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| Good morning (more polite) |
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| Goodbye (used mostly when you will be gone for a long period of time) |
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| How are you? (more polite) |
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| Nice to meet you (used for very first meetings) |
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| Keep at it (used as encouragement) |
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| Japanese (not referring to the LANGUAGE itself, but rather things that happen to be Japanese) |
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| Mr. / Mrs. / Ms. (can be used with friends, and is a term used at the end of someone's name [first, last, or both] to show your respect for them. You would use -san for people of higher rank, people who are older, and people you don't know very well. |
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| I'm fine / I'm okay (Not to be confused with "Genki desu", which is used as a response to someone politely asking how you are doing. "Daijobu" is used mostly to let someone know you are okay, perhaps after an incident, or accident.) |
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| (Used as, literally, a form of question mark. -Ka is used at the end of a sentence to show that you are asking a question. [You should also raise your voice slightly when saying the -ka, to make it more obvious that it is a question.]) |
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| I am Bob. / I'm Bob. (Used commonly to introduce oneself to someone. Just insert your own name in place of "Bob".) |
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| I (used by males, although males may also say "Watashi wa" in more formal/polite settings) |
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| This (used when talking about the object itself, such as "I want this" or "This is cool". When using sentences that do not directly refer to the object, such as "I want this pen," you would use "kono" instead of "kore".) |
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| This (used when not directly referring to a specific object. "Kono" is used in sentences such as, "There is this pen" or "When will I go to this party?" When using sentences that DIRECTLY refer to objects, such as "This is here" and "This is soup", you would use "kore" instead of "kono".) |
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| That (used when talking about the object itself, such as "I want that" or "That is cool". When using sentences that do not directly refer to the object, such as "I want that pen," you would use "sono" instead of "sore".) |
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| That (used when not directly referring to a specific object. "Sono" is used in sentences such as, "There is that pen" or "When will I go to that party?" When using sentences that DIRECTLY refer to objects, such as "That is here" and "That is soup", you would use "sore" instead of "sono".) |
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| House (not to be confused with "Iie" which means "No".) |
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| And you? (Example: "I'm doing fine! And you?) |
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| I too (example: "I, too, am well.") |
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| (commonly used greeting when picking up phone. It's kind of like saying, "Hello?") |
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| My / Mine (example: "Watashi no kuruma" or "My car") |
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| Watashi no namae wa Bob desu. |
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| Nice to meet you! / It's a pleasure to meet you! (not to be confused with "hajimemashite", which is used moreso for first time greetings only. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" means something along the lines of, "Please be well to me" or "Please be kind to me", so you may use it for more than simply meeting people.) |
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| So-so / average (when asked "How are you?") |
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| Bad (when asked, "How are you?") |
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| I'm Bob. / I am Bob. (shorter version of "Watashi wa Bob desu.") |
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| Souvenir gift (not to be confused with simply a "gift". In Japan, an "omiyage" is a type of souvenir that you bring from a different place and can give to someone, and it may be edible, such as a snack.) |
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| Here is a souvenir gift. (In Japan, an "omiyage" is a type of souvenir gift, and it may be edible.) |
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| Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch...! (short version is "Itai" [simply "ouch"] and sometimes "Ita") |
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| Yes? / Huh? (saying "Hai" with raised intonation like a question, will automatically turn it into a question. No "-ka" is needed at the end.) |
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| Menu (for example, in a restaurant) |
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| Order (such as in a restaurant when ordering food) |
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| Long time no see! (polite) |
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| Long time no see! (informal) |
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| See you again / See you later |
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| Go ahead / Here you are / Here you go (example: "May I?" "Dozo." Can also be used when giving someone something, or handing someone something.) |
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Literally, "no no", and is used to mean "It's no problem!" So it's like saying, "No, no, it's no problem!"
Example: "Arigatou gozaimasu!!" "Ieie!" |
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| A sweet, jellied, red bean paste that is a type of Japanese sweet/snack food. |
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| These are American sweets. |
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| (Used to indicate possession. Adding it to the end of a name, or an object, is like using the single quote plus "s" in English. For example, "Bob no" means "Bob's." And "Neko no" means "cat's...." / "the cat's....".) |
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| (You say this when you enter someone's house, to be polite. It's like saying, "Please excuse me".) |
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| Kore wa watashi no ie desu. |
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| (adding it to sentences is like using the English, "is" / "are" / "am". Its meaning is varied, but you usually use it to indicate that something "is" something else.) |
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| Delicious! / Tasty! (when talking about food of course) |
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| (this thankful phrase is very commonly used in Japan, and it is used right before eating a meal. It's like saying, "Thank you for the meal!") |
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| Is....okay? (You can also just say "Daijobu desu ka?" to ask "Are you okay?") |
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| Is meat okay? / Are you okay with meat? |
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| Yes, it is okay. / Yes, I am okay. |
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| (a way of expressing gratitude after eating. It is like the phrase "Itadakimasu" which is used BEFORE eating food to express similar gratitude. You should use "Gochiso-sama deshita" when someone has prepared you a meal to be polite.) |
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| Water is here. (doesn't make sense, but that's literally what it means) |
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| Sumimasen, nanji desu ka? |
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| Excuse me, what time is it? |
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| Really / Truly / Very(Add this to sentences to emphasize something more. For example, "Hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu!", which means "Thank you so very much!") |
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| I'm very sorry / Please do excuse me ("Hontou ni" adds emphasis and makes the sentence meaning stronger. It's like saying "very".) |
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| Humid ("Mushi" means "steaming" and "atsui" means "hot", so it literally means "steaming hot".) |
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| Tokyo wa mushi atsui desu. |
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| (adding "ne" to the end of a sentence is like saying, "Don't you think?" or "Don't you agree?" For example, "Amerika no natsu wa atsui desu, ne?" which means "American summers are hot, don't you think?") |
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| Um.... / Uh.... / Let's see.... |
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| (Agreeing with someone. You say this phrase kind of like the English, "I know right?" Very common in Japan.) |
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| Album (like a photo album) |
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| Kore wa watashi no kazoku no arubamu desu. |
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| This is my family's photo album. |
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| (Used to show when you are listening while someone is talking, kind of like the English, "Ah" or "Uh-huh".) |
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| Older brother (polite term) |
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| Grandmother (polite term) |
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| (A suffix used at the end of someone's name [first, last, or both]. Used to show affection/familiarity.) |
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| What age? / How old? (used by itself to mean "How old are you?") |
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| (A Japanese game similar to the english "Peekaboo" for babies. You cover your face with your hands and say, "Inai inai" and then you uncover your face and say, "Ba!" Similar to saying, "Peeka...boo!") |
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| Man / Male person (example: "Boku wa otoko no hito desu", which means, "I am a man.") |
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| Woman / female person (example: "Watashi wa onna no hito desu," which means, "I am a woman.") |
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| Watashi wa inu ga suki desu. |
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Definition
| I like dogs. (The "watashi wa" is usually omitted since it's obvious that the person is talking about themselves.) |
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| Hate (Usually refers to strong hatred for something. Don't use this for something you only simply "dislike".) |
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| I'm hungry. (polite way to say it) |
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| to have / there is (example: "Kami ga arimasu", which means, "I have paper", and "Supa ga arimasu" which means, "There is a supermarket". The meaning depends on the context in which it is used [making it easier so you don't have to remember two completely different sentences].) |
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| I have time. / There is time. |
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| ("Wa" is a topic marker. It is used to mark something that has already been introduced into the conversation, or is familiar with the speaker/listener. You use it to mark the subject of the sentence, such as "I" ("watashi") or "you" ("anata") and so on.) |
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| Gasorin sutando ga arimasu. |
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| (Adding it directly after a word indicates location/time. It is a particle word, such as "-wa", "-ga", and so on.) |
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| Asoko ni, gasorin sutando ga arimasu. |
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| Over there, there's a gas station. |
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| To be (A verb that is ONLY used for inanimate objects, and NEVER used for living things, such as people and animals. If you need to talk about a living thing, use "imasu" instead.) |
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| Pretty (not to be confused with "kirai", which means to "dislike greatly") |
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| That's a butterfly, isn't it? / Isn't that a butterfly? |
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| That's a dog, isn't it? / Isn't that a dog? |
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| Understood / I understand |
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| Kare wa nihongo ga wakarimasu. |
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| To be (Used ONLY for objects that are alive/living, such as animals and people. If you want talk about something that is an inanimate object, you would use "arimasu" instead.) |
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| Bob wa banana o tabemasu ka? |
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| (Used to mark the object of a sentence; implies that the word directly before it is the recipient of a particular ACTION. For example: "Watashi wa sushi o tabemasu" means "I eat sushi", and the "-o" before "sushi" means that the action of eating is for the sushi.) |
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| (A topic marker, NOT a subject marker. It implies that the word directly before it is basically what the sentence is about. Not WHO the sentence is about, but WHAT. Example: "Watashi wa neko ga suki" which means "I like cats." The "-ga" is after "neko" which is not WHO the sentence is about, but WHAT the sentence is about.) |
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| Helpful tip about the difference between the particles "-ga" and "-wa". Please flip the card if you do not know this tip already. |
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| "Wa" is the SUBJECT marker of a sentence, and you use it directly after WHO you're talking about. (Example: "Watashi wa Bob desu", where "wa" is right after "I", which means the sentence is about bob.) However, "-ga" is not a subject marker, but a TOPIC marker, and you use it directly after what the sentence is ABOUT. Not WHO the sentence is about, but WHAT the sentence is about. (For example: "Watashi wa neko ga suki" which means "I like cats." The "-ga" is after "neko" which is not WHO the sentence is about, but WHAT the sentence is about. The "watashi" has "wa" after it, which is actually WHO the sentence is about.) |
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| Bob wa biru o nomimasu ka? |
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| Bob wa nani o nomimasu ka? |
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| What does Bob drink? / What do you drink, Bob? (depends on if you're directly talking to Bob or not) |
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| Watashi wa orange juice o nomimasu. |
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| I drink orange juice. (More natural, if the person already knows you're talking about yourself.) |
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| Watashi wa Nihon ni ikimasu. |
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| Bob wa America ni ikimasu. |
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| Watashi wa resutoran ni ikimasu. |
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| I'm going to a restaurant. |
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| Please (used when asking for something) |
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| Japanese (the language itself, since "go" means "language") |
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| "Jalapeno" wa Nihongo de nan desu ka? |
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Definition
| What is "Jalapeno" in Japanese? |
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| (Used directly after words to indicate location or time. For example: "Watashi wa nihon ni ikimasu" which means "I'm going to Japan.") |
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(A particle, just like "-wa" and "-ga" and "-ni" and "-o" and so on. "-de" means "is" / "and so" / "in". It's like "in", as in "in English" or "in Japanese". NOT as in "in a room".
What I mean is, the "in" meaning doesn't directly mean "in", as in "I am IN here" or "This is IN that". It means "in" as in "I want to know this word IN English", where the meaning is more vague.
Example of "de":
'Water bottle' wa Nihongo DE nan desu ka? ("What is 'water bottle' IN Japanese?") Therefore, "-de" means "in". |
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