Greetings

   

Learn Japanese greeting phrases which are used in everyday life.

In Japanese language, there are various greeting phrases according to the situation or season.
But, the daily greetings are simple. We introduced common phrases in everyday situation.
Let's learn it and use it today.

hajimemashite
How do you do, Pleased to see you; To the person whom you meet for the first time

ohayoo gozaimasu
Good morning

konnichiwa
Good afternoon

konbanwa
Good evening

oyasumi nasai
Good night

ja mata
See you, Bye

mata ashita
See you tomorrow

sayoonara
Good-by

hisashiburi
Long time, no see

o-genki desu ka?

Are you fine?; It is often translated into "how are you", but it's not used to the people whom you meet
every day like English "how are you?", but to the people whom you meet after a long time. Ohayoo,
konnichiwa and atsui desu ne etc. are used to the people whom you meet every day.

atsui desu ne
It's hot, isn't it?; These expressions on weather are used as daily greetings, like English "How are you?".

samui desu ne
It's cold, isn't it?

ii tenki desu ne
It is a fine day, isn't it?

gomennasai
I'm sorry; Casual expression of apology

sumimasen
Excuse me, Sorry; In daily conversation, suimasen is overwhelming often used and it is also used as a
light apology. The polite form is Sumimasen.

itte kimasu
Said when you go out. (lit. Go and come back)

itterasshai
Reply to itte kimasu

tadaima
When you return your home or office.

okaerinasai
Reply to tadaima

o-saki ni shitsurei shimasu

When you leave office earlier than others.

otsukaresama deshita
1) Reply to o-saki ni shitsurei shimasu
2) When you finished something which you did with others such as a meeting.

o-saki ni doozo
Go ahead

ki o tsukete
lit. "be careful", To the person who will go to travel like "Have a nice trip" in English.

omedetoo gozaimasu
Congratulations
 ki ni shinaide
Don't mention it

doozo o-hairi kudasai

Please come in

doozo o-kake kudasai

Please have a seat

doozo o-suwari kudasai

Please sit down, Please have a seat

Ganbatte!
Good Luck!, do your best, try hard

Foods, Drinks & Restaurant

asa-gohan breakfast koshoo pepper

hiru-gohan lunch abura oil

udon noodles
ban-gohan dinner

soba buckwheat noodles

shokuji meal
raamen Chinese noodles
ryoori cuisine, a dish, cooking
koori ice
washoku Japanese foods
aisu ice cream
yooshoku Western foods
pan bread
Chuuka Chinese foods
toosuto toast
Furansu-ryoori French foods
suupu soup
Itaria-ryoori Italian foods
reitoo shokuhin frozen food
zairyoo ingredients
nomimono drinks oishii tasty, delicious

obentoo (bentoo) box lunch mazui nasty

sakana fish amai sweet

yasai vegetables karai hot, spicy

niku meat nigai bitter

gyuu-niku beef suppai sour

tori-niku chicken shinsen fresh

buta-niku pork furui old

gohan (cooked) rice / meal osara (sara) plate, dish

okome (kome) rice koppu cup

soosu sauce ohashi (hashi) chopsticks

oshooyu (shooyu) soy sauce naifu knife

omizu (mizu) water fooku fork

ocha green tea teishoku set menu

koocha black tea ranchi me'nyuu lunch menu

koohii coffee teeburu table

gyuunyuu milk seki seat

juusu juice isu chair

osake (sake) liquor / Japanese Sake kin'en(-seki) non smoking (section)

 biiru beer me'nyuu menu

nama-biiru draft beer okanjoo bill (for meal)

wain wine issho (pay) all together

uisukii whisky betsubetsu (pay) separately

shio salt warikan split the cost

satoo sugar 2-nin-mae (dish) for two people

Shopping

Department stores & Electrical stores

Learn Japanese words related to shopping.

We introduced Japanese words and phrases which are related to shopping.
"Price" is Nedan. "Repair" is Shuuri, and "Delivery" is Haitatsu.

nedan price denki electricity, light

waribiki discount denchi battery

zaiko stock bideo video, video tape,

camcorder, VCR
setsumei- instruction book,
sho operating manual eakon air-conditioner, AC
hoshoo- suihanki rice cooker
a warranty (paper)
sho
denshi-
ookisa microwave oven
size renji

omosa weight denkyuu electric light bulb

iro color keikootoo fluorescent light

haitatsu delivery uriba sales corner or

floor
henpin return (goods)
kagu-uriba furniture floor

shuuri repair, fix

kutsu-uriba shoes floor

koshoo be broken, out of

order shokki-uriba tableware floor

torikaeru to exchange, replace omocha-uriba toy floor

haisoo- shokuhin-
delivery charge foodstuffs floor
ryoo uriba

denki- shinshi-fuku men's suits

electrical appliances
seihin
fujin-fuku ladies' dresses
shin-seihin latest (model)
product
kodomo-fuku children's clothing
 terebi TV set, TV program
chuushajoo parking lot, car
reizooko refrigerator park

erebeetaa elevator
denwa telephone

esukareetaa escalator
keitai- mobile phone, cell-
denwa phone

Japanese Adjectives

Let's learn Japanese adjectives such as big and small, hot and cold.
In Japanese language, there are two kinds of adjectives: regular adjectives
called i-adjectives and irregular adjectives called na-adjectives. Here, we
introduced i-adjectives.

The i-adjectives conjugate into different forms, affirmative or negative, present

or past.
All i-adjectives end with i. Each form can be made by changing the last, -i as
follows.

ex. atsui (hot)

  Affirmative Negative

Present atsui atsu-kunai

Past atsu-katta atsu-kunakatta

We explain clearly about Japanese adjectives and how to use it with many
examples in our publications to learn Japanese, Building Up Conversation.
takai expensive, furui old
high, tall
yasui inexpensive, abunai dangerous
cheap
hiroi wide, spacious
ookii big, large

semai narrow
chiisai small

muzukashii difficult
atsui hot

yasashii easy, gentle

samui cold

amai sweet
atatakai warm

karai hot, spicy

suzushii cool

urusai noisy
tsumetai cold (object)

tsuyoi strong
oishii delicious, tasty

yowai weak
isogashii busy

ooi many, a lot

omoshiroi interesting, fun

sukunai few, a little

tanoshii enjoyable,
joyful
futoi thick
(cylindrical
tsumaranai uninteresting,
object)
boring
 ii nice, good hosoi thin
(cylindrical
chikai object)
near

atsui thick (flat

tooi far
object)

omoi heavy usui thin (flat

object)
karui light
kawaii lovely, cute
nagai long
itai painful
mijikai short
ureshii happy, glad
akarui bright, light
kanashii sad
kurai dark
wakai young
atarashii new
hayai fast, early

osoi slow, late

Important Japanese Verbs

Learn Japanese Verbs such as eat, drink, buy, watch, etc. with audio, here.
The verbs come at the end of the sentence and conjugate to show present or
past tenses as well as affirmative and negative.
In Japanese language, there are two tenses, past and non-past.
Since there is no future tense the non-past is used for both habitual action and
future tense.

ex. ikimasu (to go)

  Affirmative Negative

non-past iki-masu iki-masen

Past iki-mashita iki-masendeshita

Besides the masu form above, Japanese verbs conjugate into several forms.

We have published several materials to learn Japanse.

You can learn how to use the Japanese verbs step by step in "Building Up
Conversation".
Essential Japanese Verbs focuses on each verb and provides over 3,000 example
sentences.

tabemasu to eat

nomimasu to drink

kaimasu to buy

mimasu to watch, look, see

misemasu to show

kakimasu to write, draw, paint

okurimasu to send

tsukurimasu to make, produce, cook

tsukaimasu to use

aimasu to meet / to match, fit

ikimasu to go

kimasu to come

kaerimasu to return

arimasu to have, be at, exist (inanimate object)

imasu to have, be at, exist (animate object)

hanashimasu to talk, speak

yakushimasu to translate

nemasu to lie down, go to bed

okimasu to get up, wake up, happen, occur

kowaremasu to be broken
naoshimasu to repair, fix

agemasu to give, present / to raise, lift up

moraimasu to receive, be given

karimasu to borrow, rent

agarimasu to go up, rise

sagarimasu to go down, drop

fuemasu to increase

herimasu to decrease

naraimasu to learn

oboemasu to memorize, learn, master

oshiemasu to teach, inform, notice, let somebody know

shirabemasu to check, investigate

wasuremasu to forget

hajimarimas to begin, start, open

u

owarimasu to finish, end

akemasu to open

shimemasu to close

kachimasu to win

makemasu to lose (a game)

magarimasu to turn, curve

tomarimasu to stop / to stay (the night), lodge

norimasu to get on, ride

orimasu to get off

suwarimasu to sit, have a seat

araimasu to wash

yakimasu to grill, bake, roast, toast

kirimasu to cut
 kimasu to wear, put on (clothes)

nugimasu to take off (shoes, clothes)

torimasu to take, get / to take a picture

shimasu to do, play (something)

Japanese Numbers

1 to 10

ichi-system hitotsu-system

1. ichi 1. hitotsu

2. ni 2. futatsu

3. san 3. mittsu

4. shi, yon 4. yottsu

5. go 5. itsutsu

6. roku 6. muttsu

7. shichi, nana 7. nanatsu

8. hachi 8. yattsu
9. kyuu, ku 9. kokonotsu

10. juu 10 too

.

10 to 10,000 (ichi-system only)

10. juu 100. hyaku 1000. sen

20. ni-juu 200. ni-hyaku 2000. ni-sen

30. san-juu 300. sanbyaku 3000. san-zen

40. yon-juu 400. yon-hyaku 4000. yon-sen

50. go-juu 500. go-hyaku 5000. go-sen

60. roku-juu 600. roppyaku 6000. roku-sen

70. nana-juu 700. nana-hyaku 7000. nana-sen

80. hachi-juu 800. happyaku 8000. hassen

90. kyuu-juu 900. kyuu-hyaku 9000. kyuu-sen

100 hyaku 1000. sen 10000. ichi-man

.
Large Numbers

1 ichi

10 juu

100 hyaku

1,000 sen

-----

10,000 ichi-man

100,000 juu-man

1,000,000 hyaku-man

10,000,000 issen-man

-----

100,000,000 ichi-oku

1,000,000,000 juu-oku

10,000,000,000 hyaku-oku

100,000,000,000 issen-oku

-----

1,000,000,000,000 icchoo

10,000,000,000,000 jucchoo

100,000,000,000,000 hyaku-choo

1,000,000,000,000,000 sen-choo
Days and Months

The days and months are frequently used in any conversation as well as the
numbers.
You need to learn these words to speak Japanese in the early stage of your
study.
Please review the numbers from one to ten in the previous section before
learning this page.

Months Days of a week

1. ichi-gatsu January 1 getsu-yoobi

Monday
.
2. ni-gatsu February
2 ka-yoobi
Tuesday
3. san-gatsu March .

4. shi-gatsu April 3 sui-yoobi

Wednesday
.
5. go-gatsu May
4 moku-yoobi
Thursday
6. roku-gatsu June .

7. shichi-gatsu July 5 kin-yoobi

Friday
.

8. hachi-gatsu August
6 do-yoobi
Saturday
.
9. ku-gatsu September
10 juu-gatsu 7 nichi-yoobi
October Sunday
. .

11 juuichi-gatsu
November
.

12 juuni-gatsu
December
.

Last, this & next

Day Week

kinoo yesterday senshuu last week

kyoo today konshuu this week

ashit raishuu next week

tomorrow
a

Last, this & next

Month Year

sengetsu last month kyonen last year

kongets kotoshi this year
this month
u
rainen next year
raigetsu next month