Getting Started

These are some general guidelines for starting to study Japanese.

First, learn the basic pronunciation of Japanese sounds. If you don't learn proper pronunciation
first, you will have to unlearn many words you learned incorrectly later.
Next, learn the hiragana and katakana. The sooner you learn how to read the basic scripts of
Japanese the better. Relying on romaji will make it more difficult later on. Also, learning these will
open a wide range of possibilities for language study resources. Katakana is especially useful for
people who are moving to Japan. The reason for this is that many of the katakana words you will
encounter in Japan are based on English. (Exp. miruku = milk) It therefore usually requires very
little effort to read it. Since it is sharper looking than any of the other scripts it is easy to pick out
katakana words on packages. This is incredibly helpful for shopping and reading menus.
What words should I learn?
The best thing to do is to learn words that you will use often or that you will hear often. For
instance, if you have a cat then most likely it will come up in conversation at some point, so it
would be wise to learn the word cat. However, if you don't talk about the North Pole all that often,
don't memorize that word just to increase the size of your vocabulary. Those kinds of words will
come later. Time is much better spent memorizing useful everyday vocabulary.
Welcome to the Expressions section of Nihongo o Narau. This section contains
common expressions that are useful to know. The expressions presented are not
explained in terms of grammatical points as they are best memorized as set
phrases.
The Greetings and Common Sayings sections are recommended as good
starting phrases for beginners.

Greetings
Greetings are very important in Japanese. Both greeting and parting phrases are called aisatsu.
Someone who makes no aisatsu may be seen as cold and dysfunctional. These aren't all the
aisatsu out there, but they'll give you a good start.
Good morning. (Hi.)
Ohayou gozaimasu.
Good afternoon. (Hi.)
Konnichi wa.
Good evening. (Hi.)
Good night. (Said before bedtime.)

Konban wa.
Oyasuminasai. (Lit. Have a good rest.)

It's been a long time.

How do you do? (Said when meeting someone
for the first time.)
It's nice to meet you.
Are you well?
Yes, I'm fine.
Goodbye.

See you.
See you tomorrow.
I'm going but I'll be back. (Said when leaving
home.)
Have a good time. See you later. (Response to
Ittekimasu.)

Ohisashiburi desu.
Hajimemashite.
Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Ogenki desu ka.
Hai, genki desu.
Sayounara./Sayonara. (Sayonara is not normally
used when leaving one's own home unless one
is leaving for a very long time.)
Dewa mata./Ja mata./Mata ne.
Mata ashita.
Ittekimasu.
Itterasshai.

Take care. (Be careful)

Ki o tsukete.
I'm home.
Tadaima.
Welcome home. (Said in response to 'tadaima.') Okaerinasai.
I'm sorry for leaving before you. (Said as one
Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu.
leaves the office if leaving before other people.)
Thanks for working so hard. (Said to someone Otsukare sama deshita.
who's finished a task or in response to Osaki
ni.. )
Welcome.
Youkoso.
Sorry to bother you. (Said when entering
Ojamashimasu.
someone's home.)
Please come in. (Lit. Please come up. Said to
Oagari kudasi.
someone entering your home.)

Common Sayings
Please note that greeting and closing remarks are covered on their own page.
English
I receive. (Said before eating a meal.)

Japanese
Itadakimasu.

Thank you for the meal. (Said after eating a meal.)

Gochisou sama deshita.

Do your best.

Ganbatte kudasai.

Are you all right?

Daijoubu desu ka?

I'm all right.

Daijoubu desu.

Here you are. (Offering a favor.)

Douzo.

Please do it. (lit. 'I beg you.') (Requesting a favor.)

Onegai shimasu.

Thank you (very much).

(Doumo) arigatou gozaimasu.

Thanks.

Arigatou./Doumo.

You're welcome.

Douitashimashite.

I don't understand.

Wakarimasen./Wakaranai.

Excuse me. (Getting attention)

Sumimasen.

I'm sorry.

Gomen nasai.

Is that so?

Aa sou desu ka?

That's tough isn't it?

Taihen desu ne.

How unfortunate

Zannen desu ne.

Excuse me. (I am rude. )

Shitsurei shimasu.

I am being rude by leaving before you. (Said when leaving the

room before someone, particularly when leaving work before Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu.
others.)
(You've worked hard so) you must be tired. (Said to someone
Otsukare sama deshita.
leaving work for home.)
Excuse me. (Said when entering someone's home.)

Ojama shimasu.

Cheers!

Kanpai.

No, that's OK. (Said when refusing something.)

Iie, kekkou desu.

It can't be helped.

Shou ga nai.

Note: Someone once asked me whether Taihen desu ne. and Zannen desu ne. were sarcastic
phrases. They aren't sarcastic; rather, they are used to express sympathy.

Sorry
Just as saying a simple 'I'm sorry' will not work in every situation in English, there are many
different ways to apologize in Japanese. There are more forms than are listed on this page; this is
only an introduction.
I'm sorry. (Excuse me.)
sumimasen
- Can be used to get someone's attention.

gomen nasai
gomen

shitsurei shimasu

shitsurei shimashita

Forgive me. (The nasai form is polite.)

- Use for apologies or when declining something.
Please excuse me. (Lit. I'm going to break form.)
- Use when entering a room during a meeting (for serving tea etc.) or
when looking for something on someone's desk. (If you are intruding
on someone's time/space it's good to say this.)
- Used by school children as they enter the teachers' room.
Please excuse me, I was rude. (Lit. I broke form.)
- Use when exiting a room.
- Used by school children as they exit the teachers' room.

moushiwake arimasen
I have no excuse. (The gozaimasen form is more polite.)
moushiwake gozaimasen
ikenai koto o shimashita I've done something I shouldn't have.
watakushi ga warukatta I was wrong. (Lit. I was bad.)

Telephone Phrases
It is always difficult to talk on the phone in a language you don't understand well. Don't give up
though. Practice will help a lot. Listen very carefully to what the other person says. Talking on the
phone in Japanese has an added complication, since there are some formal phrases customarily
used in phone conversations. (The Japanese normally talk very politely on the phone unless
talking with a friend.)
Telephone Numbers
A telephone number (denwa bango) consists of the three parts, for example, (XX) XXXX-XXXX.
The first part is the area code. The second and last part are the person's number. Each number is
usually read separately, linking the parts with the particle "no". In telephone numbers 0 is often
pronounced as zero, 4 as yon, 7 as nana, and 9 as kyuu (as 0, 4, 7 and 9 each have two different
pronunciations). If you do not know the Japanese numbers, click here to learn them. If my phone
number were 1234-5678 it would be read "ichi ni san yon no go roku nana hachi." (Remember 'no'
takes the place of the dash in the number.)
To ask someone's number you can say Denwa bango wa nan ban desu ka.
Phrases
In Japanese, a lot of set phrases are used when speaking on the phone, especially in business
situations. One important phrase is "moshi moshi." It is used by the caller when the person at the
other end picks up. Some people say "moshi moshi" to answer the phone, but "hai" is used more
often especially in business. (Do not say 'mushi mushi' that means 'bugs, bugs' and sounds rather
silly.) Moshi moshi can also be said when you think that the caller cannot hear you or to make sure

the caller is still on the line.

Before hanging up the phone it is common to say shitsurei shimasu or shitsurei itashimasu. This
indicates that you are about to hang up.
At the Office
Watanabe to moushimasu.

This is Mr./Ms. Watanabe.

Ogura-san wa irasshaimasu ka.

Is Mr./Ms. Ogura there?

Tanaka-san o onegaishimasu.

Could I speak to Mr./Ms. Tanaka?

Hai, orimasu.

Yes, he/she's in.

Moushiwake arimasen ga, tadaima gaishutsu shite

orimasu.

I'm sorry, he's/she's not here at the

moment.

Naisen no XX-ban o onegaishimasu.

I'd like extension XX please.

Shou shou omachi kudasai.

Just a moment, please.

Shitsurei desu ga, dochira sama desu ka.

Excuse me, but who's calling, please?

Nanji goro omodori desu ka.

Do you know about when he/she will be

back?

Chotto wakarimasen.

I'm not sure.

Mousugu modoru to omoimasu.

He/she should be back soon.

Yuugata made modorimasen.

He/she won't be back till this evening.

Nanika otsutae shimashou ka.

Can I take a message?

Onegaishimasu.

Please do.

Iie, kekkou desu.

No, that's OK, thank you.

O-denwa kudasai to otsutae negaemasu ka.

Could you please ask him/her to call me?

Mata denwa shimasu to otsutae kudasai.

Could you please tell him/her I'll call back

later?

Konban mata kakenaoshite kudasai.

Please call back this evening.

Someone's Home

Yamada-san no otaku desu ka.

Is this Mr./Ms. Yamada's residence?

Hai, sou desu.

Yes, it is.

Watakushi wa Ichiro desu ga.

This is Ichiro.

Haruko-san wa irasshaimasu ka.

Is Haruko there?

Yabun osoku ni sumimasen.

I'm sorry to phone you so late at night.

Dengon o onegaishimasu.

Can I leave a message?

Mata ato de denwa shimasu.

I'll call back later.

Phone Troubles
Sumimasen.

I'm sorry.

Motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

Please speak more slowly.

Mou ichido itte kudasai.

Please say it again.

Mou ichido onegaishimasu.

Could you repeat that please?

Wakarimasu ka.

Do you understand?

Wakarimasen.

I don't understand.

Iie, chigaimasu.

No, you're mistaken. (Use this when people have dialed the
wrong number.)

Machigaemashita.

I made a mistake. (I dialed the wrong number.)

Help!
English

Japanese

Help!

Tasukete!

Fire!

Kaji da!

Call the police!

Keisatsu o yonde!

Get a doctor!

Isha o yonde!

Call an ambulance!

Kyuukyuusha o yonde!

Call the fire department!

Shoubousho o yonde!

Come quickly!

Isoide kite!

Go away!

Atchi e ike!

Give it back!

Kaeshite-kure!

Theif!

Dorobou!

Don't touch me!

Sawaranaide!

I'm lost.

Michi ni mayoimashita.

I'm ill.

Kibun ga suguremasen.

I'm hurt.

Kega shite shimaimashita.

Please help me.

Tasukete kudasai.

Meeting a Friend
Dialogue:

Ishida:

Konnichiwa.

Hazuki:

Konnichiwa.

Ishida:

Hazuki-san, kochira wa watashi no tomodachi desu. Tanaka

Keiko-san desu.

Tanaka:

Hajimemashite. Tanaka Keiko desu. Douzo yoroshiku.

Hazuki Ken desu. Douzo yoroshiku.

Hazuki:
Gakusei desu ka.
Tanaka:
Hai, gakusei desu.
Hazuki:
Go-senmon wa.
Tanaka:
Ongaku desu. Anata mo gakusei desu ka.
Hazuki:
Iie, kangoshi desu.
Tanaka:
Sou desu ka.
Hazuki:
Translations:
Ishida:

Hello.

Hazuki:

Hello.

Ishida:

Mr. Hazuki, this is my friend. This is Keiko Tanaka.

Tanaka:

How do you do? I'm Keiko Tanaka. Nice to meet you.

I'm Ken Hazuki. Nice to meet you.

Hazuki:
Are you a student?
Tanaka:
Yes, I am.
Hazuki:
What is your major?
Tanaka:
Music. Are you a student, too?
Hazuki:
No, I'm a nurse.

Tanaka:
I see.
Hazuki:

Vocabulary:
Konnichiwa.
Hello./Good afternoon.
kochira
watashi
anata
tomodachi

this person (used when introducing someone)

I
you
friend

Hajimemashite.
How do you do? (used when meeting for the first time)
Douzo yoroshiku.
gakusei
hai
iie
go-senmon
kangoshi
Sou desu ka.
wa
mo
no

Nice to meet you.

student
yes
no
field of study (go is for politeness)
nurse
I see./Is that so?
subject marker particle (follows the subject)
particle meaning also
possesive particle

Romaji Version :
Kore wa watashi no neko desu. Namae wa Cha-ri- desu. Juunisai no osu desu. Kawaii deshou?

Ke wa totemo yawarakakute kimochi-ii desu. Suki na koto wa haha no niwa no ki no shita de neru
koto desu. Tokugi wa mae ashi no roppon no yubi de mono wo tsukamu koto desu.
Translation:
This is my cat. His name is Charlie. He's a twelve year old male. Isn't he cute? His fur is very soft
so it feels really nice. His favorite thing is to sleep underneath the trees in my mother's garden. His
specialty is grabbing things with the six toes on his front feet.
Vocabulary:

kore

this

watashi no
neko
namae
juunisai
osu
kawaii
ke
totemo
yawarakai
kimochi-ii
suki na
koto
haha
niwa
ki
shita
neru
tokugi
mae
ashi
roppon

yubi
mono
tsukamu

my
cat
name
12 years old
male (animal)
cute
hair/fur
very
soft
feels nice
liked, favorite
thing (abstract)
(one's own) mother
garden / yard
tree
under, beneath, below
to sleep
specialty
front
legs/feet
6 (pon comes from hon, the
counter for long thin things)
fingers/toes
thing (concrete)
grab

Do You Understand Japanese?

Dialogue:
Jean Paul:

Hajimemashite.
Boku no namae wa Jon Po-ru desu.
Onamae wa nan desu ka.

Anna:

Hajimemashite.
Watashi no namae wa Anna desu.

Jean Paul:

Nihongo ga wakarimasu ka.

Anna:

Hai, chotto wakarimasu.

Jon Po-ru-san, eigo ga wakarimasu ka.

Jean Paul:

Iie, wakarimasen.

Anna:

Nanigo ga wakarimasu ka.

Jean Paul:

Furansugo ga wakarimasu.

Translation:
Jean Paul:

How do you do?

My name is Jean Paul.
What's your name?

Anna:

Nice to meet you.

My name is Anna.

Jean Paul:

Do you understand Japanese?

Anna:

Yes, I understand a little.

Jean Paul, do you understand English?

Jean Paul:

No, I don't.

Anna:

What language do you understand.

Jean Paul:

I understand French.

Vocabulary:
understand
wakarimasu
wakarimasen

don't understand

Furansugo

French

eigo

English

hajimemashite How do you do?/Nice to meet you. (Said when

meeting someone for the first time)
namae

name

iie

no

hai

yes

chotto

a little bit

Mini Conversations 1
Erika: Sore wa nan desu ka?
Anne: Kore desu ka?
Erika: Hai.
Anne: Watashi no kaban desu.

What's that?
This?
Yes.
It's my bag.

Sam: Kono hon wa dare no desu ka?

Shawn: Boku no desu.

Who's book is this?

It's mine.

Lisa: Watashi no enpitsu wa doko desu ka?

Chad: Asoko desu.
Lisa: Aa, sou desu ka? Arigatou.

Where is my pencil?
It's over there.
Is that so? Thank you.

Alice: Kono inu wa dare no desu ka?

Miki: Sono inu wa watashi no desu.
Alice: Aa sou desu ka? Inu no namae wa nan desu
ka?
Miki: Supaiku desu.

Who's dog is this?

That dog is mine.
Is that so? What's the dog's name?
It's Spike.

Kenichi: Konnichi wa.

Mike: Konnichi wa. Ogenki desu ka?
Kenichi: Hai, genki desu. Maiku-san wa?
Mike: Genki desu.

Hello.
Hello. Are you doing well?
Yes, I'm fine. And how about you, Mike?
I'm fine.

Meru: Sore wa neko desu ka?

Hana: Kore desu ka?
Meru: Hai.
Hana: Iie, neko janai desu. Inu desu.
Meru: Sou desu ka?
Hana: Hai. Ben-san no inu desu.
Meru: Namae wa nan desu ka?
Hana: Pooki desu.

Is that a cat?
This?
Yes.
No, it's not a cat. It's a dog.
Is that so?
Yes. It's Ben's dog.
What's its name?
It's Porky.

Vowels
Japanese has five basic vowels. They are romanized as a i u e and o. They
are pronounced something like the 'a' in 'awful', the 'ee' in 'feet', the 'oo' in 'mood',
the 'e' in 'met', and the 'o' in 'cold'. Listen to the example sound files at the
bottom of the page for more help.
If vowels are written in combination, each vowel should be pronounced
separately. For instance ai sounds like 'eye' to the English speaker and oo is
pronounced by stretching out the o sound.
The combination ei is not pronounced ay. Instead, it is usually pronounced as an
enlongated version of the e (as in met).

The vowel u is usually pronounced faintly or dropped entirely when found in the
syllable su. This is especially true at the end of words such as desu or -masu
which tend to sound like des and mas. Another example is suki which tends to
be pronounced as ski.
Consonants
Most Japanese consonants are pronounced the same way they are in English.
There are some important differences, however.
1. The letter g is always pronounced as in 'gone' and never as in 'gin.'
2. The ch combination is always pronounced as in 'chocolate' and never as in
'charade.'
3. The fu syllable is pronounced more like 'who' is in English, except that it is
more clipped and is made by bringing the lips close together rather than by
bringing the upper teeth close to the lower lip like in English.
4. The Japanese r is nothing like the English 'r.' Rather, it is more like a clipped
L sound. It is pronounced something like the 'dd' in the name Eddy. It is made by
flicking the tip of the tongue off of the gums behind the top front teeth. This
sound is used as a substitute for the 'L' and 'R' sounds in foreign words.
5. The tsu sound has no good examples of use in English. Instead, listen to
these examples. The voice sample has the syllable tsu followed by tsunami (tidal
wave), tsuki (moon), tsubasa (wings), and tsuri (fishing).
6. The y that is found in some words is never a vowel as it can be in English.
Thus, Toyota is not pronounced 'toy-o-ta' as it is in English, but to-yo-ta. The y
can also act as a glide. Thus, Tokyo which is often pronounced 'to-ky-o' in
English, is actually pronounced to-kyo in Japanese.
7. The n in Japanese has two pronunciations. The first is at the beginning of na,
ni, nu, ne, and no, where it is pronounced the same as it is in English. The other
is where n stands by itself. (With no vowel following it within the same word.)
Here, it is pronounced as a nasal 'n.'
Double Consonants
When a word contains double consonants, the double k's in bakkin (a penalty or
fine) for example, they are pronounced separately, with a slight space separating
the two. In this case, the double k's are pronounced something like the 'kc' in
bookcase.
Particles Wo, Ha, and He

When you see the character wo in a sentence, it is actually pronounced more

like o. When ha is used as a particle to mark the subject of a sentence, it is
pronounced like wa. Ha is also pronounced as wa when used in the words
konnichiha and konbanha. When he is used as a particle in a sentence it is
pronounced as e.
Sound File Examples
Click on the syllables to see how they're pronounced.
a
ka
sa
ta
na
ha
ma
ya
ra
wa

i
ki
shi
chi
ni
hi
mi
ri

u
ku
su
tsu
nu
fu
mu
yu
ru

e
ke
se
te
ne
he
me
re

o
ko
so
to
no
ho
mo
yo
ro
wo
n

Voice samples courtesy of R. Fujinuma.

Note that all the pronunciations on this page are based on American English. If
you speak with a different accent please listen to the sound files.