Basic Japanese phrases for travellers

A few words change the trip

Stations and tourist sites in big cities now have plenty of signs in other languages, and translation apps have become genuinely useful, yet a few short Japanese phrases still go a long way. Even if the other person speaks no English, opening with a basic phrase makes the conversation start more smoothly and makes people more willing to help. Every phrase here is in a polite register that is fine to use with strangers. The romaji spellings are an approximation of the real sounds, but they are more than enough to get your meaning across while travelling. They matter most in small towns or in shops run by an elderly owner, where there is often no menu in another language.

Greetings and basics

These are the five you will use most. Once they come naturally, you can get through a day without much trouble.

• Konnichiwa: hello (daytime greeting)
• Arigatou gozaimasu: thank you
• Sumimasen: excuse me, sorry, pardon me
• Hai / iie: yes / no
• Daijoubu desu: I'm fine, no thank you

What sumimasen can do

Sumimasen is the most useful word a traveller can know. You use it to call staff in a restaurant, to ask people to let you through on a crowded train, and when you bump into someone. It is also used as a form of thanks when someone holds a door or makes way for you. Daijoubu desu is versatile too. It answers the question of whether you are all right, and it also politely declines things such as a bag or a receipt. Because it can be unclear whether you mean yes or no, a small wave of the hand as you say it reduces misunderstandings.

At a restaurant

These follow the flow of giving your party size, ordering, paying and saying goodbye. Pointing at the menu as you speak works fine even if your pronunciation is shaky.

• Futari desu: two people (one person is hitori desu)
• Kore o kudasai: this one, please
• Osusume wa nan desu ka: what do you recommend?
• Okaikei onegaishimasu: the bill, please
• Gochisousama deshita: thank you for the meal (said when leaving)

Shopping and convenience stores

Exchanges at the till are short and predictable. Knowing these phrases, and what staff typically ask you, makes things much less flustering.

• Ikura desu ka: how much is it?
• Kaado wa tsukaemasu ka: can I use a card?
• Fukuro wa irimasen: I don't need a bag
• Atatamete kudasai: please heat it up
• Menzei dekimasu ka: is tax-free shopping available?

Directions and transport

When asking the way, start with sumimasen, then use one of these phrases while showing the destination name on your phone. Many station names sound alike, so showing the written name avoids mistakes. Once someone has helped, finish with arigatou gozaimasu.

• ... wa doko desu ka: where is ...?
• Toire wa doko desu ka: where is the toilet?
• Kono densha wa ... ni ikimasu ka: does this train go to ...?
• Deguchi wa dochira desu ka: which way is the exit?

In an emergency

You will hopefully never need these, but save them anyway. Japan's emergency numbers are 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance; if you can't make yourself understood, use these phrases to ask people nearby or the staff where you are staying for help.

• Tasukete: help!
• Kyuukyuusha o yonde kudasai: please call an ambulance
• Keisatsu o yonde kudasai: please call the police
• Byouin wa doko desu ka: where is the hospital?
• Kibun ga warui desu: I feel unwell

Pronunciation tips and cautions

Japanese is easiest to understand when each syllable is spoken clearly and at roughly the same length. The final sounds of gozaimasu and desu are often barely audible in practice. Some words change meaning depending on whether a vowel is long or a sound is clipped short, but when travelling, context and gestures carry the meaning, so there is no need to worry too much. Numbers are hard to catch and say, so confirm them on the register display or your phone's calculator. Download an offline language pack for your translation app in case you lose signal. If an answer comes too fast to follow, say yukkuri onegaishimasu (slowly, please) or ask the person to type it into a note on your phone. Above all, adding one more arigatou gozaimasu with a smile is the best way to end any exchange.