One of the most frequently asked questions when planning a trip to Japan is whether you need to know Japanese to move around the country, and the short answer is that it is not necessary. Japan is very well prepared to receive tourists and it is possible to move around without complications, especially in the big cities. Even so, the Japanese appreciate it very much when a visitor makes the effort to say a few words in their language. A simple greeting in Japanese can open many doors, bring a smile and greatly improve interaction, even if it’s just basic phrases.
At Asiahop we believe that these small gestures can greatly enrich your experience and that is why we have prepared this guide with useful vocabulary and expressions designed especially for travelers. Here you will find the essentials to communicate in everyday situations such as greeting or communicating in a restaurant. It’s not about learning Japanese, but about taking with you a few phrases that will connect you better with Japanese culture.
Introduction
Before you dive into learning a few phrases in Japanese, it’s worth understanding how the written language works. Japanese uses three writing systems: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Hiragana is used for writing native words and grammatical particles, while katakana is reserved for foreign words adapted to Japanese, such as “コンビニ” (konbini, from “convenience store”). Kanji, on the other hand, are characters of Chinese origin that represent complete ideas or concepts, such as “山” (yama, mountain) or “水” (mizu, water).
It is also common to find Japanese written in rōmaji, which represents Japanese words using the Latin alphabet, such as arigatou (thank you) or sumimasen (excuse me). This means that you can start learning and pronouncing words without needing to know how to read Japanese characters, which is ideal for travelers. In this guide we will use rōmaji along with the English translation, so you can familiarize yourself with some expressions without complications.
When reading rōmaji, note that the final “u” is often not pronounced or sounds very soft, as in desu (said “des”) or gozaimasu (sounds “gozaimas”). Vowels are pronounced the same as in Spanish, and if you see a double consonant, pause a little when pronouncing it, as in ippai (“ip-pai”). Also, each syllable has an even rhythm, without strong accents, and the Japanese “r” sounds soft, almost like a mix between “r” and “l”.
