Welcome, before we start to talk about the different Japanese writing systems namely Katakana, Hiragana and Kanji, it is good to start with some Japanese words and phrases written in Romāji (Western characters). Learning a new language is fun but can be daunting so lets start with the basics first of all.

Essential Japanese Phrases

• Different ways to say thank you

  • Domō (casual)
  • Arigatō (more endearing)
  • Arigatō gozaimasu (thank you)
  • Domō arigatō gozaimasu (thank you very much for your time, the 'u' is silent)

• Different greetings throughout the day

  • Ohayō (morning, informal)
  • Ohayō gozaimasu (formal, 'u' is also silent)
  • Konnichiwa (good afternoon)
  • Konbanwa (good evening)

• Time and Location

  • Ima nanji des(u) ka (what time is it now, the 'u' is typically silent)
  • Eki wa doko des(u) ka (where is the train station?)
  • Konbini wa doko des(u) ka (where is the convenience store?)
  • Ginkō wa doko des(u) ka (where is the bank?)
  • Yūbinkyoku wa doko des(u) ka (where is the post office?)
  • Sumimasen, ichiban chikai toshokan wa doko des(u) ka (excuse me, where is the nearest library?)

• Directions

  • Chotto itte kudasai (go a little way)
  • Massugu itte kudasai (go straight ahead)
  • Migi ni maggate kudasai (turn right)
  • Hidari ni maggate kudasai (turn left)

How to Introduce Yourself

1. The correct greeting for the time of day e.g. morning - ohayō gozaimas(u) (silent 'u');
2. You then say hajimemashite (the 2nd 'i' is squashed or silent);
3. Surname then first name is said if formal meeting + des(u) e.g. Simon desu (I am Simon);
4. Then, Dōzo yoroshiku or yoroshiku onegaishimas(u) which means pleased to meet you;
5. Someone may say their name + 'to mōshimas(u)' which translates as 'I'm called ...' etc;
6. They may say o-genki des(u) ka which means 'how are you' and you could say "okagesama de", which is 'I'm fine, thanks';
7. Lastly, if you know their name you should always say San after it, this is similar to Mr, Miss or Mrs in English.

Task: Try introducing yourself using my guide.

Learn more about the translator

Days of Week

Months of Year

Japanese Numbers

Task: Try counting from 1 up to 10, then cover the numbers or look away and try it.

If you add a number to Jū(10) you can make another number. 12 would be Jūni for example. 20 would be Nijū and 30 would be Sanjū and so on. 25 would be Nijūgo. To say your age in Japanese just add sai to the number. For example age 34 would be 'Watashi wa Sanjūyon-sai desu' (I am 34). Note, there are some exceptions. For age 20, to say you are aged 20 you would say 'Watashi wa hatachi-sai desu' (I am 20). If the age ends in 0, 1 or 8 it is jūssai(10), jūissai(11) and jūhassai(18) respectively. I have some additional information regarding numbers which you will learn about in the Katakana, Hiragana & Kanji section.

Facts about Japan

Japan (Nihon) has a population in excess of 120 million with four main islands, the current capital is Tōkyō on the main island of Honshu. The far north has a cold climate and the southern end has a humid and warm climate. The other three main islands consist of Hokkaidō (far north), Kyushu (far south) and Shikoku (far south). The highest mountain is known as Fuji-san or Mount Fuji.

Additional Japanese Words & Phrases

• Basic Commands
  • Namae (name)
  • Motto yukkuri itte kudasai (speak slower please)
  • Mō ichido itte kudasai (can you repeat that)
  • Hai (yes)
  • Iie (No, sounds like 'eyeh')
  • Wakarimashita (I understand, audio below)
  • Wakarimasen (I don't understand)
  • Dōzo (go ahead)
  • Gambatte Kudasai (good luck)

• Additional Instructions
  • Sumimasen (sorry or excuse me)
  • Gomen kudasai (can I come in?)
  • Nihongo ga dekimas(u) ga amari jozu dewa arimasen. (I can speak Japanese but not very well.)
  • Bai bai (goodbye)
  • Ja mata ne (see you later or soon)
  • Sayōnara (goodbye for a while)
  • Wakarimasu ka (do you understand?)
  • Chotto matte kudasai (please wait a moment)
  • Omedetō gozaimasu (Congratulations)
  • Tasukete kudasai (please help)

• General Shop/Restaurant Phrases
  • O-hairi kudasai (please come in)
  • Irasshaimase (welcome)
  • (item, see table) + ga arimasu ka (do you have X, as before the 'u' is silent.)
  • (item, see table) + o utteimas(u) ka (do you sell X)
  • (item) + o kudasai (may I have ____)
  • (item) + o tabetai desu (I want to eat ____)
  • (item) + o nomitai desu (I want to drink ____)
  • (item) + wa ikura desu ka (how much does ____ cost?)
  • Yen (en, Japanese currency)
  • Shōshō omachi (wait a moment)
  • Kashitomarimashita (certainly)
  • Zembu de (cost altogether)

Telling the Time in Japanese

As you've learned previously, to ask what time it is you would say 'Ima nanji desu ka'.

• To answer you just say the number and add ji (e.g. niji 2:00)
  • There is one exception, 4:00 would yoji;
  • 7:00 is always shichiji and 9:00 is kuji;
  • Gozen (morning/am) and gogo is afternoon or pm, goes before the time;
  • Jūichi is 11:00 and jūni is 12:00;
  • Finally, han means half-past and ji means o'clock.

Weather & Seasons

• To describe good weather you would say "Ii tenki desu ne". For other weather conditions:
  • It is fine - Hare desu
  • It is raining - ame desu
  • It is windy - kaze desu
  • It is snowing - yuki desu
  • It is cloudy - kumori desu
  • It is cold - samui desu
  • It is hot - atsui desu
  • It is foggy - kiri desu

• Seasons
  • Winter - Fuyu
  • Spring - Haru
  • Summer - Natsu
  • Autumn/fall - Aki

Hobbies & Likes

The word for hobby is shumi and below is a list of a few:

• Yachō kansatsu (bird watching)
• Sunōbōdo (snowboarding)
• Tenisu (tennis)
• Hon (books)
• Gemingu (gaming)
• Rokku kuraimingu (rock climbing)

Then, you just put your hobby in front like so - Yachō kansatsu ga suki desu. (I like bird watching). You can also say this - shumi wa tenisu desu (my hobby is tennis). Alternatively, you could say 'supōtsu wa rokku kuraimingu ga suki desu' which means the sport I like is rock climbing.

Test Quiz

You can either grab a pen and paper or just use the text box below to write your answers. Once you're happy with your answers press the button below to reveal the correct answers.

1. What is 6 in Japanese?
2. How would you say 4 o'clock?
3. What is the large northern most island called?
4. What is the word for breakfast in Japanese?
5. What is thursday?
6. What does 'hon' mean?
7. What number is 'jū' in english?
8. How would you greet someone during the evening?
9. What should you say after saying someone else's name?
10. Which month is 'gogatsu'?
11. How would you say 'do you have eggs' in Japanese?
12. What is jū + yon?

1. Roku
2. Yoji
3. Hokkaidō
4. Asagohan or Chōshoku
5. Mokuyōbi
6. Book/books
7. 10
8. Konbanwa
9. San
10. May
11. Tamago ga arimasu ka
12. Jūyon(14)

There is more info on how to pronounce the vowels on the 'Learn Katakana, Hiragana & Kanji' section of this site. If you were wondering what the symbols on the banner image were they are the Kanji characters for Nihongo, the Japanese Language. Simon Towler has many hours of Japanese language experience. I hope to further my understanding of the Japanese language.

As part of my future plans I may update the site to include an intermediate/advanced Japanese section as the content listed on this site is only about 5 or 10% of the Japanese I know. We will see. If I've helped you to learn Japanese there is a donation link below.

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