SOS phrases in Japanese:
Tasukete! (Tasukete)
- “Help!”, “Help!” - pronounced as “Taskete!”
Yamero!/Yamete! (Yamero/Yamete)
- “Stop!”, “Stop it!” or “Stop it!”
Dame! (Dame)
- “No, don’t do that!”
Hanase! (Hanase)
- “Let go!”
Hentai! (Hentai)
- “Pervert!”
Urusai! (Urusai)
- "Shut up!"
Uso! (Uso)
- “Lie!”, “You’re lying!”
Do you work for a foreign company or do you simply have to frequently communicate with residents of the land of the rising sun?! Then you should know basic conversational phrases in their native language. The most basic thing with which any normal conversation begins is a greeting. In this post I want to tell you how to say “Hello” in Japanese.
Immersion in the language environment
There are two ways to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Japan. The first is, of course, to go to the Land of the Rising Sun and communicate directly with real Japanese. If this is not possible, then you can enroll in a circle where everyone speaks only Japanese, and usually it includes people born and living in this country.
It is important to understand that going on vacation to Japan for a week is, of course, a great idea, but this approach is not very effective in terms of learning the language. For a deep dive, it is recommended to become a student at a local university or go to a given state under an experience exchange program within the framework of your profession. It is best to learn a language from the model of a peer of the same gender. After all, the presentation of an adult differs from the explanation of a young person, just as female communication differs from male communication.
We present to your attention a short Japanese phrasebook; if you need everyday, frequently used words and phrases in Japanese, then go ahead!
Requests
Onegai shimasu
- A very polite form of request. Especially often used in requests like “do something for me.”
Onegai
– A less polite and much more common request.
- kudasai
- Polite form. Added as a suffix to a verb.
- kudasaimasen ka? (kudasaimasenka)
- More polite form. It is also added as a suffix to a verb. It can be translated as “could you do something for me?”
Everyday phrases in Japanese:
Greetings
Ohayo gozaimasu
(
Ohayou gozaimasu
) – “Good morning.”
This is a variant of a fairly polite good morning wish.
It is worth recalling that "y"
are not pronounced in Japanese after voiceless consonants.
So it is pronounced "Ohae gozaimas"
.
Ohayou
- This is an informal option, can be used among friends and young people.
Ossu
– a very informal and very masculine option (pronounced
“oss”
). Girls are strongly advised not to use masculine pronunciations.
Konnichiwa
- “Good afternoon”, “Hello”, “Hello”. Probably one of the most famous Japanese words.
Yahho! (Yahhoo)
– an informal version of the word “hello”.
Ooi! (Ooi)
– also an informal version of “Hello”, used by men. Often to attract attention at a great distance.
Yo! (Yo!)
- an exclusively informal male version of the same greeting.
Gokigenyou
– a rather rare and very polite female greeting, which can be translated as “Hello.”
Konbanwa
- "Good evening".
Hisashiburi desu
- "Long time no see".
Pronounced "hisashiburi des".
A female informal option would be
Hisashiburi ne?
(Hisashiburi ne?), male
Hisashiburi da naa... (Hisashiburi da naa)
.
Moshi-moshi
– used when answering a phone call as “hello”.
Answers
Hai – “Yes.”
Universal standard answer. Often it can mean anything, but not agreement, but, for example, only “continue”, “I understand”, “yeah”.
Haa (Haa)
- “Yes, sir,” “I obey, sir.” This is a very formal expression.
Uh (Ee)
- "Yes". Not very formal.
Ryoukai
- "Yes sir". Military response.
Ie
- "No". Standard polite expression. Also used as a polite form of declining gratitude or compliment.
Nai
- "No". Used to indicate the absence or non-existence of something.
Betsu ni
- "Nothing".
Naruhodo
- “Of course,” “Of course.”
Motiron
- "Naturally!" Expression of confidence.
Yahari
- "I thought so".
Yappari
– too, but not so formally.
Maa... (Maa)
- "Maybe…"
Saa... (Saa)
- "Well…". Used when they have difficulty agreeing and doubt.
Honto desu ka? (Hontou desu ka?)
- "Is it really true?"
Honto? (Hontou?)
– Less formal.
So desu ka? (Sou desu ka?)
– Formal form of the phrase “Wow...”.
Informal - So ka?
(Sou ka?), can be pronounced “Su ka!”
So desu nee... (Sou desu nee)
- “That’s how it is...” Formal version.
So da na... (Sou da naa)
- Male version.
So nah... (Sou nee)
– Female version.
Masaka! (Masaka)
- "It can not be!"
Everyday phrases in Japanese:
Origin of the Japanese language
Next, you should work hard on your pronunciation. It is important to pay attention to the pronunciation of individual sounds. A peculiarity of the Japanese language is the change in the designation of the word used depending on the pronounced intonation. Then you should study the variations of sound combinations and having basic knowledge, you can turn to a mentor for help. To do this, it is recommended to enroll in a language school. Here you can learn Japanese phrases and words. Typically, cards, audio recordings and other attributes are used for this.
Acknowledgments
Doumo
– “Thank you” is used in response to everyday small help. For example, when you were let ahead or served something.
Arigatou gozaimasu
– A polite and formal form, the expression is usually pronounced as
“Arigato gozaimas“
.
Arigatou
— Less formal polite form.
Doumo arigatou
- "Thank you very much".
Doumo arigatou gozaimasu
– A very polite and very formal phrase of gratitude.
Osewa ni narimashita
- “I am your debtor.”
Very polite and formal uniform. Informally they say - Osewa ni natta
.
Iie
- "My pleasure".
Informal form. The polite option is Dou itashimashite
.
Everyday phrases in Japanese:
Farewells
Sayonara
– the usual “Farewell” option if there is little chance of a new meeting.
Saraba
– an informal option like “bye.”
Mata Ashita
– the usual “see you tomorrow” option.
Female - Mata ne,
male
- Mata naa
.
Dzya, mata (Jaa, mata)
- "See you". A very commonly used informal option.
Jia (Jaa)
– a very informal option, often used by friends.
De wa
- a slightly more formal version than
“Dzya (Jaa)”
.
Oyasumi nasai
- "Good night".
A somewhat formal option, an informal one would be simple - Oyasumi
.
Everyday phrases in Japanese:
Everyday and necessary phrases
Kawaii! (Kawaii)
- “Wow!”, “How cute!”, “How lovely!” . Often used in relation to children, girls, and also very handsome guys. This word has a strong meaning of “manifestation of weakness, femininity, passivity (in the sexual sense of the word).”
Sugoi! (Sugoi)
– “Cool” or “Cool/cool!” In relation to people, it is used to denote masculinity.
Kakkoii! (Kakkoii!)
- “Cool, beautiful, awesome!”
Suteki! (Suteki!)
– “Beautiful, charming, delightful!”, pronounced “Stacky!”
Hide! (Hidoi!)
- “Evil!”, “bad.”
Forge! (Kowai)
- "Scary!" . With an expression of fear.
Matte! (Matte)
- “Wait!”, “Stop!”
Abunay! (Abunai)
– warning – “Danger!” or “Look out!”
