15 Basic Japanese Phrases To Learn

Some time ago, a very wise, gentle, kind soul gave me two good and simple pieces of advice regarding traveling. First: know where you’re traveling. Because not knowing where you are going sounds rough, very rough. Second: know how to connect and communicate with the people around you by learning basic phrases in their language.

I know that the advice seems quite general, but these are two things we often forget while busy preparing for the trip. These nuggets are as important as packing three pairs of socks. Why three? Because three is better than zero pairs. Enough sock talk—please, please just learn these Japanese phrases!

15 Basic Phrases

1. good morning: おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu)
2. good evening: こんばんは (konbanwa)
3. how are you: お元気ですか (ogenki desu ka)
4. nice to meet you: よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu)
5. what time is it: 今何時ですか (ima nanji desu ka)
6. see you later: じゃねえ (jaane)
7. where is the bathroom: トイレはどこですか (toire wa doko desu ka)
8. how much is this: これはいくらですか (kore wa ikura desu ka)
9. what is your name: お名前は (onamae wa)
10. excuse me: すみません (sumimasen)
11. what is this: これはなんですか (kore wa nan desu ka)
12. I’m hungry: お腹が空いてます (onaka ga suite imasu)
13. I haven’t eaten yet: まだ食べていません (mada tabete imasen)
14. let’s drink: 飲みましょう (nomimashou)
15. let’s eat: 食べましょう (tabemashou)