Japanese Survival Phrases – Guide

Perhaps the biggest worry tourists face when travelling to Japan is the language – how are you expected to get by in a country with three different alphabets, two of which have 50 characters and the other over 3,000!

Overview

While many Japanese people know rudimentary English and the standard of English in Japan has been rising in recent years, there is always the fear of a misunderstanding in communication throwing your plans off kilter. But fear not – just keep this guide of survival phrases handy and you should have no problem!

Top 10 Japanese Phrases

Greetings

Let’s start with the basics - get off on the right foot and leave a good impression by mastering hello, please, and thank you! And don’t panic if they talk to you in Japanese – use some of the phrases below and you’ll be fine!

Getting around

It goes without saying that Japan is full of wonderful tourist sites, from temples and shrines to modern skyscrapers. But at the same time, Japan’s expansive public transportation system, while definitely impressive, can be completely confusing for first time tourists, even with the English signs and announcements. While many taxi and bus drivers and station staff know basic English, get to your desired location by learning these phrases!

Shopping

Traditional intricate ornaments, quirky electronic gadgets, authentic powdered tea leaves, rare limited edition Kit-Kats, Uniqlo – the list of potential souvenirs for yourself and for others are endless when you’re in Japan. Master these useful phrases for shopping in Japan and go on a shopping spree!

Dining

Don’t limit yourself to fast food restaurants or convenience stores because you don’t know the language - you’re missing out on way too much! Look at the list of dining phrases below and you’ll find out that ordering food in Japan is much easier than you think!