5 Japanese Survival Phrases

5 Japanese Survival Phrases

To start, it is certainly important to know some basic words in Japanese that can be very useful!
1. すみません
“Sumimasen”, that means “Excuse me” but also used to apologize (I’m sorry) and to thank someone, depending on the context!

2. ありがとう
Don’t forget manners are very important in Japan. “Arigatō” is how you say “thank you”, and if you want to be extra polite to the person you are saying it to, just add “gozaimasu”, and say “arigatō gozaimasu”.

3. えいごを話せますか？
“Eigo o hanasemasu ka?” Do you speak english? If you can’t manage to explain yourself in Japanese just remember this phrase! (But keep in mind that most Japanese do not speak English well or are unwilling to speak it).

4. わかりません
“Wakarimasen”. “I don’t understand”. If you want to say that you do understand, just change the “-masen” to “-masu”, and say “Wakarimasu”.

5. もっとゆっくり話してください。
For those moments when you’re Japanese is so good that they start speaking to you at lightning speed. Literally “more – slowly – speak – please”.

Related Post:
655 JLPT N5 Vocabulary
Bowing culture of the Japanese in communication