Japanese is one of the most spoken languages in the world. It is spoken mainly in Japan and Japanese emigrant communities. While some theorists classify it as an Altaic language, others believe that it is closely connected to the Korean language. Although the writing system of Japanese comes from the Chinese language, the differences between the two languages are immense.
Here are some useful Japanese phrases.
| A | --- | like the 'a' in 'palm' |
| E | --- | like the 'e' in 'bet' |
| I | --- | like the 'i' in 'macaroni' |
| O | --- | like the 'o' in 'tone' |
| U | --- | like the 'u' in 'flu' |
| F | --- | this sound is produced by pursing the lips and blowing lightly |
| G | --- | like the ‘g’ in 'goal' at the start of the word; nasalized – like the 'ng' in 'ring' - in the middle of a word |
| R | --- | this is more like an 'i' than an 'r' |
| Hai | --- | Yes |
| Iie | --- | No |
| Daijôbu/ôke | --- | OK |
| Ohayô gozaimasu | --- | Good morning |
| Konnichiwa | --- | Good afternoon |
| Kombanwa | --- | Good evening |
| O-namae was nan desu ka? | --- | What's your name? |
| Watashi wa. desu | --- | My name is __ |
| O-genki desu ka? | --- | How are you? |
| Onegai shimasu | --- | Please |
| Dômo arigato | --- | Thank you |
| Dô itashimashite | --- | You're welcome |
| Sumimasen | --- | Excuse me/Pardon me |
| Nani? | --- | What? |
| Itsu? | --- | When? |
| Doko? | --- | Where? |
| Dare? | --- | Who? |
| Watashi wa saishoku-shugisha desu | --- | I'm a vegetarian |
| Chôshoku / asa gohan | --- | Breakfast |
| Chûshoku/hiru gohan/ranchi | --- | Lunch |
| Yûshoku / ban gohan | --- | Dinner |
| Kyô | --- | Today |
| Ashita | --- | Tomorrow |
| Kinô | --- | Yesterday |
| Asa | --- | Morning |
| Hiru | --- | Afternoon |
| Getsuyôbi | --- | Monday |
| Kayôbi | --- | Tuesday |
| Suiyôbi | --- | Wednesday |
| Mokuyôbi | --- | Thursday |
| Kinyôbi | --- | Friday |
| Doyôbi | --- | Saturday |
| Nichiyôbi | --- | Sunday |
| Ginkô | --- | Bank |
| Taishi-kan | --- | Embassy |
| Yûbin kyoku | --- | Post Office |
| Toire | --- | Toilet |
| Hoteru | --- | Hotel |
| Ryokan | --- | Japanese-style inn |
| 1 | --- | Ichi |
| 2 | --- | Ni |
| 3 | --- | San |
| 4 | --- | Shi |
| 5 | --- | Go |
| 6 | --- | Roku |
| 7 | --- | Nana / shichi |
| 8 | --- | Hachi |
| 9 | --- | Kyû/ku |
| 10 | --- | Jû |
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