A Simple Japanese Phrasebook
The Basics
Introductions
| Watashi wa (your last name) desu. Douzo yoroshiku. |
|
I'm ( ), how do you do? |
| Hajimemashite. Douzo yoroshiku. |
|
Pleased to meet you. |
| Watashi wa (your given name or nickname) to moshimasu. |
|
My name is ( ). |
Greetings and Goodbyes
| Moshi moshi |
|
Hello? (Used only on the telephone.) |
| Ohayou gozaimasu |
|
Good morning (polite) |
| Konnichiwa |
|
Good day; Hello |
| Komban wa |
|
Good evening |
| Oyasumi nasai |
|
Good night (I'm going to bed) |
| Sayonara |
|
Goodbye |
| Ja, ne! |
|
See ya! |
How Are You?
| Ogenki desu ka? |
|
How are you? |
| Hai, genki desu. |
|
Fine, thank you. |
Please and Thank You
| Onegai shimasu |
|
Please (much obliged) |
| Arigatou |
|
Thanks |
| Doumo arigatou |
|
Thank you |
| Doumo arigatou gozaimasu |
|
Thank you very much |
| Doumo |
|
Thanks (very informal) |
| Dou itashimashite |
|
You're welcome |
Miscellaneous
| Gomen nasai |
|
I'm sorry |
| Gomen kudasai |
|
Excuse me! May I come in? (Called from the genkan, or
entrance hall.) |
| Douzo |
|
Please (go ahead / try this / have some) |
| Itadakimasu! |
|
I'm about to eat! |
| Gochisosama |
|
I'm finished eating |
| Kakkoii! |
|
That's so cool! |
| Kawaii! |
|
That's so cute! |
| Sugoi! |
|
Awesome! |
| Kono anime wa ikura desu ka? |
|
How much is this anime? |
As usual, the most important one is last!
Notes
-
The Japanese long vowels have been written in the literal romanji form. A
pronunciation guide is as close as your nearest anime, but it might be best
to get a proper language textbook out of the library, as anime tends to be
full of colloquialisms and slang, making it a potentially dangerous
reference source.
-
None of the phrases above can possibly get you into trouble!
"My hovercraft is full of eels..."
The original version of this document was written by Richard Murdey, based
on class notes from Introductory Japanese, taught by Barbara Rose:
author of Tsuda Umeko and Women's Education in Japan.