Japan and Japanese culture are now well-known abroad and very popular. It has always been a dream of mine to visit Japan, and this year, this dream came true! I spent three weeks in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka and loved every minute.
In this guide for beginners, we’ll go over 20 useful Japanese phrases for tourists you should definitely know before going to Japan and we’ll look at some aspects of Japanese culture that may surprise you!
I always make it a point to learn at least a few basic words in the language of the country I’m visiting but in the case of Japanese, I had the feeling I might need more than just a few essential Japanese phrases during my trip.
Japanese people are lovely and always trying to be helpful but it is true that it can be challenging to communicate with them in English.
Here are some common words and phrases that I found myself using in Japan, that I discovered there or that I wish I knew before going as well as a few insights into Japanese culture.
If you’re planning on travelling to Japan, take the time to learn these Japanese travel phrases, they’ll make your trip even more enjoyable!
Tokyo is a big city and you will be using public transportation a lot to get around. Most of the time the screens show the names of the stops in romaji (latin characters) and the announcements are made in English but it does help to understand that very basic Japanese phrase:
次は大手町です。
Tsugi wa Ōtemachi desu.
The next station is Ōtemachi.
If in doubt, it’s very easy to turn this into a question by just adding -か -ka at the end:
次は新宿ですか？
Tsugi wa Shinjuku desu ka?
Is the next station Shinjuku?
The system has many lines, different transportation companies and big stations like Shinjuku where it’s very easy to get lost. I’ve experienced that moment a few times when I’m pretty sure the train I’m about to get on is the right one but I can’t be 100% sure. Well there’s an easy way to ask that:
この電車は東京駅まで行きますか？
Kono densha wa Tōkyō Eki made ikimasu ka?
Does this train go to Tokyo Station?
Once on the right train, you’ll enjoy the peace of quiet in the metro but… as you might know, it can get quite crowded and you might be stuck in the middle of the train having to make your way to the nearest door. You could just use すみません sumimasen - excuse me to go through but saying you’re trying to get out actually helps:
すみません、通ります。
Sumimasen, tōrimasu.
Excuse me, I’m passing through.
You’re not at your destination but one small hurdle might be waiting for you: finding the exit or at least one of the exits. The word for exit is not always written in English and you’ll be happy you can recognize these easy characters:
出口
Deguchi
Exit
One last thing: you’ll probably be using one of the IC cards to pay for transportation, and if like me, you get turned around in Shinjuku station, you can end up with entering and exiting at the same station. This will most likely block your IC card. The only way to get it to work again is to go see the staff at the station and use this useful Japanese phrase to ask to reset it:
すみません、ICカードをリセットしていただけますか？
Sumimasen, IC kādo o risetto shite itadakemasu ka?
Excuse me, could you reset my IC card?
Shopping in Japan can be a fun experience. You will find a lot of brands you have back home but you’ll also see very nice Japanese brands. One thing you won’t be able to avoid are the convenience stores you can find everywhere in Japan. They are a good option for some quick food, cash withdrawals and small things like umbrellas. In Japanese they are called:
コンビニ
Konbini
Convenience store
And you might find yourself asking:
コンビニはどこにありますか？
Konbini wa doko ni arimasu ka?
Where can I find a konbini?
Most people in Japan will carry shopping bags with them (you can buy some in the konbini) but if you don’t have one and want a plastic bag instead, you can always use this essential Japanese phrase to ask:
袋を下さい。
Fukuro o kudasai.
Can I have a bag please?
Konbinis are also a very good place for something more unexpected… After a day or two in Japan you will have noticed that there are no bins in the streets. Malls usually have bins somewhere near the entrance but otherwise it’s almost impossible to find one. Konbinis have bins but they might be at the till and it is considered rude to use the bin without buying anything. If you’re buying something and want to use the bin, you can use this Japanese polite expression to ask:
ゴミ箱を使ってもいいですか？
Gomibako o tsukatte mo ī desu ka?
Can I use the bin, please?
In bigger malls you won’t have issues finding bins but you could run into issues finding a specific shop. The first time I read where a shop was it said ‘3F’ so I thought it’s on the 3rd floor of the ‘F’ building or area. It took me a while to realise there was no ‘F’ building and the letter just stands for ‘Floor’, meaning any floor in Japan will be marked that way. If you already know some numbers in Japanese you need to be careful as they combine and change with the word for floor:
1F - 1階。
Ik kai
2F - 2階。
Ni kai
3F - 3階。
San gai
You will also see indications like ‘B2F’ and that just means floor -2 (think B for Basement) and it is read
B2F - 地下2階
Chika ni-kai
The next step after shopping is eating. And Japan has so much to offer! You are usually given chopsticks if you’re eating in a restaurant serving Japanese food but fear not, you can always ask for a fork if you’re not up to the challenge with this useful Japanese phrase:
フォークをいただけますか？
Fōku o itadakemasu ka?
Can I get a fork, please?
If you have dietary restrictions, you might want to check with the staff if the dish you’re having contains something specific like this:
牛乳は入っていますか？
Gyūnyū wa haitte imasu ka?
Does this contain milk?
When you’re all done and ready to pay, you can find yourself in a situation where the staff is looking at you and waiting because you didn’t make it clear you wanted to pay by card (especially if you’re using your phone, it’s not obvious). Japanese people use cash a lot and you will make it easy if you just mention you’re paying by card, which is very simple with this essential Japanese phrase:
カードで。
Kādo de.
By card.
One other thing happened to me in a restaurant in Tokyo: They usually have a little box under the seat to put your belongings. I got in the restaurant and I put my bag in the box but I put my jacket on the chair. When I left, I took my jacket and… I left my bag. I realised after a few minutes and came back to the place and had to explain to get my bag back. Hopefully I knew enough useful Japanese phrases for tourists to ask:
すみません、バッグを忘れてしまいました。
Sumimasen, baggu o wasurete shimaimashita.
Excuse me, I forgot my bag.
Japanese culture is a very different culture and even the personal questions people you’ll meet on your trip will ask you might be unexpected. Forget the classic ‘how are you?’, here’s a list of what I was asked by almost total strangers:
The first one is usually asked to understand what kind of politeness they should use when addressing you:
何歳ですか？
Nansai desu ka?
How old are you?
職業は何ですか？
Shokugyō wa nan desu ka?
What do you do for a living?
日本まで直行便で来ましたか？
Nihon made chokkō-bin de kimashitaka?
Did you take a direct flight to Japan?
This last one puzzled me but I am mentioning it here as I was asked that specific question more than once and it should make it to your list of essential Japanese greetings and introductions.
The few basic Japanese expressions we’ve seen will definitely help you in Japan but the more you learn, the more comfortable you’ll be there. Japanese people will be happy to see you made an effort to learn their language and they’ll be extra nice to you!
Don’t forget to bookmark this blogpost to come back later when you need it!
You can also download a cheatsheet containing all the basic Japanese expressions we went through to always have it handy.
Now, reading this beginners guide once won’t do the trick unfortunately. The key to learning a language is practicing it regularly. If you can dedicate 5 minutes a day to learn Japanese, that’ll already take you a long way!
And the best way to do just that is to use Drops! So… Ready to master more Japanese phrases? Download the Drops Language Learning App and start learning today!
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