Japanese Phrase Book                                                                          Learn Japanese Download Contents

• Grammar
• Reading and writing
• Pronunciation guide
  • Vowels
  • Consonants
  • Particles
  • Accent and intonation
• Phrase list
  • Basics
  • Problems
  • Medical Problems
    • In an emergency
    • Explaining symptoms
  • Numbers
  • Time
    • Clock time
    • Duration
    • Days
    • Days of the Month
    • Months
    • Seasons
    • Writing time and date
  • Colors
  • Transportation
    • Bus and train
    • Directions
    • Taxi
  • Lodging
  • Money
  • Eating
  • On the phone
  • Bars
  • Shopping
  • Family
    • Talking about your own family
    • Talking about another’s family
  • Driving
  • Authority
  • Offensive Language

Japanese ( 日本語 nihongo ) is spoken in Japan , and essentially nowhere else. The language is distinct from Chinese and Korean , although the written form uses Chinese ( kanji ) characters, and is not known to be related to any other language. Grammar Japanese grammar is very modular and flexible, but generally employs a subject-object-verb order, using particles to mark the grammatical functions of the words: 私がハンバーガーを食べる。 watashi-ga hamb?g?-o taberu , “I- [subject-marker] hamburger- [object-marker] eat”. The same sentence can be put this way as well: ハンバーガーを食べる、私が。 hamb?g?-o taberu, watashi-ga . If it is clear what is being spoken about from the context, the subject and/or object are often omitted. Hence ハンバーガーを食べる。 hamb?g?-o taberu , “eating hamburger” can be a perfectly valid sentence. The position of a word within a sentence often has little to no influence to the meaning of the sentence, the relationship between a word and the particle(s) following it is usually more important. Therefore at least some basic travellers’ Japanese can be picked up with relative ease. Additionally to the above mentioned subject/object markers some useful particles are: から kara , “from” – 東京から T?ky?-kara , “from Tokyo” へ e , “to/in the direction of” – 大阪へ ?saka-e , “towards Osaka” まで made , “until” – 大阪まで ?saka-made , “until Osaka” note the difference: I’m riding on the train to Osaka ( e ), but I’m only going to Nara ( made ) で／に de/ni , “at” – although there are many exceptions to this rule, it’s generally: で de , “at a place” – 新宿で会う Shinjuku-de au , “meeting in Shinjuku” に ni , “at a time” – ２時に会う 2ji-ni au , “meeting at 2 o’clock” の no , possessive marker – の no works much like the English “of”, just “backwards”: 千葉の浜 Chiba-no hama , “the beach(es) of Chiba” 私のテレビ watashi-no terebi , “the television of me/my TV” There is no verb “to be” as such. For expressions like “I am …” or “This is …” it is technically sufficient to state the subject or object in question and colloquially this is often what is done. Without sufficient knowledge of the Japanese language and culture one should generally add the polite copula desu though to make the sentence more complete: ジョンです John desu (“I am John”), りんごです ringo desu (“This is an apple”), 赤いです akai desu (“It is red”), etc. Note that since there is no subject given the exact meaning of the above examples depends heavily on context, since all they actually express is “[I am/this is/somebody is] John”, “[this is/something is/…] Apple” etc. The good news is that Japanese has none of the following: gender, declensions or plurals. Nouns never conjugate, almost all verbs are regular and verbs and adjectives conjugate by tense and politeness level. The English sentences “These are apples” and “This is an apple” are both りんごです ringo desu in Japanese. To express singulars or plurals one needs to be more specific: りんご１個です ringo 1-ko desu ／りんご２個です ringo 2-ko desu “This is one apple”/”These are two apples”. On the other hand, ジョンでございます John de gozaimasu and ジョンです John desu are both “I am John” in English. The difference lies in the level of politeness, with the former example being more polite. This (culturally very important) politeness system may pose a problem to travellers, since even basic inquiries for e.g. train times will usually be answered in polite, convoluted Japanese. Reading and writing Reading and writing Japanese are advanced skills which take years of work to gain much real proficiency. Japanese themselves use three different writing systems of various complexity, two of which ( hiragana and katakana ) are syllabic and relatively easy to learn with 46 characters each. The set of hiragana characters is illustrated below. The clincher is the set of Chinese characters known as kanji , roughly 2000 of which are in daily use while many more exist. Kanji originated as pictures, where each character originally represented a meaning, idea or concept, not a sound as in English. Even though kanji have since evolved dramatically and many have long since jettisoned any connection to the original concept, the meaning of some simple kanji can still be easily guessed at (see below). The difficulty in reading Japanese lies often in the fact that there is not one single pronunciation associated with a kanji. The kanji 人 for example represents a person, and by itself it may be pronounced hito . The kanji 大 represents the idea of something big (imagine a person with outstretched arms) and can be pronounced as dai or ? . Together they form the word 大人 otona , “adult” (lit. big person ). In the word 外国人 gaikokujin (“foreigner”, lit. outside country person ) the same kanji is pronounced jin . The change in pronunciation exists because in spoken Japanese words are largely distinct, just as they are in English, but the idea of the word can be expressed in writing by combination of already existing kanji. Pronunciation guide Japanese is not a tonal language like Chinese or Thai, and is comparatively easy to pronounce. Vowels Japanese has both short and long vowels and the distinction is often important. In romanized Japanese, long vowels are marked with a macron, so that ? represents “long O”. Hiragana characters ( ひらがな ) a あ / ア like ‘a’ in “f a ther” I い / イ like ‘i’ in “mach i ne” u う / ウ like ‘oo’ in “h oo p” e え / エ like ‘e’ in “s e t” o お / オ like ‘o’ in “r o pe” n ん / ン short ‘n’ at the end of a syllable, pronounced as ‘m’ before ‘b’, ‘p’ or ‘m’. Note that “u” is often weak at the end of syllables. In particular, the common endings -desu and -masu are usually pronounced as “des'” and “mas'” respectively. Consonants k かきくけこ / カキクケコ like ‘k’ in “king” g がぎぐげご / ガギグゲゴ like ‘g’ in “go” s さ　すせそ / サ　スセソ like ‘s’ in “sit” z ざ　ずぜぞ / ザ　ズゼゾ like ‘z’ in “haze” t た　　てと / タ　　テト like ‘t’ in “top” d だ　　でど / ダ　　デド like ‘d’ in “dog” n なにぬねの / ナニヌネノ like ‘n’ in “nice” h はひ　へほ / ハヒヘホ like ‘h’ in “help” p ぱぴぷぺぽ / パピプペポ like ‘p’ in “pig” b ばびぶべぼ / バビブベボ like ‘b’ in “bed” m まみむめも / マミムメモ like ‘m’ in “mother” y や　ゆ　よ / ヤ　ユ　ヨ like ‘y’ in “yard” r らりるれろ / ラリルレロ like ‘r’ in “row” (actually a sound between ‘l’ and ‘r’, but closer to ‘r’) w わ　　　　 / ワ like ‘w’ in “wall” sh し / シ (s before i) like ‘sh’ in “sheep” j じ / ジ (d before i) like ‘j’ in “jar” ch ち / チ (t before i) like ‘ch’ in “touch” ts つ / ツ (t before u) like ‘ts’ in “hot soup” f ふ / フ (h before u) like ‘wh’ in “who” Particles Japanese uses certain hiragana characters as particles which mark the grammatical function of a word or phrase in a sentence. Some hiragana are pronounced differently when used as a particle: は (topic marker) is pronounced wa , also in こんにちは (kon’nichiwa) へ (direction marker) is pronounced e の (possessive marker) is pronounced no Accent and intonation Avoid placing too much emphasis on particular words or syllables. Japanese does have stress and intonation, but it is significantly flatter than English. Mastering word stress is a more advanced topic and neglecting it at this point should not interfere with meaning. Just trying to keep your intonation relatively flat will make your attempts to speak Japanese more comprehensible to local listeners. When asking questions, you can raise the tone at the end, as in English. Phrase list Common signs 営業中 Open 準備中 Closed 入口 Entrance 出口 Exit 大・中・小 Big / Middle / Small 押 Push 引 Pull お手洗い Toilet 男 Men 女 Women 禁止 Forbidden / Prohibited Basics Hello. こんにちは。　 Konnichiwa. ( kon-nee-chee-WAH ) How are you? お元気ですか。　 O-genki desu ka? ( oh-GEN-kee dess-KAH? ) Fine, thank you. 元気です。　 Genki desu. ( GEN-kee dess ) How about you? あなたは。　 Anata wa? ( an-ATA wa ) What is your name? お名前は何ですか。 O-namae wa nan desu ka? ( oh-NAH-mah-eh wah NAHN dess-KAH? ) My name is ____ . ____ です。 ____ desu. ( ____ dess ) Nice to meet you. 始めまして。　 Hajimemashite. ( hah-jee-meh-MASH-teh ) Please. (request) お願いします。　 Onegai shimasu. ( oh-neh-gigh shee-moss ) Please. (offer) どうぞ。 D?zo. ( DOH-zo ) This person (used when introducing somebody) こちら。 Kochira. ( ko-chi-ra ) Thank you. (formal) どうもありがとうございます。 D?mo arigat? gozaimasu. ( doh-moh ah-ree-GAH-toh go-ZIGH-moss ) Thank you. (informal) どうも。 D?mo. ( doh-moh ) You’re welcome. どういたしまして。 D? itashi mashite. ( doh EE-tah-shee mosh-teh ) Yes. はい。 Hai. ( HIGH ) No. いいえ。 Iie. ( EE-eh ) Excuse me. すみません。 Sumimasen. ( soo-mee-mah-sen ) I’m sorry. 御免なさい。 Gomen-nasai. ( goh-men-nah-sigh ) Goodbye. (long-term) さようなら。 Say?nara. ( sa-YOH-nah-rah ) Goodbye. ( informal ) それでは。 Sore dewa. ( SOH-reh deh-wah ) I can’t speak Japanese [well]. 日本語が「よく」話せません。 Nihongo ga [yoku] hanasemasen. ( nee-hohn-goh gah [yo-koo] hah-nah-seh-mah-sen ) Do you speak Japanese? 日本語が話せますか。 Nihongo ga hanasemasuka. ( ni-HON-go gah hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH? ) Yes, a little. はい、少し。 Hai, sukoshi. ( HIGH sko-shee ) Do you speak English? 英語が話せますか。 Eigo ga hanasemasuka? ( AY-goh gah hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH? ) Is there someone here who speaks English? だれか英語が話せますか。 Dareka eigo ga hanasemasuka? ( dah-reh-kah AY-goh gah hah-nah-seh-moss-KAH? ) Please speak slowly. ゆっくり話してください。 Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. ( YOU-cury hanash-te kud-asaee ) Please say it again. もう一度言ってください。 Mou ichido itte kudasai. ( mo ICHI-doh eete kud-asaee ) Help! たすけて ! Tasukete! ( tahs-keh-teh! ) Look out! あぶない ! Abunai! ( ah-boo-NIGH! ) Good morning. おはようございます。 Ohay? gozaimasu. ( oh-hah-YOH go-zigh-moss ) Good evening. こんばんは。 Konbanwa. ( kohm-bahn-wah ) Good night ( to sleep ) おやすみなさい。 Oyasuminasai. ( oh-yah-soo-mee-nah-sigh ) I don’t understand. わかりません。 Wakarimasen. ( wah-kah-ree-mah-sen ) I am not Japanese. 日本人じゃありません。 Nihon-jin ja arimasen. ( nee-hon-jin ja a-ree-ma-sen ) Where is the toilet? トイレはどこですか。 Toire wa doko desu ka? ( toy-reh wah DOH-koh dess kah? ) What? なに。 Nani? ( nan-ee ) Where? どこ。 Doko? ( do-koh ) Who? だれ。 Dare? ( da-reh ) When? いつ。 Itsu? ( it-soo ) Which? どれ。 Dore? ( do-reh ) How Much? いくら。 Ikura? ( ee-koo-ra ) Problems What part of “no” don’t you understand? The Japanese are famously reluctant to say the word “no”, and in fact the language’s closest equivalent, いいえ iie , is largely limited to denying compliments you have received. (“Your Japanese is excellent! ” Iie , it is very bad!”). But there are numerous other ways of expressing “no”, so here are a few to watch out for. いいです。 結構です。 Ii desu. Kekk? desu. “It’s good/excellent.” Used when you don’t want more beer, don’t want your bent? lunch microwaved, and generally are happy to keep things as they are. Accompany with teeth-sucking and handwaving to be sure to get your point across – both of these expressions may be interpreted as positive responses if you don’t include enough nonverbal indications to the contrary. ちょっと難しいです･･･ Chotto muzukashii desu… Literally “it’s a little difficult”, but in practice “it’s completely impossible.” Often just abbreviated to sucking in air through teeth, saying “chotto” and looking pained. Take the hint. 申し訳ないですけど･･･ M?shiwakenai desukedo… “This is inexcusable but…” But no. Used by sales clerks and such to tell you that you cannot do or have something. 駄目です。 Dame desu. “It’s no good.” Used by equals and superiors to tell you that you cannot do or have something. The Kansai equivalent is akan . 違います。 Chigaimasu. “It is different.” What they really mean is “you’re wrong”. The casual form chigau and the Kansai contraction chau are also much used. Leave me alone. ほっといて。 ( hottoite. ) Don’t touch me! さわらないで ! ( sawaranaide! ) I’ll call the police. 警察をよびます。 ( keisatsu o yobimasu ) Police! 警察 ! ( keisatsu ) Stop! Thief! 待て ! どろぼう ! ( mate! dorob?! ) I need your help. たすけてください。 ( tasukete kudasai ) It’s an emergency. 緊急です。 ( kinky? desu ) I’m lost. 迷子です。 ( maigo desu ) I lost my bag. かばんをなくしました。 ( kaban o nakushimashita ) I dropped my wallet. 財布をおとしました。 ( saifu o otoshimashita ) I’m sick. 病気です。 ( by?ki desu ) I don’t feel well. 気分がわるいです。　 ( kibun ga warui desu ) I’ve been injured. けがしました。 ( kega shimashita ) Please call a doctor. 医者を呼んでください。 ( isha o yonde kudasai ) Can I use your phone? 電話を使って も いいですか ? ( denwa o tsukatte mo iidesuka ) Medical Problems In an emergency I need a doctor. お医者さんに見てもらいたいです。 ( oisha-san ni mite moraitai desu ) I need a doctor who can speak English. 英語の出来るお医者さんはいますか？ ( eigo no dekiru oisha-san wa imasu ka. ) Please take me to a doctor. お医者さんに連れて行って下さい。 ( oisha san ni tsurete itte kudasai ) My wife/husband/child is sick. 妻 / 主人 / 子供が病気です。 ( tsuma/shujin/kodomo ga by?ki desu ) Please call an ambulance. 救急車を呼んで下さい。 ( ky?ky?sha o yonde kudasai. ) I need first aid. 応急手当をして下さい。 ( ?ky? teate o shite kudasai ) I need to go to the emergency room. 救急室にいかなければなりません。 ( ky?ky?shitsu ni ikanakereba narimasen ) How long will it take to get better? 治るまでどの位かかりますか？ ( naoru made dono kurai kakarimasu ka? ) Where is the pharmacy? 薬局はどこですか？ ( yakkyoku wa doko desu ka? ) I’m allergic to _____. 私は _____ アレルギーです。 ( watashi wa _____ arerugii desu ) …antibiotics 抗生物質 ( k?sei busshitsu ) …aspirin アスピリン ( asupirin ) …codeine コデイン ( kodein ) …dairy products 乳製品 ( nyuuseihin ) …food coloring 人工着色料 ( jink? chakushokury? ) …MSG 味の素 ( ajinomoto ) …penicillin ペニシリン ( penishirin ) …pollen 花粉 ( kafun ) Explaining symptoms Body parts head 頭 ( atama ) face 顔 ( kao ) eyes 目 ( me ) nose 鼻 ( hana ) throat 喉 ( nodo ) chin 顎 ( ago ) neck 首 ( kubi ) shoulders 肩 ( kata ) chest 胸 ( mune ) waist 腰 ( koshi ) arms 腕 ( ude ) wrists 手首 ( tekubi ) fingers 指 ( yubi ) hands 手 ( te ) elbow 肘 ( hiji ) buttocks お尻 ( oshiri ) thigh 腿 ( momo ) knee 膝 ( hiza ) legs, foot 足 ( ashi ) My _____ hurts. _____ が痛い。 ( _____ ga itai ) I have a fever. 熱があります。 ( Netsu ga arimasu ) I cough a lot. 咳がでます。 ( Seki ga demasu ) I feel listless. 体がだるい。 ( Karada ga darui ) I feel nauseated. 吐き気がします。 ( Hakike ga shimasu ) I feel dizzy. めまいがします。 ( Memai ga shimasu ) I have the chills. 寒気がします。 ( Samuke ga shimasu ) I swallowed something. 何かを呑んでしまいました。 ( Nanika o nonde shimaimashita ) I am bleeding. 出血です。 ( Shukketsu desu ) I broke a bone. 骨折です。 ( Kossetsu desu ) He/ She is unconscious. 意識不明です。 ( Ishiki fumei desu ) I burned myself. 火傷です。 ( Yakedo desu ) He/ She cannot breath. 呼吸困難です。 ( Koky? konnan desu ) He/ She had a heart attack. 心臓発作です。 ( Shinz? hossa desu ) My vision is worse. 視力が落ちました。 ( Shiryokuga ochimashita ) I can’t hear well. 耳が良く聴こえません。 ( Mimi ga yoku kikoemasen ) My nose bleeds a lot. 鼻血が良くでます。 ( Hanaji ga yoku demasu ) Numbers While Arabic (Western) numerals are employed for most uses in Japan , you will occasionally still spot Japanese numerals at eg. markets and the menus of fancy restaurants. The characters used are nearly identical to Chinese numerals, and like Chinese , Japanese uses groups of 4 digits, not 3. “One million” is thus 百万 ( hyaku-man ), literally “hundred ten-thousands”. There are both Japanese and Chinese readings for most numbers, but presented below are the more commonly used Chinese readings. Note that, due to superstition ( shi also means “death”), 4 and 7 typically use the Japanese readings yon and nana instead. Down for the count When counting objects, Japanese uses special counter words. For example, “two beers” is biiru nihon ( ビール２本 ), where ni is “two” and -hon means “bottles”. Alas, the list of possible counters is vast, but some useful ones include: small roundish objects (apples, sweets) 個 -ko people 人 -nin , 名様 -meisama (polite) flat objects (papers, tickets) 枚 -mai long objects (bottles, pens) 本 -hon, -bon, -pon cups, glasses 杯 -hai, -bai, -pai nights of a stay 泊 -haku, -paku Note how many counters change form depending on the previous number: one, two, three glasses are ippai , nihai , sanbai respectively. You’ll still be understood if you get these wrong though. For numbers from one to ten, an old counting system is often used which applies to virtually any object you may want to count, without the need to attach a specific counter: • 一つ hitotsu • 二つ futatsu • 三つ mittsu • 四つ yottsu • 五つ itsutsu • 六つ muttsu • 七つ nanatsu • 八つ yattsu • 九つ kokonotsu 10 十 t? It is always a good idea to use a specific counter whenever possible, but using the generic numbers above is often equally acceptable. This system is rarely used anymore for numbers greater than ten. 0 〇 , 零 ( zero or rei ) 1 一 ( ichi ) 2 二 ( ni ) 3 三 ( san ) 4 四 ( yon or shi ) 5 五 ( go ) 6 六 ( roku ) 7 七 ( nana or shichi ) 8 八 ( hachi ) 9 九 ( ky? ) 10 十 ( j? ) 11 十一 ( j?-ichi ) 12 十二 ( j?-ni ) 13 十三 ( j?-san ) 14 十四 ( j?-yon ) 15 十五 ( j?-go ) 16 十六 ( j?-roku ) 17 十七 ( j?-nana ) 18 十八 ( j?-hachi ) 19 十九 ( j?-kyuu ) 20 二十 ( ni-j? ) 21 二十一 ( ni-j?-ichi ) 22 二十二 ( ni-j?-ni ) 23 二十三 ( ni-j?-san ) 30 三十 ( san-j? ) 40 四十 ( yon-j? ) 50 五十 ( go-j? ) 60 六十 ( ro-ku-j? ) 70 七十 ( nana-j? ) 80 八十 ( hachi-j? ) 90 九十 ( ky?-j? ) 100 百 ( hyaku ) 200 二百 ( ni-hyaku ) 300 三百 ( san-byaku ) 1000 千 ( sen ) 2000 二千 ( ni-sen ) 10,000 一万 ( ichi-man ) 1,000,000 百万 ( hyaku-man ) 100,000,000 一億 ( ichi-oku ) 1,000,000,000,000 一兆 ( itch? ) 0.5 〇・五 ( rei ten go ) 0.56 〇・五六 ( rei ten g?-roku ) number _____ ( train, bus, etc. ) _____ 番 ( ____ ban ) half 半分 ( hanbun ) less (few) 少ない ( sukunai ) more (many) 多い ( ooi ) Time now 今 ( ima ) later 後で ( atode ) before 前に ( mae ni ) before __ ___ の前に ( ___ no mae ni ) morning 朝 ( asa ) afternoon 午後 ( gogo ) evening 夕方 ( y?gata ) night 夜 ( yoru ) Clock time For clock times, you will be understood if you simply substitute gozen 午前 for “AM” and gogo 午後 for PM, although other time qualifiers like 朝 asa for morning and 夜 yoru for night may be more natural. The 24-hour clock is also commonly used in official contexts such as train schedules. TV schedules occasionally use a modified 24-hour clock, with late night showtimes counted from the previous day, e.g. Monday at 26:00 indicates Tuesday at 2:00 AM. six o’clock AM 朝 6 時 ( asa rokuji ) nine o’clock AM 午前 9 時 ( gozen kuji ) noon 正午 ( sh?go ) one o’clock PM 午後 1 時 ( gogo ichiji. ) two o’clock PM 午後 2 時 ( gogo niji ) midnight 夜 12 時 ( yoru j?niji ), 零時 ( reiji ) Duration _____ minute(s) _____ 分 ( fun or pun ) _____ hour(s) _____ 時間 ( jikan ) _____ day(s) _____ 日 ( nichi ) _____ week(s) _____ 週間 ( sh?kan ) _____ month(s) _____ か 月 ( kagetsu ) _____ year(s) _____ 年 ( nen ) Days today 今日 ( ky? ) yesterday 昨日 ( kin? ) tomorrow 明日 ( ashita ) this week 今週 ( konsh? ) last week 先週 ( sensh? ) next week 来週 ( raish? ) Sunday 日曜日 ( nichiy?bi ) Monday 月曜日 ( getsuy?bi ) Tuesday 火曜日 ( kay?bi ) Wednesday 水曜日 ( suiy?bi ) Thursday 木曜日 ( mokuy?bi ) Friday 金曜日 ( kin’y?bi ) Saturday 土曜日 ( doy?bi ) Days of the Month The 1st through the 10th of the month have special names: First day of the month 1 日 ( tsuitachi ) Second day of the month 2 日 ( futsuka ) Third day of the month 3 日 ( mikka ) Fourth day of the month 4 日 ( yokka ) Fifth day of the month 5 日 ( itsuka ) Sixth day of the month 6 日 ( muika ) Seventh day of the month 7 日 ( nanoka ) Eighth day of the month 8 日 ( y?ka ) Ninth day of the month 9 日 ( kokonoka ) Tenth day of the month 10 日 ( t?ka ) The other days of the month are more orderly, just add the suffix -nichi to the ordinal number. Note that 14, 20, and 24 deviate from this pattern. Eleventh day of the month 11 日 ( j?ichinichi ) Fourteenth day of the month 14 日 ( j?yokka ) Twentieth day of the month 20 日 ( hatsuka ) Twenty-fourth day of the month 24 日 ( nij?yokka ) Months Months are very orderly in Japanese, just add the suffix -gatsu to the ordinal number. January １月 ( ichigatsu ) February ２月 ( nigatsu ) March ３月 ( sangatsu ) April ４月 ( shigatsu ) May ５月 ( gogatsu ) June ６月 ( rokugatsu ) July ７月 ( shichigatsu ) August ８月 ( hachigatsu ) September ９月 ( kugatsu ) October １０月 ( j?gatsu ) November １１月 ( j?ichigatsu ) December １２月 ( j?nigatsu ) Seasons Spring 春 ( haru ) Summer 夏 ( natsu ) Autumn 秋 ( aki ) Winter 冬 ( fuyu ) Writing time and date Dates are written in year/month/day (day of week) format, with markers: 2007 年 3 月 21 日 ( 火 ) Note that Imperial era years , based on the name and duration of the current Emperor’s reign, are also frequently used. 2007 in the Gregorian calendar corresponds to Heisei 19 ( 平成 19 年 ), which may be abbreviated as “H19”. Dates like “19/03/24” (March 24, Heisei 19) are also occasionally seen. Colors Many of the English words for colors are widely used and understood by almost all Japanese. These are indicated after the slash. Note that some Japanese colors are normally suffixed with -iro ( 色 ) to distinguish between the color and the object. For example, 茶 cha means “tea”, but 茶色 chairo means “tea-color” → “brown”. black 黒 / ブラック ( kuro / burakku ) white 白 / ホワイト ( shiro / howaito ) gray 灰 ( 色 ) / グレー ( hai(iro) / gur? ) red 赤 / レッド ( aka / reddo ) blue 青 / ブルー ( ao / bur? ) yellow 黄 ( 色 ) / イエロー ( ki(iro) / ier? ) green 緑 / グリーン ( midori / guriin ) orange 橙 / オレンジ ( daidai / orenji ) purple 紫 / パープル ( murasaki / p?puru ) brown 茶 ( 色 ) / ブラウン ( cha(iro) / buraun ) Transportation Bus and train How much is a ticket to _____? _____ までいくらですか ( _____ made ikura desu ka? ) One ticket to _____, please. _____ まで一枚お願いします ( _____ made ichimai onegaishimasu ) Where does this train/bus go? この [ 電車 / バス ] はどこ行きですか ( kono densha/basu wa doko yuki desuka? ) Where is the train/bus to _____? _____ 行きの [ 電車 / バス ] はどこですか ? ( _____ yuki no densha/basu wa doko desuka? ) Does this train/bus stop in _____? この [ 電車 / バス ] は _____ に止まりますか ( kono densha/basu wa _____ ni tomarimasuka? ) When does the train/bus for _____ leave? _____ 行きの [ 電車 / バス ] は何時に出発しますか ( _____ yuki no densha/basu wa nanji ni shuppatsu shimasuka? ) When will this train/bus arrive in _____? この [ 電車 / バス ] は何時に _____ に着きます ? ( kono densha/basu wa nanji ni _____ ni tsukimasuka? ) Directions How do I get to _____ ? _____ はどちらですか ? ( _____ wa dochira desu ka? ) …the train station? 駅 … ( eki… ) …the bus station? バス停 … ( basu tei.. ) …the airport? 空港 … ( k?k?… ) …downtown? 街の中心 … ( machi no ch?shin… ) …the youth hostel? ユース・ホステル … ( y?su hosuteru… ) …the _____ hotel? _____ ホテル … ( hoteru… ) …the _____ embassy/consulate? _____ 大使館 / 領事館 … ( _____ taishikan/ry?jikan… ) Where are there a lot of _____ _____ が多い所はどこですか ? ( _____ga ooi tokoro wa doko desuka? ) …lodgings? 宿 … ( yado… ) …restaurants? レストラン … ( resutoran… ) …bars? バー … ( baa ) …sites to see? 見物 … ( mimono… ) Where is _____? _____ はどこですか。 ( _____ wa doko desuka. ) Is it far from here? ここから遠いですか。 ( Koko kara tooi desu ka. ) Please show me on the map. 地図で指して下さい。 ( chizu de sashite kudasai ) street 道 ( michi ) Turn left. 左へ曲がってください。 ( Hidari e magatte kudasai. ) Turn right. 右へ曲がってください。 ( Migi e magatte kudasai. ) left 左 ( hidari ) right 右 ( migi ) straight ahead まっすぐ ( massugu ) towards the _____ _____ へ向かって ( e mukatte ) past the _____ _____ の先 ( no saki ) before the _____ _____ の前 ( no mae ) Watch for the _____. _____ が目印です。 ( ga mejirushi desu ) intersection 交差点 ( k?saten ) north 北 ( kita ) south 南 ( minami ) east 東 ( higashi ) west 西 ( nishi ) uphill 上り ( nobori ), also used for trains heading towards Tokyo downhill 下り ( kudari ), also used for trains coming from Tokyo Taxi Taxi! タクシー ! ( Taxi! ) Take me to _____, please. _____ までお願いします。 ( _____ made onegai shimasu. ) How much does it cost to get to _____? _____ までいくらですか ? ( _____ made ikura desuka ) Take me there, please. そこまでお願いします。 ( soko made onegai shimasu. ) Lodging Do you have any rooms available? 空いてる部屋ありますか ? ( Aiteru heya arimasuka? ) How much is a room for one person/two people? 一人 / 二人用の部屋はいくらですか ? ( Hitori/futari-y? no heya wa ikura desuka? ) Is the room Japanese/Western style? 和室 / 洋室ですか？ ( Washitsu/y?shitsu desuka? ) Does the room come with… 部屋は … 付きですか ? ( Heya wa ___ tsuki desuka? ) …bedsheets? ベッドのシーツ … ( beddo no shiitsu… ) …a bathroom? 風呂場 ( furoba… ) …a telephone? 電話 ( denwa… ) …a TV? テレビ ? ( terebi… ) May I see the room first? 部屋を見てもいいですか ? ( heya o mitemo ii desuka? ) Do you have anything quieter? もっと [ 静かな ] 部屋ありますか ? ( motto [shizukana] heya arimasuka? ) …bigger? 広い ( hiroi ) …cleaner? きれいな ( kirei na ) …cheaper? 安い ( yasui ) OK, I’ll take it. はい、これで良いです。 ( hai, kore de ii desu. ) I will stay for _____ night(s). _____ 晩泊まります。 ( ____ ban tomarimasu. ) Do you know another place to stay? 他の宿はご存知ですか ? ( hoka no yado wa gozonji desuka? ) Do you have [a safe?] [ 金庫 ] ありますか ? ( [kinko] arimasuka? ) …lockers? … ロッカー ? ( rokkaa (locker) ) Is breakfast/supper included? 朝食 / 夕食は付きますか ? ( ch?shoku/y?shoku wa tsukimasuka? ) What time is breakfast/supper? 朝食 / 夕食は何時ですか ? ( ch?shoku/y?shoku wa nanji desuka? ) Please clean my room. 部屋を掃除してください。 ( heya o s?ji shite kudasai ) Please wake me at _____. _____ に起こしてください。 ( ____ ni okoshite kudasai. ) I want to check out. チェックアウトです。 ( chekku auto (check out) desu. ) Money Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? アメリカ / オーストラリア / カナダドルは使えますか ( Amerika/?sutoraria/kanada doru wa tsukae masuka? ) Do you accept British pounds? イギリスポンドは使えますか？ ( igirisu pondo wa tsukaemasuka? ) Do you accept credit cards? クレジットカードは使えますか？ ( kurejitto kaado (credit card) wa tsukaemasuka? ) Can you change money for me? お金両替できますか？ ( okane ry?gae dekimasuka? ) Where can I get money changed? お金はどこで両替できますか？ ( okane wa doko de ry?gae dekimasuka? ) Can you change a traveler’s check for me? トラベラーズ・チェック両替できますか？ ( (traveler’s check) ry?gae dekimasuka? ) Where can I get a traveler’s check changed? トラベラーズ・チェックはどこで両替できますか？ ( (traveler’s check) wa doko de ry?gae dekimasuka? ) What is the exchange rate? 為替レートはいくらですか？ ( kawase reeto wa ikura desu ka? ) Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? ATM はどこにありますか？ ( ATM wa doko ni arimasuka? ) Eating A table for one person/two people, please. 一人 / 二人です。 ( hitori/futari desu ) Please bring a menu. メニューを下さい。 ( menu o kudasai. ) Can I look in the kitchen? 調理場を見てもいいですか？ ( ch?riba o mite mo ii desu ka? ) Is there a house specialty? お勧めはありますか？ ( O-susume wa arimasuka? ) Is there a local specialty? この辺の名物はありますか？ ( Kono hen no meibutsu wa arimasuka? ) Please choose for me. お任せします。 ( O-makase shimasu. ) I’m a vegetarian. ベジタリアンです。 ( Bejitarian desu. ) I don’t eat pork. 豚肉はだめです。 ( Butaniku wa dame desu. ) I don’t eat beef. 牛肉はだめです。 ( Gy?niku wa dame desu. ) I don’t eat raw fish. 生の魚はだめです。 ( Nama no sakana wa dame desu. ) Please do not use too much oil. 油を控えて下さい。 ( Abura o hikaete kudasai. ) fixed-price meal 定食 ( teishoku ) a la carte 一品料理 ( ippinry?ri ) breakfast 朝食 ( ch?shoku ) lunch 昼食 ( ch?shoku ) light meal/snack 軽食 ( keishoku ) supper 夕食 ( y?shoku ) Please bring _____. _____ を下さい。 ( _____ o kudasai. ) I want a dish containing _____. _____ が入ってるものを下さい。 ( ____ ga haitteru mono o kudasai. ) chicken 鶏肉 ( toriniku ) beef 牛肉 ( gy?niku ) fish 魚 ( sakana ) ham ハム ( hamu ) sausage ソーセージ ( s?seeji ) cheese チーズ ( chiizu ) eggs 卵 ( tamago ) salad サラダ ( sarada ) (fresh) vegetables ( 生 ) 野菜 ( (nama) yasai ) (fresh) fruit ( 生 ) 果物 ( (nama) kudamono ) bread パン ( pan ) toast トースト ( t?suto ) noodles 麺類 ( menrui ) pasta パスタ ( pasta ) rice ご飯 ( gohan ) beans 豆 ( mame ) May I have a glass/cup of _____? _____ を一杯下さい。 ( ____ o ippai kudasai. ) May I have a bottle of _____? _____ を一本下さい。 ( _____ o ippon kudasai. ) coffee コーヒー ( k?hii ) green tea お茶 ( o-cha ) black tea 紅茶 ( k?cha ) juice 果汁 ( kaj? ) water 水 ( mizu ) beer ビール ( biiru ) red/white wine 赤 / 白ワイン ( aka/shiro wain ) Do you have _____? _____ はありますか ? ( _____ wa arimasuka? ) chopsticks お箸 ( o-hashi ) fork フォーク ( f?ku ) spoon スプーン ( sup?n ) salt 塩 ( shio ) black pepper 胡椒 ( kosh? ) soy sauce 醤油 ( sh?yu ) ashtray 灰皿 ( haizara ) Excuse me, waiter? ( getting attention of server ) 済みません ( sumimasen ) (when starting a meal) いただきます。 (itadakimasu) It was delicious. (when finishing a meal) ご馳走さまでした。 ( Go-chis?-sama deshita. ) Please clear the plates. お皿を下げてください。 ( Osara o sagete kudasai. ) The check, please. お勘定お願いします。 ( O-kanjo onegai shimasu. ) On the phone Telephone 電話 ( Denwa ) Telephone number 電話番号 ( denwa bang? ) Phone book 電話帳 ( denwa ch? ) Answering machine 留守番電話 ( rusuban denwa ) Hello もしもし。 ( moshi moshi ) May I speak to ______ ______ をお願いします。 ( _____ o onegaishimasu. ) Is _____ there? _____ はいらっしゃいますか。 ( _____ wa irasshaimasu ka. ) Who is calling? どなたですか。 ( Donata desu ka. ) One moment, please. ちょっとお待ちください。 ( Chotto omachi kudasai. ) _____ is not here right now. _____ は今いません。 ( _____ wa ima imasen. ) I will call you again later. また後で電話します。 ( Mata atode denwa shimasu. ) I got the wrong number. 間違えました。 ( Machigaemashita. ) The line is busy. 話し中です。 ( Hanashi-ch? desu. ) What is your phone number? 電話番号は何番ですか。 ( Denwa bang? wa nan ban desu ka. ) Bars Sake talk Sake, known in Japanese as 日本酒 nihonshu , has a vocabulary all its own. Here is a brief introduction. atsukan 熱燗 Heated sake. Recommended only in winter with cheap sake. hiyashi, reishu 冷やし , 冷酒 Chilled sake. The way to drink better sake. issh?bin 一升瓶 The standard sake bottle, containing 10 g? , ie. 1.8 liters. ichig? 一合 The standard measure for servings of sake, around 180 milliliters. tokkuri 徳利 A small ceramic jug used to pour sake, contains around one g? masu 升 A square wooden box traditionally used to drink chilled sake, also contains one g? . Drink from the corner. choko ちょこ A tiny gulp-sized ceramic cup for sake. Do you serve alcohol? お酒ありますか ? ( O-sake arimasuka? ) Is there table service? テーブルサービスありますか ? ( T?buru s?bisu arimasuka? ) A beer/two beers, please. ビール一杯 / 二杯下さい。 ( Biiru ippai/nihai kudasai. ) A glass of red/white wine, please. 赤 / 白ワイン一杯下さい。 ( Aka/shiro wain ippai kudasai. ) A mug (of beer), please. ビールのジョッキ下さい。 ( Biiru no jokki kudasai. ) A bottle, please. ビン下さい . ( Bin kudasai. ) _____ ( hard liquor ) and _____ ( mixer ), please. _____ と _____ 下さい。 ( _____ to _____ kudasai. ) sake 日本酒 ( nihonshu ) Japanese liquor 焼酎 ( sh?ch? ) whiskey ウイスキー ( uisukii ) vodka ウォッカ ( wokka ) rum ラム ( ramu ) water 水 ( mizu ) club soda ソーダ ( s?da ) tonic water トニックウォーター ( tonikku u?t? ) orange juice オレンジジュース ( orenji j?su ) cola ( soda ) コーラ ( k?ra ) with ice オンザロック ( onzarokku ) Do you have any bar snacks? おつまみありますか ? ( o-tsumami arimasuka? ) One more, please. もう一つください。 ( M? hitotsu kudasai. ) Another round, please. みんなに同じものを一杯ずつください。 ( Minna ni onaji mono o ippai zutsu kudasai. ) When is closing time? 閉店は何時ですか ? ( Heiten wa nanji desuka? ) Shopping O, honorable prefix! Nearly any Japanese word can be prefixed with the respectful tags o- ( お ) or go- ( ご or 御 ), often translated with the unwieldy four-syllable word “honorable”. A few you might expect ? o-t?san ( お父さん ) is “honorable father”, and a few you might not ? o-shiri ( お尻 ) is “honorable buttocks”. Most of the time, they’re used to emphasize that the speaker is referring to the listener, so if someone enquires if after your honorable health ( お元気 o-genki ) it’s proper to strip off the honorific and reply that you are merely genki . However, for some words like gohan ( ご飯 ) “rice” and ocha ( お茶 ) “tea”, the prefix is inseparable and should always be used. In this phrasebook, the prefix is separated with a hyphen if it’s optional ( o-kane ), and joined to the word if it’s mandatory ( oisha ). Do you have this in my size? 私のサイズでありますか？ ( Watashi no saizu de arimasuka? ) How much is this? いくらですか？ ( Ikura desuka? ) That’s too expensive. 高過ぎます。 ( Takasugimasu. ) Would you take _____? _____ 円はどうですか？ ( _____ wa d? desuka? ) expensive 高い ( takai ) cheap 安い ( yasui ) I can’t afford it. そんなにお金は持っていません。 ( Sonna-ni o-kane wa motte imasen. ) I don’t want it. 要らないです。 ( Iranai desu. ) You’re cheating me. 騙してるんだ。 ( Damashiteru n da. ) Use with caution! I’m not interested. 興味ないです。 ( Ky?mi nai desu. ) OK, I’ll take it. はい、それにします。 ( Hai, sore ni shimasu. ) Can I have a bag? 袋もらってもいいですか？ ( Fukuro moratte mo ii desuka? ) Do you ship (overseas)? 海外へ発送出来ますか？ ( Kaigai e hass? dekimasuka? ) I need… ___ が欲しいです。 ( ____ ga hoshii desu. ) …toothpaste. 歯磨き ( hamigaki ) …a toothbrush. 歯ブラシ ( ha-burashi ) …tampons. タンポン ( tanpon ) …soap. 石鹸 ( sekken ) …shampoo. シャンプー ( shanp? ) …pain reliever. ( e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen ) 鎮痛剤 ( chints?zai ) …cold medicine. 風邪薬 ( kazegusuri ) …stomach medicine. 胃腸薬 ( ich?yaku ) …a razor. 剃刀 ( kamisori ) …an umbrella. 傘 ( kasa ) …sunblock lotion. 日焼け止め ( hiyakedome ) …a postcard. 葉書 ( hagaki ) …postage stamps. 切手 ( kitte ) …batteries. 電池 ( denchi ) …writing paper. 紙 ( kami ) …a pen. ペン ( pen ) …English-language books. 英語の本 ( eigo no hon ) …English-language magazines. 英語の雑誌 ( eigo no zasshi ) …an English-language newspaper. 英語の新聞 ( eigo no shinbun ) …a Japanese-English dictionary. 和英辞典 ( waei jiten ) …an English-Japanese dictionary. 英和辞典 ( eiwa jiten ) Family Are you married? 結婚していますか。 ( Kekkon shiteimasu ka? ) I am married. 結婚しています。 ( Kekkon shiteimasu. ) I am single. 独身です。 ( Dokushin desu ) Do you have brothers and sisters? 兄弟がいますか。 ( Ky?dai ga imasu ka? ) Do you have children? 子供がいますか。 ( Kodomo ga imasu ka? ) Talking about your own family Family ties In Japanese, it’s always important to use less respectful terms for your own family and more respectful terms for another’s family. Note also that the words for older/younger brother/sister are different. Father 父 ( chichi ) Mother 母 ( haha ) Older Brother 兄 ( ani ) Older Sister 姉 ( ane ) Younger Brother 弟 ( ot?to ) Younger Sister 妹 ( im?to ) Grandfather 祖父 ( sofu ) Grandmother 祖母 ( sobo ) Uncle 叔父 / 伯父 ( oji ) Aunt 叔母 / 伯母 ( oba ) Husband 夫 ( otto ) / 主人 ( shujin ) Wife 妻 ( tsuma ) / 家内 ( kanai ) Son 息子 ( musuko ) Daughter 娘 ( musume ) Talking about another’s family Father お父さん ( ot?san ) Mother お母さん ( ok?san ) Older Brother お兄さん ( on?san ) Older Sister お姉さん ( on?san ) Younger Brother 弟さん ( ot?tosan ) Younger Sister 妹さん ( im?tosan ) Grandfather おじいさん ( oj?san ) Grandmother おばあさん ( ob?san ) Uncle おじさん ( ojisan ) Aunt おばさん ( obasan ) Husband ご主人 ( goshujin ) Wife 奥さん ( okusan ) Son 息子さん ( musukosan ) Daughter お嬢さん ( oj?san ) Driving I want to rent a car. レンタカーお願いします。 ( rent-a-car onegaishimasu. ) Can I get insurance? 保険入れますか ? ( hoken hairemasuka? ) Do you have a driver’s license? 免許証を持っていますか。 ( Menkyosh? o motte imasu ka. ) stop ( on a street sign ) 止まれ／とまれ ( tomare ) one way 一方通行 ( ipp? tsuk? ) caution 徐行 ( jok? ) no parking 駐車禁止 ( ch?sha kinshi ) speed limit 制限速度 ( seigen sokudo ) gas ( petrol ) station ガソリンスタンド ( gasorin sutando ) petrol ガソリン ( gasorin ) diesel 軽油 / ディーゼル ( keiyu / diizeru ) Authority In Japan , you can legally be incarcerated for twenty-three (23) days before you are charged, but you do have the right to see a lawyer after the first 48 hours of detention. Note that if you sign a confession, you will be convicted. I haven’t done anything (wrong). 何も ( 悪いこと ) してません。 ( Nani mo (warui koto) shitemasen. ) It was a misunderstanding. 誤解でした。 ( Gokai deshita. ) Where are you taking me? どこへ連れて行くのですか？ ( Doko e tsurete yukuno desuka? ) Am I under arrest? 私は逮捕されてるのですか？ ( Watashi wa taiho sareteruno desuka? ) I am a citizen of ____. ____ 　の国民です。 ( ____ no kokumin desu. ) I want to meet with the ____ embassy. ____ 大使館と会わせて下さい。 ( ____ taishikan to awasete kudasai. ) I want to meet with a lawyer. 弁護士と会わせて下さい。 ( Bengoshi to awasete kudasai. ) Can it be settled with a fine? 罰金で済みますか？ ( Bakkin de sumimasuka? ) Note: You can say this to a traffic cop, but bribery is highly unlikely to work in Japan . Offensive Language It might happen that there is a need to express negative emotions towards others. Or it might happen that others do this to you. In those cases it is useful to understand some Japanese offensive words. Please use these with care. Fool or idiot バカ ( baka ) Fool or idiot, used in Kansai アホ ( aho ) – writing unsure Doing something untimely まぬけ ( manuke ) A slow person のろま ( noroma ) Being bad at something 下手 ( heta ) Being very bad at something 下手糞 ( hetakuso ) A stingy person ケチ ( kechi ) An old man ジジイ ( jijii ) An old woman ババア ( babaa ) Not being cool ダサイ ( dasai )* Fussy or depressing ウザイ ( uzai )* Creepy キモイ ( kimoi )* Drop dead! くたばれ ( kutabare ) Get out of the way! どけ ( doke ) Noisy! うるさい ( urusai ) * These words are mostly used by young people Most Common sentences used in daily life • I watashi • He Khare • She Khanojyo • You Aanata • It Sore • Come Kuru • Came kimashita • Will come kuku • Open Aakeru • Opened Aakemashita • Will open Aakeru • Sit suwaru • Walk Aaruku • Eat Taberu Kharewa • Drink Nomu • Win Khatsu • Go Iku • Run Hashiru • I go Watashiwa ikimasu • He goes Kharewa ikimasu • He eats an apple Kharewa ringo o tabemasu • He is eating an apple Kharewa ringo o tabete imasu • He ate an apple Kharewa ringo o tabemashita • I saw the film last week Watashiwa senshu eiga o mimashita • She came by bus yesterday Khino khanojyowa basude ikimashita • They went to the temple Kharerawa oterae ikimashita • He slept the whole night Kharewa yoru jyu o nemashita • He wrote well in the examination Kharewa shikende yoku khakimashita • He has eaten Kharewa tabemashita • He had eaten Kharewa tabete shimaimashita • He had gone Kharewa mou ikimashita • He had come Kharewa mou kimashita • He will eat Kharewa tabemasu • He will go Kharewa ikimasu • He will come Kharewa kimasu • What is your name? Aanatano namaewa nan desu ka • What Nan/Nani • Your Aanata • Name Namae • What did you do? Nani o shimashita ka • What should I do? Watashiwa nani o suru ka • What are the questions? Shitumonwa nan desu ka • What were the questions? Shitumonwa nan deshita ka • What is the last question? Saigono shitumonwa nan desu ka • What is written in the letter? Tegamide nani o khaite arimasuka • What you had been told? Aanatawa nani o iwaremashita ka • What will be the answer? Kotaewa nan deshyo ka • Why did you come? Doushite kimashita ka • Why did you sleep? Doushite nemashita ka • Why did you tell him to go? Doushite khareni iko to imashita ka • Why did he bring the bag? Doushite aanatawa kabanga motte kimashita ka • Why did she pay the money? Khanojyowa doushite okane o haraimashita ka • Why did they sit there? Doushite sokode suwatte imasu ka • Why do you drive the car? Doushite aanatawa kurumano unten shimashita ka • Why are they late for the meeting? Doushite kaigide osoku narimashita ka • How did you come? Aanatawa dou/nande kimashita ka • How did you sleep? Aanatawa dou nemashita ka • How did you drive? Aanatawa dou unten shimashita ka • How did you write? Aanatawa dou kakimashita ka • How many apples are there in my hand? Watashino teni ringo ga ikustu arimasu ka • How many did you take? Aanatawa ikustu torimashita ka • How much did he pay you? Kharewa ikura haraimashita ka • How much distance to go?  Dore gurai no kyori • How was the journey yesterday? Kimono ryokowa dou deshita ka • Which way did you come? Aanatawa dokokara kimashita ka • Which is your favorite color? Aanatano skinner irowa donna desu ka • In which room did you sleep? Aanatawa donna heyade nemashita ka • Which story did you tell? Aanatawa donna monogatario iimashita ka • Which is the sweetest fruit? Donna kudamono ga ichiban amai desu ka • Which is the best newspaper in Hindi? Hindigodewa ichiban ii shinbunwa donna desu ka • Which Indian state has the largest population? Indodewa ichiban ooi jinkoga doko desu ka • Where did you come from? Aanatawa dokokara kimashita ka • Where did you sleep? Aanatawa dokode nemashita ka • Where is the manager’s cabin? Kachono heyawa dochira desu ka • Where should I go? Watashiwa dokoe iku ka • Whom should I contact? Watashiwa dareni renraku suru ka/shita hoga ii desu ka • Is it a book? Korewa hon desu ka • It is a book Korewa hon desu • Is it the answer? Korewa kotae desu ka/Kotaewa kore desu ka • It is the answer Korewa kotae desu/ Kotaewa kore desu • Will you come with me? Watashi to ishyoni kimasen ka/kimasu ka • I shall come with you. Aanata to ishyoni kimasu • Will you give me your pen? Pen o kudasaimasen ka • Yes, of course. Hai, mochiron • I love you. Watashiwa anatani aaio shite imasu • Can you give me your pen? Watashini Pen o kuremasen ka • Can you lift the box? Hakoga motemasu ka • Can you write the exam? Shikenga ukeraremasu ka • Did you have your lunch? Hirugohan o tabemashita ka