
And it’s awkward when said to strangers (often strangers barely nod and say nothing, anyway). Greeting your friends and family with this phrase every time you see them is a bit strange. 元気ですか ( Genki desu ka: “How are you?”)Īlthough it’s instinct to always greet everyone with “How are you?” in English, it’s not the case in Japanese. So you can change いい to whatever word fits the day, but this is the common greeting. いい ( ii) means “good” and 天気 ( tenki) means weather. Speaking of which… いい天気ですね!( Ii tenki desu ne: “Good weather, huh!”) You follow it with a question, like asking about the weather.

You greet them with this exclamation and their name, followed by the appropriate suffix (“-san” is standard and good to use for most people). _”)Īlthough it may sound strange to speakers in English, greeting someone with “Ah!” like you’re surprised to see someone is most common. But it’s the most standard greeting for hello. It’s used for strangers or formal situations.

This is a formal greeting, and not usually how you greet friends and family. With friends and family, you can shorten it by saying おはよう!( Ohayou, “‘Morning!”) こんにちは ( Konnichiwa: “Hello” or “Good afternoon”) おはようございます! ( Ohayou gozaimasu: “Good morning!”)Ī formal way to greet someone in the morning, you’ll use this with co-workers, strangers, or superiors.
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Want to hear how these words and phrases sound, plus some bonus tips? Watch this video: Japanese Words and Phrases for Beginners: Once you've learned these Japanese words, you’ll sound めっちゃかっこい (meccha kakkoi: “very cool”).Įditor's note: before we get started, if you’re looking for an online Japanese course, here’s the course I actually recommend: Japanese Uncovered – Learn Japanese Through the Power of Story, a course with a fascinating new method. The only difference is kotoba is used to express the plural form “words” and can also mean “phrases.” Tango is used mainly for the singular form, “word.”īelow, I’ll also go over questions, cool Japanese words, and cute Japanese words and expressions to go far in your speaking. So, of course you must know your essential 挨拶 (aisatsu: “greetings”) and basic Japanese words.īy the way, if you’re wondering “How do you say ‘words’ in Japanese,” it’s 単語 ( tango) or 言葉 ( kotoba). Learning some stock phrases and words to fall back on to keep the conversation going or ask questions is the key to relaxing a bit when speaking. These basic Japanese words and phrases helped me start to get to know others in Japanese. Any time you learn a new language, especially one where the writing system is very different, it can become difficult to make the connections between grammar, memorized words, and creating sentences.ĭon’t get too stressed about it, though. It can be a bit intimidating to know where to begin. I found it hard to speak Japanese at first, too. *Learn more: Japanese Grammar Made Easy: A Step-by-Step Guide Getting Started Speaking JapaneseĮven though I speak often now with Japanese language exchange partners, it wasn’t always that way. *Learn more: 101 Core Japanese Words: The Most Commonly Used Words in Japanese Japanese Verbs: Learn more: The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Particles (with Examples) Japanese Nouns: Learn more: Japanese Numbers: Counting in Japanese from 1 – 100+ Time in Japanese:
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Learn more: Japanese Honorifics: How to Show Respect in Japanese Japanese Numbers: Learn more: Japanese Greetings: 17 Ways to Say “Hello” in Japanese Japanese Pronouns:


Japanese Words for Beginners: An Essential List Japanese Greetings: I’ve got your back with this list to help you get started! Whether you are learning Japanese to prepare for travel to Japan, or for a language exchange, it’s a good idea to learn Japanese essential words and phrases to get the ball rolling. ?Īre you ready to start speaking Japanese, right now?Įven if you just thought about learning Japanese today, you can start speaking from Day 1!
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