Japanese

Ten Favorite Japanese Expressions

Life is full of ki-do-ai-raku (kee-doh-ah-ee-rah-koo; delight-anger-sorrow-fun), and some phrases slip out of our mouths repeatedly in response to different daily situations. Master these common Japanese [more…]

Forming Sentences in Japanese

Welcome to Japanese! To practice the language, work with your family, your close friends, or even your pets until you get the chance to talk with a Japanese person. The more you apply a language in your [more…]

Expressing Gratitude and Regret in Japanese

Phrases of gratitude and apology are the most important and essential phrases in any language. Suppose a stranger holds a door open for you when you're entering a building. What do you say? Suppose you [more…]

Staying at a Japanese Hotel

Choosing the right hoteru (hoh-teh-roo; hotel) can make any trip you take more enjoyable. Each day of your adventure starts and ends at the hotel.

In the morning, a good hotel offers you a refreshing breakfast [more…]

Japanese Greetings and Good-Byes

When traveling in Japan, the words and phrases you'll use most frequently will be the common Japan greetings (gashi). These Japanese greetings and good-byes will quickly become second nature because you [more…]

Japanese Travel-Related Words and Phrases

Traveling in Japan can be confusing if you can't read the signs or understand the instructions you're given. Learning a few useful travel-related words and phrases in Japanese before you travel can save [more…]

How to Ask for and Understand Directions in Japanese

Exploring Japan can be quite an adventure, but you need to know how to ask for directions in Japanese and how to understand the directions you are given. After all, if you don't know how to understand [more…]

How to Ask Questions in Japanese

How do you ask basic questions in Japanese? Well, Japanese interrogative words mean the same as they do for English: who, what, when, where, why, and how. By knowing basic Japanese interrogatives, you'll [more…]

Common Conversational Words and Phrases in Japanese

By mastering the basics of polite conversation, you can put yourself and the person you're talking with at ease. There are some essential conversation words and phrases that everyone should master before [more…]

How to Refer to People in Japanese

An important form of Japanese courtesy is knowing how to refer to people. When meeting people in Japan, be sure to use the appropriate formal title. San [more…]

How to Ask For Help in Japanese

Know how to ask for help in Japanese before you have an actual emergency. Save valuable time in a crisis by knowing simple Japanese words and phrases to cover emergencies with illness or theft. [more…]

How to Make Introductions in Japanese

Learning the proper way to make introductions in Japanese can help you get off to the right start. The Japanese culture is more formal than American English. Consequently, introductions in Japanese follow [more…]

Money and Banking Phrases in Japanese

Visiting Japan can be expensive, so it's crucial to have a good understanding of Japanese money and banking phrases. Whether you're just visiting or you're planning to live in Japan for a while, the best [more…]

How to Make Small Talk in Japanese

Making small talk in Japanese is just the same as in English. Touch on familiar topics like jobs, sports, children — just say it in Japanese! Small talk describes the brief conversations that you have [more…]

How to Order Food in Japanese

Whether you're on a short visit to a Japanese-speaking country or planning to live there, knowing how to order food in Japanese is essential. Knowing some basic restaurant [more…]

How to Count in Japanese

Learning numbers and counting in Japanese is simplified because the Japanese number system is quite logical. The entire number system is based on counting the number of tens and then adding the ones. For [more…]

Speaking Japanese at Work

Thanks to the global nature of many Japanese businesses today, using Japanese at work is quickly becoming a primary reason for people to learn Japanese. Whether you're looking for a job in a Japanese-speaking [more…]

How to Pronounce Tricky Sounds in the Japanese Language

The Japanese language has some distinct sounds that are can be tricky to pronounce. To be understood in Japanese, you need to know how to pronounce these sounds, which tend to give English speakers some [more…]

How to Say Dates and Times in Japanese

When making plans, appointments, and travel arrangements in Japanese-speaking countries, you need to be able to state dates and other calendar terms in Japanese. Understanding the days of the week, the [more…]

Japanese Vocabulary for Shopping

Develop a Japanese shopping vocabulary to gain a new cultural experience when traveling. Whether you're shopping for clothes, food, or souvenirs, you can use the following Japanese phrases to help you [more…]

Numbers in Japanese

One of the most basic skills in picking up any new language, including Japanese, is learning to count. The following table shows Japanese numbers from 1 to 20 and select higher numbers along with the pronunciation [more…]

Polite Phrases in Japanese

The Japanese place a premium on politeness, so it follows that the Japanese language includes key phrases to keep conversation on a polite footing. The following list sets out common courteous phrases [more…]

Japanese Phrases for Meeting and Greeting

The whole point of learning Japanese is to be able to converse, right? And, before you can carry on a conversation with someone, you have to meet them. The phrases in the following list are ones you need [more…]

How to Ask Questions in Japanese

As you travel in Japan and speak Japanese to everyone you meet, you need to ask questions. The standard who, what, when, where and why are in the following list along with a few other useful questions [more…]

Japanese Noun Particles

English has articles and prepositions, Japanese has noun particles to convey the subject of the sentence, the start point, end point, and direction of the action, and even the subject of the sentence. [more…]