80 Easy Japanese Words and Phrases To help improve your Japanese vocabulary

phrases uses

おはようございます - Good Morning

If you'd like to be more casual, you can just say おはよう[ohayou]！In work places, it's pretty common to hear おはよう or おはようございます when someone is greeting a colleague for the first time that day - even if the clock reads 7:00 p.m.

じゃあまた - See YOU

If you're not going to be waving your handkerchief in a heartfelt goodbye (where "さようなら" [sayounara] or "farewell" would be more appropriate), then じゃあまた is a great way to say "see you"! You can also use ではまた[dewa mata] which is slightly more polite. じゃあね (see ya) and じゃあまた明日ね (jaa mata ashita ne - see you tomorrow) are also quick and friendly phrases for parting. If you're in Osaka, then be sure to try some 大坂弁 (oosaka ben - Osaka dialect) and say, ほなね[hona ne]!

お元気で (おげんきで) - Take Care

If "see you" is a little too casual for you, then you can say お元気で instead. This literally means "be healthy" and can be used to say, "Good luck!"

お名前は何ですか？(おなまえは なんですか？) - What's Your Name?

This is a polite way to ask someone for their name. If お名前は何ですか？ is a little too lengthy for you, then you can also use お名前は[o namae wa]？ Sounding a bit vague can sound more polite. Take for example: "Who are you?" vs. "Your name...?" Or, "Where are you from?" vs. "Whereabouts are you from...?"

...です - I'm...

Get ready! I'm about to introduce the holy grail of Japanese words and phrases: です. Heck, you're probably already using it. By using です, you can express some of your thoughts and dreams without having to study grammar for hours. です is the verb "to be". It stays the same no matter the subject (think: it is, they are, I am). To say, "I am Tom" simply state your name and finish with です to get, トムです (tomu desu - I'm Tom).

Wanna take it to the next level? Follow an adjective with です to express how you're feeling: 暑いです, (atsui desu - It's hot/I'm hot). You can omit the subject if it can be implied by the context. So if your friend is late, say 遅いです (osoi desu - You're late)! If something (or someone) catches your eye, use きれいです (kirei desu - It's pretty).

Just to recap, if someone asks you your name, you can answer with "[insert your name] + です." Voila! Why can't everything be that easy?

好きです (すきです) - I Like It

Why not tell your host family how much you're enjoying the traditional Japanese breakfast, or that you're really into performance art like kabuki? To do this, you can use the phrase 好きです which means "I like it." To be more specific, you can say whatever it is you like and add が好きです[ga suki desu]. I have a huge sweet tooth, so I'd say お菓子が好きです (okashi ga suki desu - I like sweets).

Maybe you're trying nattou or another exotic dish. Hopefully you'll discover your new favorite snack, but just in case...you can say, 好きではありません [suki dewa arimasen] to express, "I don't like it." Maybe just not in front of the person who cooked it for you...

いいですよ - It's Good

いいですよ can be used in a ton of different situations. Think of it as a gentle way to say, "It's all good." You'll often hear いいよ [ii yo] (especially from females). You can treat it as saying "It's fine," "Go right ahead," "Don't worry about it" and "no problem."

ダメです (だめです) - It's No Good

If you're being somewhat polite and want to say "It's notgood," you need to say よくありません[yoku arimasen] which is "It's not good," in normal-polite form, or よくない, as in, "It's not good" in casual form.

To say something is "no good," you can use ダメ (です). Although you can add です to this word, to say "It's no good," it's more common to add だ (the casual form of です) instead. So ダメだ [dame da] can be translated as, "It's no good," "It's useless" or "It's pointless."