9月 (kugatsu)
- October
- 10月 (jūgatsu)
- November
- 11月 (jūichigatsu)
- December
- 12月 (jūnigatsu)
Seasons
- Spring
- 春 (haru)
- Summer
- 夏 (natsu)
- Rainy season
- 梅雨 (tsuyu, baiu)
- Autumn
- 秋 (aki)
- Winter
- 冬 (fuyu)
Writing time and date
Dates are written in year/month/day (day of week) format, with
markers:
2007年3月21日(火)
Note that Imperial era years, based on the name
and duration of the current Emperor's reign, are also frequently
used. 2010 in the Gregorian calendar corresponds to Heisei
22 (平成22年), which may be abbreviated as "H22". Dates like
"22/03/24" (March 24, Heisei 22) are also occasionally seen.
Colors
Many of the English words for colors are widely used and
understood by almost all Japanese. These are indicated after the
slash.
Note that some Japanese colors are normally suffixed with
-iro (色) to distinguish between the color and the object.
For example, 茶 cha means "tea", but 茶色 chairo
means "tea-color" → "brown".
- black
- 黒 / ブラック (kuro / burakku)
- white
- 白 / ホワイト (shiro / howaito)
- gray
- 灰(色) / グレー (hai(iro) / gurē)
- red
- 赤 / レッド (aka / reddo)
- blue
- 青 / ブルー (ao / burū)
- yellow
- 黄(色) / イエロー (ki(iro) / ierō)
- green
- 緑 / グリーン (midori / guriin)
- orange
- 橙 / オレンジ (daidai / orenji)
- purple
- 紫 / パープル (murasaki / pāpuru)
- brown
- 茶(色) / ブラウン (cha(iro) / buraun)
Transportation
Bus and train
- How much is a ticket to _____?
- _____ までいくらですか? (_____ made ikura desu ka?)
- One ticket to _____, please.
- _____ まで一枚お願いします。(_____ made ichimai
onegaishimasu)
- Where does this train/bus go?
- この[電車/バス]はどこ行きですか? (kono densha/basu wa doko yuki
desuka?)
- Where is the train/bus to _____?
- _____ 行きの[電車/バス]はどこですか? (_____ yuki no densha/basu wa doko
desuka?)
- Does this train/bus stop in _____?
- この[電車/バス]は _____ に止まりますか? (kono densha/basu wa _____ ni
tomarimasuka?)
- When does the train/bus for _____ leave?
- _____ 行きの[電車/バス]は何時に出発しますか? (_____ yuki no densha/basu wa
nanji ni shuppatsu shimasuka?)
- When will this train/bus arrive in _____?
- この[電車/バス]は何時に _____ に着きますか? (kono densha/basu wa nanji ni
_____ ni tsukimasuka?)
Directions
- How do I get to _____?
- _____ はどちらですか? (_____ wa dochira desu ka?)
- ...the train station?
- 駅...? (eki...)
- ...the bus station?
- バス停...? (basu tei..)
- ...the airport?
- 空港...? (kūkō...)
- ...downtown?
- 街の中心...? (machi no chūshin...)
- ...the youth hostel?
- ユース・ホステル...? (yūsu hosuteru...)
- ...the _____ hotel?
- _____ ホテル...? (hoteru...)
- ...the _____ embassy/consulate?
- _____大使館/領事館...? (_____ taishikan/ryōjikan...)
- Where are there a lot of _____
- _____が多い所はどこですか? (_____ga ooi tokoro wa doko
desuka?)
- ...lodgings?
- 宿...? (yado...)
- ...restaurants?
- レストラン...? (resutoran...)
- ...bars?
- バー...? (baa)
- ...sites to see?
- 見物...? (mimono...)
- Where is _____?
- _____はどこですか? (_____ wa doko desuka.)
- Is it far from here?
- ここから遠いですか? (Koko kara tooi desu ka.)
- Please show me on the map.
- 地図で指して下さい。 (chizu de sashite kudasai)
- street
- 道 (michi)
- Turn left.
- 左へ曲がってください。 (Hidari e magatte kudasai.)
- Turn right.
- 右へ曲がってください。(Migi e magatte kudasai.)
- left
- 左 (hidari)
- right
- 右 (migi)
- straight ahead
- まっすぐ (massugu)
- towards the _____
- _____ へ向かって (e mukatte)
- past the _____
- _____ の先 (no saki)
- before the _____
- _____ の前 (no mae)
- Watch for the _____.
- _____が目印です。 (ga mejirushi desu)
- intersection
- 交差点 (kōsaten)
- traffic light
- 信号 (shingou)
- north
- 北 (kita)
- south
- 南 (minami)
- east
- 東 (higashi)
- west
- 西 (nishi)
- uphill
- 上り (nobori), also used for trains heading towards
Tokyo
- downhill
- 下り (kudari), also used for trains coming from
Tokyo
Taxi
- Taxi!
- タクシー! (Takushii! (Taxi!))
- Take me to _____, please.
- _____までお願いします。 (_____ made onegai shimasu.)
- How much does it cost to get to _____?
- _____ までいくらですか? (_____ made ikura desuka)
- Take me there, please.
- そこまでお願いします。 (soko made onegai shimasu.)
- Do you have any rooms available?
- 空いてる部屋ありますか? (Aiteru heya arimasuka?)
- How much is a room for one person/two people?
- 一人/二人用の部屋はいくらですか? (Hitori/futari-yō no heya wa ikura
desuka?)
- Is the room Japanese/Western style?
- 和室/洋室ですか？ (Washitsu/yōshitsu desuka?)
- Does the room come with...
- 部屋は ... 付きですか? (Heya wa ___ tsuki desuka?)
- ...bedsheets?
- ベッドのシーツ...? (beddo no shiitsu...)
- ...a bathroom?
- 風呂場? (furoba...)
- ...a telephone?
- 電話? (denwa...)
- ...a TV?
- テレビ? (terebi...)
- May I see the room first?
- 部屋を見てもいいですか? (heya o mitemo ii desuka?)
- Do you have anything quieter?
- もっと[静かな]部屋ありますか? (motto [shizukana] heya
arimasuka?)
- ...bigger?
- 広い? (hiroi)
- ...cleaner?
- きれいな? (kirei na)
- ...cheaper?
- 安い? (yasui)
- OK, I'll take it.
- はい、これで良いです。(hai, kore de ii desu.)
- I will stay for _____ night(s).
- _____ 晩泊まります。(____ ban tomarimasu.)
- Do you know another place to stay?
- 他の宿はご存知ですか? (hoka no yado wa gozonji desuka?)
- Do you have [a safe?]
- [金庫]ありますか? ([kinko] arimasuka?)
- ...lockers?
- ...ロッカー? (rokkaa (locker))
- Is breakfast/supper included?
- 朝食/夕食は付きますか? (chōshoku/yūshoku wa tsukimasuka?)
- What time is breakfast/supper?
- 朝食/夕食は何時ですか? (chōshoku/yūshoku wa nanji desuka?)
- Please clean my room.
- 部屋を掃除してください。 (heya o sōji shite kudasai)
- Please wake me at _____.
- _____ に起こしてください。 (____ ni okoshite kudasai.)
- I want to check out.
- チェックアウトです。(chekku auto (check out) desu.)
- Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars?
- アメリカ/オーストラリア/カナダドルは使えますか? (Amerika/ōsutoraria/kanada doru
wa tsukae masuka?)
- Do you accept British pounds?
- イギリスポンドは使えますか？ (igirisu pondo wa tsukaemasuka?)
- Do you accept credit cards?
- クレジットカードは使えますか？ (kurejitto kaado (credit card) wa
tsukaemasuka?)
- Can you change money for me?
- お金両替できますか？ (okane ryōgae dekimasuka?)
- Where can I get money changed?
- お金はどこで両替できますか？ (okane wa doko de ryōgae
dekimasuka?)
- Can you change a traveler's check for me?
- トラベラーズ・チェックを両替できますか？ (torabarāsu chekku (traveler's check)
wo ryōgae dekimasuka?)
- Where can I get a traveler's check changed?
- トラベラーズ・チェックはどこで両替できますか？ (torabarāzu chekku (traveler's
check) wa doko de ryōgae dekimasuka?)
- What is the exchange rate?
- 為替レートはいくらですか？(kawase rēto wa ikura desu ka?)
- Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)?
- ATM はどこにありますか？ (ATM wa doko ni arimasuka?)
|
What are they yelling at me?
Most Japanese restaurants show their appreciation for customers
by loudly greeting them in unison. Expect to hear the
following:
- Irasshai! or Irasshaimase!
- "Come on in!", said when a customer walks in. You're not
expected to respond in any way, just take a seat.
- Arigatō gozaimashita!
- "Thank you very much!", said when a customer leaves.
If your meal was good, thank the chef or staff with
Gochisōsama deshita when leaving, and you'll get an
extra-hearty thank you in return!
|
- I'm hungry.
- お腹がすきました。 (onaka-ga-sukimashita)
- A table for one person/two people, please.
- 一人/二人です。 (hitori/futari desu)
- Please bring a menu.
- メニューを下さい。 (menu wo kudasai.)
- Can I look in the kitchen?
- 調理場を見てもいいですか？ (chōriba wo mite mo ii desu ka?)
- Is there a house specialty?
- お勧めはありますか？ (O-susume wa arimasuka?)
- Is there a local specialty?
- この辺の名物はありますか？ (Kono hen no mēbutsu wa arimasuka?)
- Please choose for me.
- お任せします。 (O-makase shimasu.)
- I'm a vegetarian.
- ベジタリアンです。 (Bejitarian desu.)
- I don't eat pork.
- 豚肉はだめです。 (Butaniku wa dame desu.)
- I don't eat beef.
- 牛肉はだめです。(Gyūniku wa dame desu.)
- I don't eat raw fish.
- 生の魚はだめです。(Nama no sakana wa dame desu.)
- Please do not use too much oil.
- 油を控えて下さい。(Abura wo hikaete kudasai.)
- fixed-price meal
- 定食 (teishoku)
- à la carte
- 一品料理 (ippinryōri)
- breakfast
- 朝食 (chōshoku) / 朝ご飯 (asagohan)
- lunch
- 昼食 (chūshoku) / 昼ご飯 (hirugohan)
- light meal/snack
- 軽食 (keishoku)
- supper
- 夕食 (yūshoku) / 晩ご飯 (bangohan)
- Please bring _____.
- _____ を下さい。(_____ wo kudasai.)
- I want a dish containing _____.
- _____が入ってるものを下さい。 (____ ga haitteru mono wo
kudasai.)
- chicken
- 鶏肉 (toriniku)
- beef
- 牛肉 (gyūniku)
- pork
- 豚肉 (butaniku)
- mutton
- 羊肉 (yōniku)
- fish
- 魚 (sakana)
- ham
- ハム (hamu)
- sausage
- ソーセージ (sōsēji)
- cheese
- チーズ (chīzu)
- eggs
- 卵 (tamago)
- salad
- サラダ (sarada)
- (fresh) vegetables
- (生)野菜 ( (nama) yasai)
- (fresh) fruit
- (生)果物 ( (nama) kudamono)
- bread
- パン (pan)
- toast
- トースト (tōsuto)
- noodles
- 麺類 (menrui)
- pasta
- パスタ (pasuta)
- rice
- ご飯 (gohan)
- soup
- スープ : (sūpu)
- beans
- 豆 (mame)
- May I have a glass/cup of _____?
- _____ を一杯下さい。 (____ wo ippai kudasai.)
- May I have a bottle of _____?
- _____ を一本下さい。 (_____ wo ippon kudasai.)
- coffee
- コーヒー (kōhī)
- green tea
- お茶 (ocha)
- black tea
- 紅茶 (kōcha)
- juice
- 果汁 (kajū)
- water
- 水 (mizu)
- beer
- ビール (bīru)
- red/white wine
- 赤/白ワイン (aka/shiro wain)
- Do you have _____?
- _____ はありますか? (_____ wa arimasuka?)
- chopsticks
- お箸 (o-hashi)
- fork
- フォーク (fōku)
- spoon
- スプーン (supūn)
- salt
- 塩 (shio)
- black pepper
- 胡椒 (koshō)
- soy sauce
- 醤油 (shōyu)
- ashtray
- 灰皿 (haizara)
- Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of
server)
- 済みません (sumimasen)
- (when starting a meal)
- いただきます。(itadakimasu)
- It was delicious. (when finishing a meal)
- ご馳走さまでした。 (Go-chisō-sama deshita.)
- Please clear the plates.
- お皿を下げてください。 (Osara o sagete kudasai.)
- The check, please.
- お勘定お願いします。 (O-kanjo onegai shimasu.)
- Telephone
- 電話 denwa
- Mobile phone
- 携帯(電話) kētai(denwa)
- Telephone number
- 電話番号 denwa bangō
- Phone book
- 電話帳 denwa chō
- Answering machine
- 留守番電話 rusuban denwa
- Hello (only on the phone)
- もしもし moshi moshi
- May I speak to ... .
- … をお願いします。... wo onegaishimasu.
- Is ... there?
- … はいらっしゃいますか？ ... wa irasshaimasu ka?
- Who is calling?
- どなたですか？ Donata desu ka?
- One moment, please.
- ちょっとお待ちください。 Chotto omachi kudasai.
- ... is not here right now.
- … は今いません。 ... wa ima imasen.
- I will call you again later.
- 後でまた電話します。 Ato de mata denwa shimasu.
- I got the wrong number.
- 間違えました。 Machigaemashita.
- The line is busy.
- 話し中です。 Hanashichū desu.
- What is your phone number?
- 電話番号は何番ですか？ Denwa bangō wa nanban desu ka?
|
Sake talk
Sake, known in Japanese as 日本酒 nihonshu, has a
vocabulary all its own. Here is a brief introduction.
- atsukan
- 熱燗 Heated sake. Recommended only in winter with cheap
sake.
- hiyashi, reishu
- 冷やし, 冷酒 Chilled sake. The way to drink better sake.
- isshōbin
- 一升瓶 The standard sake bottle, containing 10 gō, ie.
1.8 liters.
- ichigō
- 一合 The standard measure for servings of sake, around 180
milliliters.
- tokkuri
- 徳利 A small ceramic jug used to pour sake, contains around one
gō
- masu
- 升 A square wooden box traditionally used to drink chilled sake,
also contains one gō. Drink from the corner.
- choko
- ちょこ A tiny gulp-sized ceramic cup for sake.
|
- Do you serve alcohol?
- お酒ありますか? (O-sake arimasuka?)
- Is there table service?
- テーブルサービスありますか? (Tēburu sābisu arimasuka?)
- A beer/two beers, please.
- ビール一杯/二杯下さい。(Biiru ippai/nihai kudasai.)
- A glass of red/white wine, please.
- 赤/白ワイン一杯下さい。(Aka/shiro wain ippai kudasai.)
- A mug (of beer), please.
- ビールのジョッキ下さい。(Bīru no jokki kudasai.)
- A bottle, please.
- ビン下さい。 (Bin kudasai.)
- _____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer),
please.
- _____ と _____ 下さい。(_____ to _____ kudasai.)
- sake
- 日本酒 (nihonshu)
- Japanese liquor
- 焼酎 (shōchū)
- whiskey
- ウイスキー (uisukii)
- vodka
- ウォッカ (wokka)
- rum
- ラム (ramu)
- water
- 水 (mizu)
- club soda
- ソーダ (sōda)
- tonic water
- トニックウォーター (tonikku wōtā)
- orange juice
- オレンジジュース (orenji jūsu)
- cola (soda)
- コーラ (kōra)
- with ice
- オンザロック (onzarokku (on the rocks))
- Do you have any bar snacks?
- おつまみありますか? (o-tsumami arimasuka?)
- One more, please.
- もう一つください。 (Mō hitotsu kudasai.)
- Another round, please.
- みんなに同じものを一杯ずつください。 (Minna ni onaji mono o ippai zutsu
kudasai.)
- When is closing time?
- 閉店は何時ですか? (Heiten wa nanji desuka?)
|
O, honorable prefix!
Nearly any Japanese word can be prefixed with the respectful
tags o- (お) or go- (ご or 御), often translated
with the unwieldy four-syllable word "honorable". A few you might
expect — o-tōsan (お父さん) is "honorable father", and a few
you might not — o-shiri (お尻) is "honorable buttocks". Most
of the time, they're used to emphasize that the speaker is
referring to the listener, so if someone enquires if after your
honorable health (お元気 o-genki) it's proper to strip off
the honorific and reply that you are merely genki.
However, for some words like gohan (ご飯) "rice" and
ocha (お茶) "tea", the prefix is inseparable and should
always be used. In this phrasebook, the prefix is separated with a
hyphen if it's optional (o-kane), and joined to the word
if it's mandatory (oisha).
|
- Do you have this in my size?
- 私のサイズでありますか？ (Watashi no saizu de arimasuka?)
- How much is this?
- いくらですか？ (Ikura desuka?)
- That's too expensive.
- 高過ぎます。 (Takasugimasu.)
- Would you take _____?
- _____円はどうですか？ (_____ yen wa dō desuka?)
- expensive
- 高い (takai)
- cheap
- 安い (yasui)
- I can't afford it.
- そんなにお金を持ってません。 (Sonna ni o-kane wo motte masen.)
- I don't want it.
- 要りません。 (Irimasen.)
- You're cheating me.
- 騙してるんだ。 (Damashiterun da.) Use with
caution!
- I'm not interested.
- 興味ありません。 (Kyōmi arimasen.)
- OK, I'll take it.
- はい、それにします。 (Hai, sore ni shimasu.)
- Can I have a bag?
- 袋を貰えますか？ (Fukuro moraemasu ka?)
- Do you ship (overseas)?
- 海外へ発送出来ますか？ (Kaigai (y)e hassō dekimasuka?)
- I need...
- ___が欲しいです。 (____ ga hoshii desu.)
- ...spectacles.
- 眼鏡 (megane)
- ...toothpaste.
- 歯磨き (hamigaki)
- ...a toothbrush.
- 歯ブラシ (ha-burashi)
- ...tampons.
- タンポン (tampon)
- ...soap.
- 石鹸 (sekken)
- ...shampoo.
- シャンプー (shampū)
- ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or
ibuprofen)
- 鎮痛剤 (chintsūzai)
- ...cold medicine.
- 風邪薬 (kazegusuri)
- ...stomach medicine.
- 胃腸薬 (ichōyaku)
- ...a razor.
- 剃刀 (kamisori)
- ...an umbrella.
- 傘 (kasa)
- ...sunblock lotion.
- 日焼け止め (hiyakedome)
- ...a postcard.
- 葉書 (hagaki)
- ...postage stamps.
- 切手 (kitte)
- ...batteries.
- 電池 (denchi)
- ...writing paper.
- 紙 (kami)
- ...a pen.
- ペン (pen)
- ...a pencil.
- 鉛筆 (empitsu)
- ...English-language books.
- 英語の本 (eigo no hon)
- ...English-language magazines.
- 英語の雑誌 (eigo no zasshi)
- ...an English-language newspaper.
- 英字新聞 (ēji shinbun)
- ...a Japanese-English dictionary.
- 和英辞典 (waē jiten)
- ...an English-Japanese dictionary.
- 英和辞典 (ēwa jiten)
- Are you married?
- 結婚していますか? (Kekkon shiteimasu ka?)
- I am married.
- 結婚しています。 (Kekkon shiteimasu.)
- I am single.
- 独身です。 (Dokushin desu)
- Do you have brothers and sisters?
- 兄弟はいますか? (Kyōdai wa imasu ka?)
- Do you have children?
- 子供はいますか? (Kodomo wa imasu ka?)
Talking about your own
family
|
Family ties
In Japanese, it's always important to use less respectful terms
for your own family and more respectful terms for another's family.
Note also that the words for older/younger brother/sister are
different.
|
- Father
- 父 (chichi)
- Mother
- 母 (haha)
- Older Brother
- 兄 (ani)
- Older Sister
- 姉 (ane)
- Younger Brother
- 弟 (otōto)
- Younger Sister
- 妹 (imōto)
- Grandfather
- 祖父 (sofu)
- Grandmother
- 祖母 (sobo)
- Uncle
- 叔父/伯父 (oji)
- Aunt
- 叔母/伯母 (oba)
- Husband
- 夫 (otto) / 主人 (shujin)
- Wife
- 妻 (tsuma) / 家内 (kanai)
- Son
- 息子 (musuko)
- Daughter
- 娘 (musume)
- Grandchild
- 孫 (mago)
Talking about another's
family
- Father
- お父さん (otōsan)
- Mother
- お母さん (okāsan)
- Older Brother
- お兄さん (onīsan)
- Older Sister
- お姉さん (onēsan)
- Younger Brother
- 弟さん (otōtosan)
- Younger Sister
- 妹さん (imōtosan)
- Grandfather
- おじいさん (ojīsan)
- Grandmother
- おばあさん (obāsan)
- Uncle
- おじさん (ojisan)
- Aunt
- おばさん (obasan)
- Husband
- ご主人 (goshujin)
- Wife
- 奥さん (okusan)
- Son
- 息子さん (musukosan)
- Daughter
- お嬢さん (ojōsan)
- Grandchild
- お孫さん (omagosan)
- I want to rent a car.
- レンタカーお願いします。 (rentakā (rent-a-car)
onegaishimasu.)
- Can I get insurance?
- 保険入れますか? (hoken hairemasuka?)
- Do you have a driver's license?
- 免許証を持っていますか? (Menkyoshō wo motte imasu ka.)
- stop (on a street sign)
- 止まれ／とまれ (tomare)
- one way
- 一方通行 (ippō tsūkō)
- caution
- 徐行 (jokō)
- no parking
- 駐車禁止 (chūsha kinshi)
- speed limit
- 制限速度 (seigen sokudo)
- gas (petrol) station
- ガソリンスタンド (gasorin sutando)
- petrol
- ガソリン (gasorin)
- diesel
- 軽油/ディーゼル (keiyu / diizeru)
Authority
In Japan, you can legally be incarcerated for twenty-three (23)
days before you are charged, but you do have the right to see a
lawyer after the first 48 hours of detention. Note that if you sign
a confession, you will be convicted.
- I haven't done anything (wrong).
- 何も(悪いこと)してません。(Nani mo (warui koto) shitemasen.)
- It was a misunderstanding.
- 誤解でした。 (Gokai deshita.)
- Where are you taking me?
- どこへ連れて行くのですか？ (Doko e tsurete yukuno desuka?)
- Am I under arrest?
- 私は逮捕されてるのですか？ (Watashi wa taiho sareteruno
desuka?)
- I am a citizen of ____.
- ____ の国民です。 (____ no kokumin desu.)
- I want to meet with the ____ embassy.
- ____ 大使館と会わせて下さい。 (____ taishikan to awasete
kudasai.)
- I want to meet with a lawyer.
- 弁護士と会わせて下さい。(Bengoshi to awasete kudasai.)
- Can it be settled with a fine?
- 罰金で済みますか？ (Bakkin de sumimasuka?)
Note: You can say this to a traffic cop, but bribery is highly
unlikely to work in Japan.
|
Four syllable words
If words can be shortened, Japanese will inevitably shorten
them. Two by two syllables is often the sweet spot, and sometimes
it's hard to guess where those came from.
- デジカメ deji kame
- → デジタルカメラ dejitaru kamera, a digital camera.
- パソコン pasokon
- → パーソナルコンピューター pāsonaru konpyūtā, a personal computer.
ノート nōto stands for notebooks.
- プリクラ purikura
- → プリントクラブ purinto kurabu or "print club". A sort of
extremely flashy photo booth and a favourite pastime for many.
- パチスロ pachi suro
- → パチンコ＆スロット pachinko & surotto, locations
everywhere offering the number one Japanese gambling game
pachinko and traditional slot machines.
- リモコン rimokon
- → リモートコントロール rimōto kontorōru, remote control
- KY kei wai
- → 空気読めない kūki
yomenai, "can't read his/her air", meaning an
indecipherable or mysterious person.
|
- そうですね。 Sō desu ne.
- "That's how it is, isn't it?"
General agreement. Especially old people can be heard going sō
desu ne back and forth quite a few times.
- （大変）お待たせしました。 (Taihen) omataseshimashita.
- "I have made you wait (terribly) long."
Used as an excuse after any amount of downtime, even just seconds.
Often also used as a starter to get things going again.
- お疲れさまでした。 Otsukaresama deshita.
- "It's been honorably tiresome."
To colleagues in the sense of "you gave it all, good work", but
more generally at the end of almost any activity.
- 頑張って！ Ganbatte!
- "Give it your best!"
Meant to be encouraging and motivating.
- いただきます。 Itadakimasu.
- "I will receive."
To yourself before starting to eat or when accepting something
offered to you.
- 失礼します。 Shitsurei shimasu.
- "I will trouble you." or "I will be impolite."
When entering your superiors room or an unfamiliar house, when
trying to get someone's attention or generally when interrupting
someone.
- 失礼しました。 Shitsurei shimashita.
- "I have troubled you." or "Excuse my impoliteness."
When leaving your superiors room or an unfamiliar house or
generally as "Sorry to have bothered you, carry on."
- 大丈夫。 Daijōbu.
- "It is alright."
For general reassurance. Used with desu ka? to inquire if
something or somebody is alright.
- 凄い！ Sugoi!
- "Great!", "Incredible!"
Very popular amongst girls and greatly overused.
- 可愛い！ Kawaii!
- "How cute!"
See sugoi.
- ええぇ〜 Eee~
- "Reallyyyyyyy~?"
Almost a standard reaction to any kind of news. Can be lengthened
indefinitely and is hence useful to stall for time when thinking
about a real answer.
- ウソ！ Uso!
- "Lie!"
Doesn't necessarily accuse one of lying, usually used in the sense
of "Seriously?!"
Honourifics
Japanese makes extensive use of honorific language (敬語
keigo) when talking to people of higher status. Keigo is
famously difficult to master and even Japanese salespeople often
need to take special courses to learn to speak correctly, but it is
very commonly used in situations like salespeople talking to
customers and train announcements, so even passive familiarity with
the most common keigo verbs and constructs can be very
handy.
Respectful form
When talking to someone of higher status than yourself, it is
important to use a respectful form (尊敬語 sonkeigo) when
talking about the other person. Generally, this follows the pattern
お～になる(o ~ ni naru), where ～ represents the stem of the
basic polite form: eg. to read, 読む(yomu), basic polite
form 読みます(yomimasu) becomes
お読みになる(o-yomi-ni-naru). The naru at the end
follows the normal conjugation patterns for naru, most
commonly becoming narimasu (present) or
narimashita (past). The main exceptions are listed
below:
- To see: 見る becomes ご覧になる (goran-ni-naru).
- To eat/drink: 食べる/飲む becomes 召し上がる (meshi-agaru).
- To come/go/be at a place: 来る/行く/いる becomes いらっしゃる
(irassharu). (basic polite form いらっしゃいます
irasshaimasu and not いらっしゃります)
- To know: 知る becomes ご存知だ (gozonji-da).
- To give (to yourself): くれる becomes 下さる (kudasaru).
(basic polite form 下さいます kudasaimasu and
not 下さります)
- To do: する becomes なさる (nasaru). (basic polite form
なさいます nasaimasu and not なさります)
- To say: 言う becomes おっしゃる (ossharu) (basic polite form
おっしゃいます osshaimasu and not おっしゃります)
Humble form
When talking about yourself to someone of higher status than
you, it is important to put yourself down by using a humble form
(謙遜語 kensongo). Generally this follows the pattern お～する
(o ~ suru), where ～ reprents the stem of the basic polite
form: eg. to borrow, 借りる(kariru), basic polite form 借ります
(karimasu) becomes お借りする (o-kari-suru). The
suru at the end follows the usual conjugation pattern of
suru, most commonly becoming shimasu (present) or
shimashita (past); for an extra helping of humility, the
verb 致す itasu > 致します itashimasu can be
substituted. The main exceptions are listed below:
- To see: 見る becomes 拝見する (haiken-suru).
- To come/go: 来る/行く becomes 参る (mairu).
- To eat/drink/receive: 食べる/飲む/もらう becomes いただく
(itadaku)
- To give: あげる becomes さし上げる (sashi-ageru).
- To do: する becomes 致す (itasu)
- To know: 知る becomes 存じる (zonjiru)
- To say: 言う becomes 申し上げる (mōshi-ageru)
- My name is: いう becomes 申す (mōsu)
Polite form
The third type of keigo is called simply "polite language", or
teineigo (丁寧語). Whereas respectful and humble language
refer to the subject (you and I), teineigo is
used to simply imply respect to the listener. An
example:
- りんごをご覧になりますか？ Ringo wo goran ni narimasuka?
- Can you see the apple?
(respectful)
- りんごを拝見します。 Ringo wo haiken shimasu.
- I see the apple. (humble)
- 彼もりんごを見ます。 Kare mo ringo wo mimasu.
- He also sees the apple. (polite)
In fact, the desu copula and the -masu form
taught to beginning students of Japanese are both examples of
teineigo. A few verbs and adjectives have special
teineigo forms:
- to be
- aru (ある) → gozaru (ござる、御座る) (basic polite
form ございます (gozaimasu) and not
ござります)
- to die
- shinu (死ぬ) → nakunaru (亡くなる)
- good
- ii/yoi (いい/良い) → yoroshii (よろしい)
Country and territory
names
Country and territory names in Japanese are generally borrowed
from their English names and written in katakana. The names of
languages are generally formed by adding 語 (go) to the end
of the country name. Some of the main exceptions are as
follows:
- 日本 Nihon/Nippon , 日本国 Nihon-koku
- Japan
- 中国 Chūgoku, 中華人民共和国 Chūka jinmin Kyouwa
koku
- China (or, confusingly, Western Honshu)
- 台湾 Taiwan
- Taiwan
- 香港 Honkon
- Hong Kong
- 韓国 Kankoku
- South Korea
- 北朝鮮 Kitachōsen
- North Korea
- ドイツ Doitsu
- Germany
- イギリス Igirisu, 英国 Eikoku (written)
- United Kingdom
- インド Indo
- India
- タイ Tai
- Thailand
- イタリア Itaria
- Italy
- アメリカ Amerika, 米国 Beikoku (written)
- United States of America (not the whole American
continent)
- 南アフリカ Minami-afurika
- South Africa
- オランダ Oranda
- The Netherlands
- ベルギー Berugī
- Belgium
- アラブ首長国連邦 Arabu-shuchōkoku-rempō
- United Arab Emirates
- Fool or idiot (Kanto)
- バカ (baka)
- Fool or idiot (Kansai)
- アホ (aho)
- Doing something untimely
- まぬけ (manuke)
- A slow person
- のろま (noroma)
- Being bad at something
- 下手 (heta)
- Being very bad at something
- 下手糞 (hetakuso)
- A stingy person
- ケチ (kechi)
- An old man
- ジジイ (jijii)
- An old woman
- ババア (babaa)
- Not being cool
- ダサイ (dasai)*
- Fussy or depressing
- ウザイ (uzai)*
- Creepy
- キモイ (kimoi)*
- Drop dead!
- くたばれ (kutabare)
- Get out of the way!
- どけ (doke)
- Noisy!
- うるさい (urusai)
- Shit
- 糞 (kuso)
- These words are mostly used by young people
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