Japanese 101

Learning even a little Japanese before your trip is a worthwhile endeavor (although I must confess that without reinforcement, I have lost almost everything that I learned). At the very least you should make an effort to learn Hiragana and Katakana, the two most commonly used character sets. Katakana is especially useful because it is used exclusively for writing foreign words (usually English). Once you’ve memorized the Katakana characters reading is just a matter of sounding out the syllables and trying to figure out what English word is being interpreted. Needless to say, this ability can be extraordinarily useful in restaurants.

Knowing just the bare minimum of Japanese we were able to safely navigate the subway system, purchase food (big deal), and exchange pleasantries with the people we met. The following won’t make you fluent in Japanese, but you’ll be able to say “please,” “thank you”, and “I’m lost” with absolute confidence.

Even if your Japanese is less than perfect, you can make up for many deficiencies by using the English versions of the above phrases — frequently and with sincerity. The Japanese place a great store on politeness, in any language, and will respond to your efforts in kind.

Finally, if some words sound familiar, it’s because they are. Many English words have been adopted into the Japanese language. So if you hear the word jazu, rest assured that you’re in line for a jazz club…

General Pronunciation Guide
Aas in father
Ias in machine
Eas in yes
Oas in go
Uas in Flu

Long vowels are generally indicated by a rule over the vowel or double vowels (ii).

Consonants are generally pronounced as in English; the differences are subtle, and not easily explained. The best way to learn these pronunciations is to listen carefully to a language tape or Power Japanese.

Finally, all letters in a word are pronounced. At first, it feel awkward (and you’ll notice that native speakers tend to omit final sounds), but soon the words will flow.

Basic Words and Phrases
Japanese Word/PhraseEnglish Translation
AnataYou
Arrigato GozaimasuThank you
Domo Arrigato GozaimasuThank you
DozoPlease
EigoEnglish language
Eigo ga wakarimasu ka?Do you understand English?
Gomen NasaiPardon me
HaiYes
Hai, wakarimasu?Yes, I understand.
IieNo
Iie, wakarimasenNo, I don’t understand.
Konban WaGood Evening
Konnichi WaGood Afternoon
KudasaiPlease
Moshi MoshiHello (greeting on telephone or when calling out to a stranger)
Nanji desu ka?What time is it?
NihongoJapanese Language
Ohayo gozaimasuGood Morning (until about 10 a.m.)
Ryoogae suruTo exchange money
SayonaraGoodbye
SumimasenExcuse me
Toire wa doko ni arimasu ka?Where is the toilet?
WatakushiI (most commonly used version)
and courtesy of Wicked Japanese:
Mapputatsuni hiki sakuwayoI will tear you in half

 

Numbers
Japanese Word/PhraseEnglish Translation
IchiOne
NiTwo
SanThree
Shi (Yon)Four
GoFive
RokuSix
ShichiSeven
HachiEight
KuNine
JuuTen
Months/Days of the Week
Japanese Word/PhraseEnglish Translation
Ichi-gatsuJanuary
Ni-gatsuFebruary
San-gatsuMarch
Shi-gatsuApril
Go-gatsuMay
Roku-gatsuJune
Shichi-gatsuJuly
Hachi-gatsuAugust
Ku-gatsuSeptember
Juu-gatsuOctober
Juuichi-gatsuNovember
Juuni-gatsuDecember
NichiyobiSunday
GetsuyoobiMonday
KayoobiTuesday
SuiyoobiWednesday
MokuyoobiThursday
Kin-yoobiFriday
DoyoobiSaturday
HeijitsuWeekday
ShumatsuWeekend
KitaNorth
MinamiSouth
HigashiEast
NishiWest

 

Restaurants/Hotels/Transportation
Japanese Word/PhraseEnglish Translation
ResutoranRestaurant
TeishokuSet or complete meal
GohanRice
MizuWater
Menyuu o misete kudasaiPlease show me a menu
Fooku o motte kite kudasaiPlease bring me a fork
Supuun o motte kite kudasaiPlease bring me a spoon
Naifu o …A knife
OshiboriWet towel (usually hot)
Denpyoo o motte kite kudasaiThe check, please
TakushiiTaxi
Ikura desu ka?How much is it?
[Hotel Name] made onegai shimasu.Please go to the [hotel name].
EkiStation
KippuTicket
DenshaTrain
ChikatetsuSubway
HoteruHotel
RyokanJapanese Inn
YoyakuReservation
Furu-tsuki no heya wa arimasu ka?Do you have room with a bath?
TatamiMat
FutonJapanese mattress
YukataBathrobe (light kimono)

 

 

Culture
Japanese Word/PhraseEnglish Translation
JinjaShrine
OteraBuddhist Temple
ToriiA Gate – Usually a shrine entrance