No matter how lazy you are to memorize new words in Japanese, you will still have to learn them. If only because you can’t make sentences without them, and you won’t be able to speak Japanese any other way. Surely beginners have at least once thought about the fact that there are a great many words around, but it is impossible to learn everything. So which ones should you remember first? Here is a list of the most basic words in Japanese.
Nouns
Word in Japanese | Writing in Hiragana | Transcription | Translation |
日本 | にほん | nihon | Japan |
日本語 | にほんご | nihongo | Japanese |
人 | ひと | hito | Human |
男 | おとこ | otoko | man |
女 | おんな | He is at | woman |
子 | こ | co | child |
日 | ひ | hee | day |
月 | つき | tsuki | month |
年 | とし | tosi | year |
朝 | あさ | asa | morning |
昼 | ひる | Hiru | day |
本 | ほん | hon. | book |
映画 | えいが | Eiga | movie |
仕事 | しごと | shigoto | Job |
学校 | がっこう | gakko: | school |
大学 | だいがく | daigaku | university |
遊び | あそび | asobi | game, entertainment |
家 | いえ | ie | house |
ベッド | べっど | baddo | bed |
机 | つくえ | tsukue | table |
椅子 | いす | isu | chair |
ペン | ぺん | pen | pen |
鉛筆 | えんぴつ | empitsu | pencil |
紙 | かみ | kami | paper |
絵 | え | uh | image |
鞄 | かばん | boar | briefcase |
お金 | おかね | okane | money |
シャツ | しゃつ | syatsu | shirt |
ズボン | ずぼん | dzubon | trousers |
ジーンズ | じいんず | ji:nsu | jeans |
ブラウズ | ぶらうず | burauzu | blouse |
スカート | すかあと | ska:to | skirt |
靴 | くつ | kutsu | shoes |
靴下 | くつした | kutsushita | socks |
車 | くるま | kuruma | car |
地下鉄 | ちかてつ | chikatetsu | metro |
自転車 | じてんしゃ | jitensha | bike |
バス | ばす | bass | bus |
タクシー | たくしい | takushi: | Taxi |
飛行機 | ひこうき | hiko:ki | airplane |
猫 | ねこ | neko | cat |
犬 | いぬ | inu | dog |
ペット | ぺっと | petto | pet |
動物 | どうぶつ | to:butsu | animal |
果物 | くだもの | kudamono | fruit |
野菜 | やさい | yasai | vegetables |
りんご | りんご | ringo | apple |
梨 | なし | naxi | pear |
柿 | かき | kaki | persimmon |
バナナ | ばなな | banana | banana |
いちご | いちご | ichigo | strawberry |
トマト | とまと | tomato | tomato |
ご飯 | ごはん | go-han | boiled rice |
牛乳 | ぎゅうにゅう | gyu:nu: | milk |
卵 | たまご | tamago | egg |
魚 | さかな | sakana | fish |
お肉 | おにく | oh no | meat |
料理 | りょうり | ryo:ri | dish, kitchen |
食べ物 | たべもの | tabemono | food |
飲み物 | のみもの | nomimono | drink |
水 | みず | mizu | the water is cold) |
ジュース | じゅうす | ju:su | juice |
お茶 | おちゃ | oh-cha | tea |
コーヒー | こうひい | ko:hee: | coffee |
ケーキ | けえき | ke:ki | cake |
Best Japanese Translation Apps
This is our list of the best Japanese to English translation apps currently available to help you with your Japanese translations. Each app has something different to offer, but they all do the same job - translate Japanese into English and vice versa. (Some may even support translations into other languages!)
Google Translate - two-way translation from English to Japanese
Our number one Japanese translator app is Google Translate.
Google translation has come a long way in the last decade. Translations become more accurate and the app's features become more futuristic.
With the Google Translate app, you can take photos of the text you see and it will translate the text for you. You can also use it for speech translation, written translation, or just traditional printed translation.
And the best thing about the Google Translate app is that you can translate into other languages, not just Japanese.
Can translate without internet access Camera translation Speech translation Keyboard or hand drawing options
Translator from English to Japanese - Kings & Queens
Kings & Queens English to Japanese Translator is a fun interactive translator with attractive graphics.
The app is created with the idea that while you translate, you also want to learn Japanese. So, if communication is your only goal, then this app may not be for you, but if you want to learn while communicating, we highly recommend it.
Built-in Japanese keyboard with app Added lesson study section so you can learn and translate
Japanese-English translator – Klay's-Development
Klay has a range of translators available depending on what language you want to translate into and what language you're translating from.
Their Japanese to English Translator is a free app that will help you not only translate on the go, but also improve your Japanese language skills at the same time.
Voice input and keyboard input
Favorite list of translations that you can get offline.
Camera Translator – App World Studio
A camera translator is a technology that we are starting to expect from our translators.
No more sitting and typing out a full translation, with Camera Translator you simply point your camera at a piece of text and the app does the rest.
If you're a little more old-school, don't worry, with this app you can still enter text, but now you have the option for both.
This app contains advertising and in-app purchases.
There are also translations in Chinese and Korean. Bookmark your favorite words for later use. Just click and click!
English Japanese Translator
Our next Japanese translation recommendation is simply an English to Japanese translator.
This English to Japanese translator is easy to use, has an attractive interface, and is one of the most popular Japanese translator apps available.
With a built-in dictionary and the ability to support typing, writing and oral translation, this app is the perfect companion for your trip to Japan.
Like other apps, it also does a great job of helping with studies, not just translation for the communication feature.
Supports Japanese handwriting Supports oral translations Supports printed translations
Adjectives
Word in Japanese | Writing in Hiragana | Transcription | Translation |
良い | いい | th | good, kind |
悪い | わるい | cook | bad, evil |
若い | わかい | wakai | young |
大きい | おおきい | Okie: | big |
小さい | ちいさい | ti:sai | small |
楽しい | たのしい | tanosi: | funny |
寂しい | さびしい | sabishi: | sad |
美しい | うつくしい | utsukushi: | Beautiful |
可愛い | かわいい | kawaii: | Cute |
美味しい | おいしい | oisi: | delicious |
面白い | おもしろい | omoshiroi | interesting |
怖い | こわい | forge | scary |
うるさい | うるさい | Urusai | noisy, annoying |
新しい | あたらしい | atarashi: | new |
古い | ふるい | Fury | old |
明るい | あかるい | Akarui | light |
暗い | くらい | kurai | dark |
高い | たかい | like that | tall, dear |
低い | ひくい | hikui | short |
早い | はやい | hello | early |
遅い | おそい | wasp | late |
暑い | あつい | atsui | hot, hot |
寒い | さむい | samui | cold |
暖かい | あたたかい | attack | warm |
涼しい | すずしい | suzushi: | chill |
おかしい | おかしい | okashi: | strange |
赤い | あかい | Akai | red |
白い | しろい | orphan | white |
黒い | くろい | chicken | black |
青い | あおい | aoi | blue; green |
How to enter Japanese characters using the keyboard?
You may have a question: “ How can I enter Japanese characters into the translation window? After all, there are no Japanese characters on my keyboard, it only has Cyrillic and Latin characters.”
This question is legitimate. To answer this, you must, firstly, delve a little deeper into the peculiarities of Japanese writing, and, secondly, install a Japanese keyboard on your computer.
Features of Japanese writing
One of the features of the Japanese language is that it has three types of writing , that is, three systems of signs used in writing. kanji characters
, which denote various ideas, concepts, meanings.
One hieroglyphic sign usually denotes one idea, but can also denote several concepts (usually related to each other). For example, the character 日 (hi) stands for the idea of “sun”, and the character 木 (ki) stands for the idea of “tree”. And there are syllable signs. One such sign represents one syllable. For example, the signに
denotes the syllable (ni), and the sign
ぶdenotes the syllable (bu). There are two such syllabary alphabets, consisting of syllable signs: one is the katakana
, the other
is hiragana
.
They differ, first of all, graphically, in their appearance, and also in some other features (the examples given above are made in the hiragana
). You can read more about syllabaries in other articles on this site.
As you might guess, the Japanese keyboard works on the basis of syllabic alphabet , that is, systems of signs indicating syllables. In this case, the Latin alphabet can be used when entering text. You just need to turn on the Japanese keyboard and enter Latin text as its sound would be written in Latin transcription, and the computer itself will convert Latin combinations of characters into Japanese ones. For example, you enter arigatou in Latin, and this combination is automatically converted by the computer into ありがとう
Installing a Japanese keyboard
To install Japanese keyboard , use the following instructions (all actions are performed with the left mouse button):
- Click the “ Start ” button.
- Select “ Control Panel ” from the menu that appears. Click on it.
- In the window that appears, click on the “ Regional and Language ” item.
- In the window that appears, select the “ Languages and keyboard ” tab.
- Now click on the “ Change Keyboard ” button.
- In the window that appears, click on the “ Add ” button.
- In the list of languages that appears, find Japanese (it’s at the very bottom), expand the tree by clicking on the plus sign in the box located to the left of the item “ Japanese (Japan) ”.
- Microsoft IME box .
- Click the “ OK ” button.
- Click “ OK ” in the remaining previously open windows.
That's it, the Japanese keyboard is installed on your computer. To switch to it, use the standard method of switching keyboard layouts, as you do to switch Cyrillic and Latin. Now you have three systems of printed characters at your disposal: Russian, English and Japanese. And you can safely start typing in Japanese.
Now simply enter the Japanese text you are interested in into the translation window and get the result.
Translator from Russian to Japanese
will be a great help on your journey through the world of the Japanese language. Also on this language journey, a translator from Japanese to Russian will serve you well.
Try using the translator right now and share your results in the comments! What Japanese translators do you use?
PS You must, of course, understand that the translator is only a help, an aid in learning the language, which it is advisable to reinforce with your knowledge of Japanese grammar, because This is an automatic translator, not a real person. With machine translation, you can sometimes expect funny “pearls”, so use it, but carefully =) So right now, take the first step towards getting rid of machine translation by taking our course!
Verbs
Word in Japanese | Writing in Hiragana | Transcription | Translation |
ある | ある | aru | to be (about inanimate objects) |
いる | いる | iru | be (about people, animals, etc.) |
書く | かく | kaku | write |
話す | はなす | hanasu | speak |
語る | かたる | Qatar | tell |
学ぶ | まなぶ | manabu | study, study |
作る | つくる | tsukuru | do, manufacture |
する | する | sura | do |
来る | くる | kuru | come |
行く | いく | iku | leave, go |
食べる | たべる | taberu | eat, eat |
飲む | のむ | nomu | drink |
使う | つかう | zukau | use |
分かる | わかる | vakaru | understand |
考える | かんがえる | Kangaeru | think |
見る | みる | to the world | look |
聞く | きく | Kiku | listen |
立つ | たつ | tatsu | stand |
座る | すわる | suwaru | sit |
入る | はいる | hairu | come in |
出る | でる | deru | go out |
寝る | ねる | neru | go to sleep |
起きる | おきる | okira | get up |
急ぐ | いそぐ | isogu | hurry |
帰る | かえる | Kaeru | come back |
作る | つくる | tsukuru | do, manufacture |
休む | やすむ | Yasumu | rest |
Translator from Japanese to Russian
You may need a translator from Japanese into Russian
First of all, you need it if you are learning Japanese. In this case, there is simply no way without it. A new language is always a lot of unknown and incomprehensible words and expressions. The translator will explain to you what's what.
Also, a translator from Japanese into Russian will come in handy when you need to read and understand an article in a newspaper or magazine, or even a text in Japanese.
When communicating in Japanese, it is also needed to understand the interlocutor.
In addition, a translator will provide you with a great service before and during your trip to Japan. Choose a suitable hotel via the Internet and generally plan a program for your stay in the Land of the Rising Sun, understand advertising posters, billboards, signs and many other inscriptions in Japanese in Japan itself - a translator from Japanese into Russian will help you with all this.
If you are a fan of anime and manga and want to understand them in the original Japanese, also use a translator.
An online translator from Japanese to Russian is what you need!
Other parts of speech
Word in Japanese | Writing in Hiragana | Transcription | Translation |
ちょっと | ちょっと | totto | A little |
とても | とても | totemo | Very |
大変 | たいへん | taihen | very (stronger than the previous version) |
全然 | ぜんぜん | zen | Absolutely not… |
々 | ときどき | tokidoki | Sometimes |
よく | よく | yoku | often |
どこ? | どこ? | doko? | Where? |
誰? | だれ? | Dare? | Who? |
何? | なに? | Nani? | What? |
はい | はい | hi | Yes |
いいえ | いいえ | and:uh | No |
The presented words will be enough for the first time to compose the simplest sentences. If you are interested in reading other articles about vocabulary, here are a few posted on our website:
Verbs to put on and take off. Japanese words
Counting and counting suffixes in Japanese
Parts of the face in Japanese. Japanese words
Question words in Japanese. How many?
Question words in Japanese. What?
Question words in Japanese. Who?
Japanese words about nature
Of course, the Japanese language also has greeting phrases, words expressing feelings of guilt and gratitude. We recommend reading the following articles on this topic:
How to say thank you in Japanese
How to say "hello" in Japanese or "hello" in Japanese
How to apologize in Japanese? Apologize in Japanese
Sayounara: "bye!" in Japanese
We hope you found our article on basic words in Japanese helpful. Don't stop there! After all, these Japanese words are the most common, but this does not mean that they are enough for everyday communication. Read textbooks, watch educational videos, visit our website. Success in learning the language!
Japanese words for beginners collected in one place! Visit our website to learn commonly used Japanese words.
Chinese letter
Who and when invented the Chinese hieroglyphic script is still not known for certain - specialists can only build theories and study legends. Unlike alphabets, which are directly related to language, hieroglyphs are perceived figuratively.
Ancient Chinese writing on turtle shells
If, for example, the written form of the Russian language is studied from letters, then the Chinese letter begins with individual components of hieroglyphs. Each of them consists of certain parts, graphemes, which are written in the appropriate order.
Interesting fact: a person who knows by heart from 1.5 to 3.5 thousand hieroglyphs is considered literate. And in total, according to various sources, there are up to 70,000 of them.
Despite the huge number of characters, the so-called vocabulary of the Chinese language is very small and amounts to only a few hundred. Each hieroglyph initially has some meaning.
It denotes the minimum semantic unit of language - a morpheme, or a word consisting of one syllable. Therefore, the Chinese language cannot in any way be considered poor. Its carriers can fully convey their thoughts using a combination of different hieroglyphs.
Basic features of Chinese characters (graphemes)
It is also worth remembering that Chinese is a tone language. This means that different ways of pronouncing the same word, combined with context, can completely change the meaning.
Interesting: Why do passenger planes have two or four engines? Reasons, photos and videos
This makes learning Chinese much more difficult, especially for foreigners. But this process develops an ear for music, visual memory, and figurative perception.