| English |
(Japanese) |
| Welcome |
yōkoso |
| Hello |
konnichiwa
ossu - used between close male friends
moshi moshi - on phone |
How are you?
I'm fine, thanks. And you? |
o genki desu ka |
hai, genki desu. anata wa?
kagesama de genki desu |
| Long time no se |
hisashiburi - o hisashiburi desu ne |
What's your name?
|
o-namae wa nan desu ka |
Where are you from?
I'm from ... |
Doko kara desu ka?
Dochira kara desu ka? - frm |
| watashi wa ... kara desu |
| Pleased to meet you |
hajimemashite
hajimemashite. dōzo yoroshiku - reply
oaidekite ureshii desu |
| Good morning |
ohayō gozaimasu |
| Good afternoon |
konnichiwa |
| Good evening |
konbanwa |
| Good night |
oyasumi nasai |
| Goodbye |
sayōnara
ittekimasu - I'll be back - you are leaving
jā mata ne - see you later |
| Good luck |
gokoūn o inorimasu |
| Cheers/Good health! |
kanpai lit. "dry glass" |
| Have a nice day |
Yoi ichinichi o |
Bon appetit
(Have a good meal) |
douzo meshiagare = 'enjoy your meal' - said by the cook/chef
itadakimasu - said before a meal by those eating it
gochisōsama - said after a meal by those who have eaten it |
Bon voyage
(Have a good journey) |
yoi ryōko o
gokigen yō - Goodbye / Good luck
itte irasshai - Go and come back
ichiroheian o inoru
- I wish you a smooth road (old fashioned) |
| I don't understand |
wakarimasen wakaranai - inf |
| Please speak more slowly |
yukkuri hanashite kudasai |
| Please write it down |
kaite kudasai |
Do you speak Japanese?
Yes, a little |
Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?
Nihongo ga hanasemasu ka?
|
Hai, hanashimasu
Hai, hanasemasu
Hai, dekimasu) |
| Excuse me |
sumimasen |
| How much is this? |
ikura desu ka? |
| Sorry |
gomen nasai |
Thank you
Response (You're welcome) |
dōmo
arigatō
arigatō gozaimasu
|
| dō itashimashite |
| Where's the toilet? |
benjo wa doko desu ka
toire wa doko desu ka |
This gentleman/lady
will pay for everything |
konohito ga zembu haraimasu |
Would you like to
dance with me? |
isshoni odorimasenka? |
| I love you |
suki desu , suki da
suki dayo, daisuki desu
aishiteru yo
suki yo, aishiteru wa) - said by women only
|
| Get well soon |
odaiji ni |
| How do you say ... in Japanese? |
o nihongo de nanto īmasu ka? |
| Leave me alone! |
hottoite! |
Help!
Fire! |
tasukete!
kaji da! |
| Call the police! |
keisatsu o yonde kudasai! |
Merry Christmas
and a Happy New Year |
merī kurisumasu
New Year greeting - 'Western' style
shinnen omedetō gozaimasu
New Year greetings - Japanese style
akemashite omedetō gozaimasu
honnen mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu |
| Happy Birthday |
otanjōbi omedetō gozaimasu |
Good morning. (Hi.) |
Ohayou gozaimasu. |
Good afternoon. (Hi.)
|
|
| Good evening. (Hi.) |
Konban wa. |
| Good night. (Said before bedtime.) |
Oyasuminasai. (Lit. Have a good rest.) |
| It's been a long time. |
Ohisashiburi desu. |
| How do you do? (Said when meeting someone for the first time.) |
Hajimemashite. |
It's nice to meet you. |
Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. |
| Are you well? |
Ogenki desu ka. |
| Yes, I'm fine. |
Hai, genki desu. |
| Goodbye. |
Sayounara./Sayonara. (Sayonara is not normally used when leaving one's own home unless one is leaving for a very long time.) |
| See you. |
Dewa mata./Ja mata./Mata ne. |
| See you tomorrow. |
Mata ashita. |
| I'm going but I'll be back. (Said when leaving home.) |
Ittekimasu. |
| Have a good time. See you later. (Response to Ittekimasu.) |
Itterasshai. |
| Take care. (Be careful) |
Ki o tsukete. |
| I'm home. |
Tadaima. |
Welcome home. (Said in response to 'tadaima.')
|
Okaerinasai. |
| I'm sorry for leaving before you. (Said as one leaves the office if leaving before other people.) |
Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu. |
| Thanks for working so hard. (Said to someone who's finished a task or in response to Osaki ni.. ) |
Otsukare sama deshita. |
| Welcome. |
Youkoso. |
| Sorry to bother you. (Said when entering someone's home.) |
Ojamashimasu. |
| Please come in. (Lit. Please come up. Said to someone entering your home.) |
Oagari kudasi. |
I
receive. (Said before eating a meal.)
|
Itadakimasu. |
Thank
you for the meal. (Said after eating a meal.)
|
Gochisou
sama deshita. |
Do
your best.
|
Ganbatte
kudasai. |
Are
you all right?
|
Daijoubu desu
ka? |
I'm
all right.
|
Daijoubu
desu. |
Here
you are. (Offering a favor.)
|
Douzo. |
Please
do it. (lit. 'I beg you.') (Requesting a favor.)
|
Onegai shimasu. |
Thank you (very
much).
|
(Doumo) arigatou
gozaimasu. |
| Thanks. |
Arigatou./Doumo. |
| You're welcome. |
Douitashimashite. |
I
don't understand.
|
Wakarimasen./Wakaranai. |
Excuse
me. (Getting attention)
|
Sumimasen. |
I'm
sorry.
|
Gomen nasai. |
Is
that so?
|
Aa sou desu ka? |
That's
tough isn't it?
|
Taihen desu ne. |
How
unfortunate
|
Zannen
desu ne. |
| Excuse
me. (I am rude. ) |
Shitsurei
shimasu. |
| I am being rude
by leaving before you. (Said when leaving the room before someone, particularly
when leaving work before others.) |
Osaki ni shitsurei
shimasu. |
| (You've worked
hard so) you must be tired. (Said to someone leaving work for home.) |
Otsukare sama
deshita. |
| Excuse me. (Said
when entering someone's home.) |
Ojama shimasu. |
| Cheers! |
Kanpai. |
| No, that's OK.
(Said when refusing something.) |
Iie, kekkou desu. |
| This is Mr./Ms. Watanabe. |
Watanabe to moushimasu. |
| Is Mr./Ms. Ogura there? |
Ogura-san wa irasshaimasu ka. |
| Could
I speak to Mr./Ms. Tanaka? |
Tanaka-san o onegaishimasu. |
| Yes, he/she's in. |
Hai, orimasu. |
| I'm sorry, he's/she's
not here at the moment. |
Moushiwake arimasen
ga, tadaima gaishutsu shite orimasu.
|
| I'd like extension
XX please. |
Naisen no XX-ban
o onegaishimasu.
|
| Just a moment,
please. |
Shou shou omachi
kudasai.
|
| Excuse me, but
who's calling, please? |
Shitsurei desu
ga, dochira sama desu ka.
|
| Do you know about
when he/she will be back? |
Nanji goro omodori
desu ka.
|
| I'm
not sure. |
Chotto
wakarimasen.
|
| He/she
should be back soon. |
Mousugu
modoru to omoimasu.
|
| He/she
won't be back till this evening. |
Yuugata
made modorimasen. |
| Can
I take a message? |
Nanika
otsutae shimashou ka.
|
| Please
do. |
Onegaishimasu.
|
| No,
that's OK, thank you. |
Iie,
kekkou desu.
|
| Could
you please ask him/her to call me? |
O-denwa
kudasai to otsutae negaemasu ka.
|
| Could
you please tell him/her I'll call back later? |
Mata
denwa shimasu to otsutae kudasai. |
| Please call back this evening. |
Konban mata kakenaoshite kudasai. |
| I'm sorry. |
Sumimasen. |
| Please speak more slowly. |
Motto yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
|
| Please say it again. |
Mou ichido itte kudasai. |
| Could you repeat that please? |
Mou ichido onegaishimasu. |
| Do you understand? |
Wakarimasu ka. |
| I don't understand. |
Wakarimasen. |
| No, you're mistaken. (Use this when people have dialed the wrong number.) |
Iie, chigaimasu. |
| I made a mistake. (I dialed the wrong number.) |
Machigaemashita. |
