japanese-greetings - faqjapan.com

Learning Japanese in Japan or the native Language of any country youre planning to visit or live in goes a long way. It enriches your experience, gives you a better insight into the lifestyle and most importantly shows respect to the native people of the country. If youre planning to visit or come and live here, even learning a few basic words or phrases in Japanese goes a long way to demonstrating that youre trying to make an effort.nTruth be told though, English in Japan has come a long way, especially if I compare it to my initial trip over 10 years ago, when I was a naive tourist who spoke very little of the native tongue. It has got a lot better since then, with local shops, train stations, restaurants and more catering for the English speaking tourist, recognising that this could be a continuing source of revenue in the lead up to the Olympics. In saying this, that doesnt mean you shouldnt try to learn the local lingo, and I believe it can truly enrich your experience and your interaction with the Japanese community.nThe most common and easiest phrases, probably some of which you may already know, is to learn is the basic greetings, signs of gratitude and simple words or phrases to express your apologies or make a request.nnnnGreetingsnLets begin with the basic greetings, (Konnichi wa) is the basic greeting of Japan, simply meaning hi or hello. You can basically get away with this phrase as your only greeting if you want to keep things simple. However, the Japanese also use a variety of greetings to distinguish between different times of the day, for example (Ohayo Gozaimasu) means Good Morning and (Konban wa) simply means Good Evening, for any other time of the day the Japanese simply use (Konnichi wa) as the standard greeting.nGratitudenShowing gratitude is also another important aspect of Japanese culture and there are many ways to show this depending on the situation and context. The most basic and one of the more polite forms of thank you is (arigato gozaimasu), of course using just (arigato) is considered fine too, but where possible it is always good to be more polite. If you really want to show your appreciation you can say (domo arigato) or (domo arigato gozaimasu), which means thanks a lot or thank you so much. Another good phrase to know, which you use at the end of a meal or drink is (Gochi-so-sama-desu), which is simply a phrase the Japanese use to show their appreciation for the meal or drink. Most commonly, you will hear this being used in restaurants, bars, cafes and the like. In addition, you may also use it to say thank you to someone who may have paid or prepared your meal, if somebody pays for your meal or cooks for you. Finally, the last phrase that I would recommend learning is (okage-sama-desu), which is a very general phrase of appreciation meaning thanks to you or I really appreciate you.nRequestsnMaking requests in Japanese is another thing you will be doing a lot of in Japan, especially in restaurants, stores, cafes, bars, etc. The first two words which you will probably use most often when making a request are (kudasai) and (onegai-shimasu), basically meaning please or the equivalent in English. For example, (biiru-o-kudasai) means please give me a beer or (hotto-koohii-onegai-shimasu) means simply hot coffee please. Of course, things can get a little complicated when you start counting objects too. To start with the basics, the most common counters to use in any scenario are the following (hitotsu) meaning 1, (futatsu) meaning 2, (mitsu) meaning 3, (yotsu) meaning 4, (itsutsu) meaning 5 and so on.nMiscellaneousnFinally, here are some miscellaneous phrases that will also come in handy during your stay. (dou-itashimashite) means Youre welcome, for when someone says thank you to you. (irashai-mase) is a greeting you will hear in many types of stores, restaurants, convenience stores, cafes, and the like, and is a phrase that basically means welcome or please look around. (sumimasen) is a very versatile phrase and can be used as an apology, to excuse yourself or just to get someones attention, especially staff in a restaurant. In Japanese, they also have a word specifically for sorry which is (gomen-nasai), which is also another common way to apologise.nSo, now that you are armed with these new words and phrases, you should see your communication and hopefully, your experience go a little smoother during your stay in Japan. Happy Practicing nList of words/phrases below, we also an accompanying YouTube video available here:nGreetings:n (Konnichi wa) Hi/Hellon (Ohayo Gozaimasu) Good Morningn (Konban wa) Good EveningnGratitude:n (arigato) Thanksn (arigato gozaimasu) Thank youn (domo arigato) Thanks a lotn (domo arigato gozaimasu) Thank you very muchn (Gochi-so-sama-desu) Thank you for the meal/beveragen (okage-sama-desu) Thanks to younRequests:n~ (kudasai) Please ~n ~ (onegai-shimasu) Please ~n (biiru-o-kudasai) Please give me a beern (hotto-koohii-onegai-shimasu) Hot Coffee, pleasenCounters:n (hitotsu) 1n (futatsu) 2n (mitsu) 3n (yotsu) 4n (itsutsu) 5nGeneral Useful Phrases:n (dou-itashimashite) Youre Welcomen (irashai-mase) Welcome (to my store)n (sumimasen) Excuse me/Im sorryn (gomen-nasai) Im sorry

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