Knowing More Than Konnichiwa Before Your Next Trip to Japan

Do Japanese speak English?

Japanese tend not to speak English, a mix of not knowing and being too shy to speak it.
Google Translate is your best tool. But try in Japanese when you can(at least greeting) which unlocks the door to intimacy with local people and leads you to more interesting discussions.

Below are the super basic Japanese words that help you during your visit

Japanese Greetings:

Good Morning:おはよう(Ohayo)

Good Afternoon:こんにちは (konnichiwa)

Good Evening:こんばんは (konbanwa)

Goodbye: じゃね (ja ne)

Thank you: ありがとう (arigatou)

I’m Sorry: ごめんなさい (gomen nasai)

Excuse me: すみません (sumimasen)

Yes: はい (hai)

No: いいえ (iie)

Time in Japanese:

Today: 今日 (kyou)

Tomorrow: 明日 (ashita)

Yesterday: 昨日 (kinou)

Now: 今 (ima)

Before: 前に (mae ni)

Later: 後で (ato de)

Japanese Numbers:

One: いち (ichi)

Two: に (ni)

Three: さん (san)

Four: し (shi) or よん (yon)

Five: ご (go)

Six: ろく (roku)

Seven: なな (nana) or しち (shichi)

Eight: はち (hachi)

Nine: く (ku) or きゅう (kyuu)

Ten: じゅう (juu)

Food and drink

Breakfast:朝ご飯(Asa-gohan）

Lunch:昼ご飯(Hiru-gohan)

Dinner:夜ご飯(Yoru-gohan)

Rice/Meal:ご飯(Gohan)

Bread:パン(Pan)

Meat:肉(Niku)

Fish:魚(Sakana)

Vegetables:野菜(Yasai)

Fruits:果物(Kudamono)

Soup:スープ(Suupu)

Salad:サラダ(Sarada)

Egg:卵(Tamago)

Milk:牛乳(Gyuu-Nyuu)

Cheese:チーズ(Chee-zu)

Dessert:デザート(Dezaato)

Water:水(Mizu)

Tea:お茶(Ocha)

Coffee:コーヒー(Koohii)

Wine:ワイン(Wain)

Beer:ビール(Biiru)

Alphabets

Japanese is the national language.

It is written in three different “alphabets”:

Hiragana

Hiragana is the main phonetic script, with 46 characters.

Katakana

Katakana is used to spell foreign words.

Kanji

Kanji is composed of 4000+ characters, each representing a thing or an idea.

Very few Japanese will proactively speak English, but many understand it (at least the basics). but don’t hesitate to switch to English and try your luck:)

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