Useful Japanese Phrases for Everyday Life

Phrases in Japanese with translation and hieroglyphs

By the way, here is a wonderful video with basic Japanese phrases. The words and expressions there are voiced by a Japanese woman, and the translation of the phrases is Russian.

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Beautiful Japanese words

This selection has been prepared in case you are in a poetic mood. In it you will find beautiful words and phrases in Japanese with translation and transcription, they are easy to remember. Just a little more, and you can write poetry!

Arigatou gozaimasu

It's impossible to use "please" without "thank you", so of course arigatou gozaimasu

included in this list of essential Japanese phrases for everyday life. Using this phrase is quite simple, and even if you don't know much Japanese yet, you can at least express your gratitude using this phrase.

For example, when you are in a supermarket and receive change from a clerk, you should thank him by saying, "Arigatou gozaimasu."

At school, you can ask your teacher a question and then thank him for his help by also saying “Arigatou gozaimasu.” You'll probably also thank your teachers at the end of each lesson with "Arigatou gozaimashita" (past tense).

With people you're closer to, you can drop the "gozaimasu" and just say "arigatou." Or you can say “ doumo arigatou gozaimasu
どうもありがとうございます
” to show that you are extremely grateful for something. For example, if someone did something that was inconvenient for them but very helpful for you, you can show your gratitude by saying “doumo arigatou gozaimasu.”

You can also simply say "doumo" in everyday situations.

Daijoubu desu 大丈夫です

Daiyoubu desu

is one of the most universal and important Japanese phrases in everyday life. Daijoubu means "okay" or "everything is fine", but in a separate context it can also be used to mean "yes" or "no".

A common scenario in which you might use this phrase is when you are in a supermarket and the clerk asks you something. For example, do you have a bonus card? If you don't have one, you can simply say "daijoubu desu" and the seller will understand that you mean "no".

Another common situation is confirming a reservation or appointment, such as a restaurant or doctor's appointment. They may ask if a particular time is right for you, to which you will respond, "Daijoubu desu" if the time is right.

You may ask "Daijoubu desuka?" to find out if everything is okay with a person. For example, if you are meeting someone but are running a little late, you can call or text them to say:

10分遅れます。大丈夫ですか？ Sumimasen, juppun okuremasu. Daiyoubu desuka?

Sorry, I'll be 10 minutes late. Is everything okay (can you wait)?

You can also ask "Daijoubu desuka?" to check if the person is okay or feeling well. For example, if you see someone falling, you can ask them: "Daijoubu desuka?" Conversely, if you fall and someone asks you if you are okay, you can say, "Daijoubu desu!"

There are many ways to use this phrase, and there is no doubt that you will very quickly start using it in your daily life in Japan.

Acquaintance

When interlocutors first get to know each other, they usually first talk about themselves and express hope for mutual support. In Japanese this is called 自己紹介 - "jikosho kai", which can literally be translated as "self-presentation". A sort of self-presentation. an established pattern in Japanese society .

It should be noted that the Japanese language has several levels of politeness . Here, with the exception of some points, phrases of two levels will be presented. Polite/Formal - Suitable for all occasions. It is universal , at least in the initial stages. Informal is the level of politeness of speech among friends, close colleagues, and the like. Be careful in choosing your phrase - the wrong level of politeness will alienate a person or even offend him.

A small note: in transcription, the colon after a vowel indicates its length.

So, the first phrase in your story about yourself is 初めまして (はじめまして）. It reads “hajimemashite” and translates as “nice to meet you.”

Then you say your name. Here are several options:

After the greeting, you need to tell about yourself. The Japanese usually perceive people based on their belonging to a place - a place of study, a place of work. This is as important as your name. There is usually only one pattern here - type of activity. Here are a few examples:

Naturally, if you already know how, you can use the genitive suffix の to add the name of the school or university where you study, or the company or institution where you work.

Then you can clarify your age if you already know the numerals - age 歳です。（age さいです。) . It is pronounced “age sai des” and translated “my age is years old.” If you haven’t learned the numerals yet, then you can safely omit this point.

The “self-introduction” ends with a template phrase in which the speaker expresses the hope that the acquaintance will be pleasant and strong. There are several options here too:

Let's see what happened in the end. This is the basic pattern for almost all cases , since it is polite enough:

初めまして。私はnameと言います。 occupationです。よろしくお願いします。

name といいます。occupation です。よろしくおねがいします。

Hajimemashite. Watashi wa name is iimas. occupation of des. Yoroshiku onegai shimas.

Nice to meet you. My name is name . I am an occupation . I count on your kindness.

The template can be changed at your discretion. Before the final phrase, information about your specialty, age, and hobby fits well. This will make your story about yourself more complete. However, if you are just starting to learn the basics of the Japanese language, the above phrases will be enough for you.

Onegaishimasu & Kudasai お願いします & ください

Both of these words are important to know because they both mean “please.” For example, when you order at a restaurant or ask someone to make something for you, you say “ kudasai

” or “
onegaishimasu
” at the end.

“Onegaishimasu” is a more polite version, and sometimes they are used interchangeably. But there are also situations when you can only use one or the other option.

For example, at work it is better to use more polite language. So "onegaishimasu" would be more appropriate when you ask someone to give you something or do something for you.

However, it is common to use "kudasai" after a verb in everyday life, for example:

ちょっと待ってください。 Chotto matte kudasai .

Wait a little, please.

速ください。 Hayaku kudasai.

Please hurry up.

Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu

Another universal phrase that is often used in Japan is “ Yoroshiku onegaishimasu

” - has no direct translation. Its meaning may vary depending on the situation, but in general it expresses your gratitude for something that will be done in the future.

This phrase is said when meeting someone for the first time, when they want to express gratitude to someone, when asking someone to do something, etc.

For example, when you meet someone for the first time: Hajimemashite, Anna desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Nice to meet you, I'm Anna. I ask you to love and favor (this is how this phrase is often translated into Russian)

In a work environment, you may need to ask someone to do something for you. If so, you could use this phrase to express your gratitude in advance:

Tanaka-san, kono shiryou ko-pi o shite kuremasuka ? Yoroshiku onegashimasu.

Tanaka-san, could you please make me a copy of this document? Thank you very much in advance (a slightly different meaning in this situation could be “counting on you”).

You can also shorten this phrase if you are communicating with friends. For example, if you ask your classmate if you can borrow his notebook:

You:アンナちゃん、日本語のノート貸してくれる？ Anna-chan, nihongo no nooto kashite kureru?

Anna-chan, can I borrow your Japanese notebook?

Anna:いいよ！ iiyo!

Certainly!

You:よろしく! Yoroshiku!

Thank you!

Note: Read about Japanese nominal suffixes such as -chan in our article here.

To learn all about how to use this phrase, read our article on when and how to use “yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”

Basic Japanese conjunctions and connecting words

しかし(shikashi) – however, neverthelessまた(mata) – alsoその後(sono ato) – after thatその時(sono toki) – “and at this time”, “while this was happening...”場合は(baai wa) – “if you” or “if this happens”例えば(tatoeba) – for exampleそれから(sorekara) – then, thenだから(dakara) – so, therefore

This was all the minimum required to start learning Japanese. Of course, it would be worth adding a few more important words here, but over time you yourself will begin to expand your vocabulary. And, yes, learning words out of context is quite useless. So, keep this article as a cheat sheet and start reading more and studying examples in textbooks. Well, don’t forget about the basics of grammar - you can’t live without them.

Sumimasen

This word will probably become one of your most used Japanese words because it can be used in several different contexts. It means "sorry" but can actually also mean "thank you" and "excuse me" when used to get someone's attention (for example, in a restaurant when you need to call the waiter).

There are so many situations when you can say it: when you get off a crowded train, when you ask someone for directions to a place you need, when you accidentally bump into someone in a supermarket, when you ask someone for a favor, when you apologize to someone.

For example:

Sumimasen , toire wa doko desuka?

Excuse me, where is the toilet?

すみません、降ります！ Sumimasen, orimasu!

Excuse me, I'm getting off (on the train)!

Note that "sumimasen" is considered a mild apology, so it is not used to apologize for more serious offenses. For example, you wouldn't use it at work to apologize for not getting an assignment done on time.

Going beyond the basics

Although these simple words and phrases are practical and useful, we strongly recommend that you still learn the language properly if you want to live and work in Japan. The best way to do this is to study in Japan and fully immerse yourself in Japanese society. You can read more about the benefits of learning Japanese using the full immersion method in our article here.

Or, if you can't come to Japan yet, you can also study the language online at Akamonkai, the largest Japanese language school in Tokyo. You can find out more about their course and our other online courses here.