Planning a trip to Japan this year? Check out some common Japanese phrases for travelers in this Penlighten article. Japanese is a tough language to master, but these phrases and expressions will sure come handy, so browse through.
Romanji
Japanese written using Roman characters is called Romanji. It is mostly used by foreigners when studying Japanese.
One of the toughest languages in the world, Japanese is surely a hard nut to crack. It is written using 3 scripts – kanji, hiragana, and katakana, which makes it a little complicated.
Learning to write Japanese is not easy, and requires a lot of time and patience. But you can very well learn to say some commonly used phrases in this language; they’ll be useful for you on your travel to Japan.
This Penlighten article is a compilation of some common Japanese phrases. They include the ones use to introduce yourself, the ones used as greetings, some common questions you may need to ask, and some you might have to use in case of emergencies.
Greetings/Casual phrases
| Phrase | In Japanese | Pronunciation |
| Hello | 今日は | Konnichiwa |
| Hello (on phone) | まうしまうし | Moshi moshi |
| Welcome | ようこそ | Yōkoso |
| Good morning | お早うございます | Ohayō gozaimasu |
| Good afternoon | 今日は / こんにちは | Konnichiwa |
| Good evening | 今晩は / こんばんは | Konbanwa |
| Good night | おやすみなさい | Oyasumi nasai |
| Goodbye | さようなら | Sayōnara |
| Good luck | 頑張ってください | Ganbatte kudasai |
| Have a nice day | 良い一日を | Yoi ichinichi o |
| Excuse me | すみません! | Sumimasen |
| Get well soon | お大事に | Odaiji ni |
| Thank you | どうも | Dōmo |
| Thank you very much | どうもありがとうございました | Dōmo arigatōgozaimashita |
| I’m fine, thanks! | わたしは元気です。ありがとう。 | Watashi wa genki desu. Arigato! |
| I missed you so much! | さみしかったです。 | Samishi katta desu. |
| See you later! | またあとで会いましょう！ | Mata atode aimashou! |
| My name is… | 私の名前は・・・ | Watashi no namae wa |
| Nice to meet you! | はじめまして！ | Hajimemashite! |
| Don’t worry! | ご心配なく。 | Goshinpai naku |
| I love you | わたしは、あなたを愛しています | Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu |
| Cheers/Good health! | 乾杯 | Kanpai |
| Pleased to meet you | 初めまして | Hajimemashite |
| Bon voyage | 初めまして | Yoi ryokō o |
| I will be right back! | すぐ戻ります。 | Sugu modori masu. |
| Congratulations! | おめでとうございます! | Omedetou gozaimasu! |
| Happy birthday! | おたんじょうびおめでとうございます! | Otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu |
| Take Care | 気 を つけてください | Ki o tsukete kudasai |
| I am sorry | ごめんなさい | Gomen’nasai |
| You are welcome | どういたしまして | Dōitashimashite |
| One moment please | ちょっと待ってください | Chotto matte kudasai |
Related to the Language
| Phrase | In Japanese | Pronunciation |
| Do you speak Japanese? | 日本語を話しますか | Nihongo o hanashimasu ka? |
| Do you speak English? | 英語はできますか | Eigo wa dekimasu ka? |
| I don’t speak Japanese. | 日本語を話せません | Nihongo o hanasemasen |
| What did you say? | なんて言いましたか | Nan te iimashita ka? |
| What does this mean? | これはどういう意味ですか | Kore wa dōiu imi desu ka? |
| I don’t understand. | わかりません | Wakarimasen |
| Please say that again. | もう一度、言ってください | Mō ichido, itte kudasai |
| I’d like to visit Japan one day | いつか日本を訪れたい | Ituka nihon wo otozure tai. |
| Can You Speak Slowly? | ゆっくりしゃべってくれますか？ | Yukkuri shabette kuremasuka? |
| Write It Down Please! | 書いてください | Kaite kudasai. |
| What’s That Called In Japanese? | あれは日本語で何といいますか？ | Arewa nihongo de nanto iimasu ka? |
General Questions
| Phrase | In Japanese | Pronunciation |
| How much is this? | いくらですか | Ikura desu ka? |
| What’s new? | 最近どうですか？ | Saikin dou desuka? |
| What time is it? | 何時ですか？ | Nanji desu ka? |
| What Is This? | これは何ですか？ | Korewa nandesu ka? |
| Where are you from? | 出身はどちらですか? | Shusshin wa dochira desu ka? |
| What’s your name? | お名前はなんですか? | O-namae wa nan desu ka |
| Where’s the toilet? | 便所はどこですか | Benjo wa doko desu ka? |
| How are you? | お元気ですか？ | Ogenki desuka? |
| How old are you? | あなたは何歳 ですか？ | Anata wa nan-sai desuka |
| Where do you live? | どこに住んでいますか？ | Doko ni sun de imasu ka? |
| Did you like it here? | ここは好きになりましたか？ | Kokowa suki ni narimashita ka? |
Eating Out
| Phrase | In Japanese | Pronunciation |
| Is there a restaurant near here? | 近くにレストランはありますか | Chikaku ni resutoran wa arimasu ka? |
| May I see the bill please? | 請求書を見せて頂けますか | Seikyūsho o misete itadakemasu ka? |
| Do you have an English menu? | 英語のメ二ューはありますか | Eigo no menyu wa arimasu ka? |
| I am a vegetarian | 私は菜食主義者です | Watashi wa saishokushugisha desu |
| Let’s eat | いただきます | Itadakimasu |
| That was delicious | ごちそうさまでした | Gochisosama deshita |
| Have a good meal | どうぞめしあがれ | Douzo meshiagare |
Emergencies
| Phrase | In Japanese | Pronunciation |
| Help! | 助けて! | Tasukete! |
| I feel sick. | 調子が悪いです。 | Choshi ga warui desu. |
| I need a doctor. | 病院に行きたい。 | Byouin ni ikitai. |
