200 Common Japanese Phrases
All 200 phrases from the Learn Japanese Fast deck, free to read and grouped the way the deck teaches them. Greetings and pronouns come first. Then the verbs and adjectives you reuse all day. Then full sentences. Three play native audio here.
Learn Japanese Fast - Master Essential Words and Phrases for Quick Fluency
The highest-frequency Japanese a beginner needs first — greetings, pronouns, core verbs and adjectives, question words, numbers, time words, everyday nouns, and ready-to-use sentences, each with natural Japanese, romaji pronunciation, an example, and native-speaker audio.
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Greetings & Politeness
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello / Good afternoon | |
| おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu | Good morning (polite) | |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | Good evening | |
| ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you (polite) | |
| すみません | sumimasen | Excuse me / Sorry | |
| はい | hai | Yes | |
| いいえ | iie | No | |
| お願いします | onegai shimasu | Please | |
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | Nice to meet you | |
| よろしくお願いします | yoroshiku onegai shimasu | Pleased to meet you / Please treat me well | |
| さようなら | sayōnara | Goodbye (formal, or for a long parting) | |
| またね | mata ne | See you (casual) | |
| おやすみなさい | oyasuminasai | Good night (said before sleeping) | |
| いただきます | itadakimasu | Said before eating, thanking everyone for the meal | |
| ごちそうさまでした | gochisōsama deshita | Said after eating, thanking the cook | |
| どういたしまして | dō itashimashite | You're welcome | |
| ごめんなさい | gomen nasai | I'm sorry (a genuine apology) | |
| 失礼します | shitsurei shimasu | Excuse me (on entering or leaving a room) | |
| お疲れさまです | otsukaresama desu | Thanks for your hard work (said to colleagues) | |
| いってきます | ittekimasu | I'm off (said when leaving home) |
Pronouns & People
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私 | watashi | I / me | |
| あなた | anata | You | |
| 彼 | kare | He | |
| 彼女 | kanojo | She | |
| 私たち | watashitachi | We | |
| 友達 | tomodachi | Friend | |
| 先生 | sensei | Teacher | |
| 家族 | kazoku | Family | |
| 母 | haha | My mother (used when speaking about her to others) | |
| 父 | chichi | My father (used when speaking about him to others) | |
| 子供 | kodomo | Child | |
| 人 | hito | Person | |
| 学生 | gakusei | Student | |
| 医者 | isha | Doctor | |
| 店員 | ten'in | Shop assistant / clerk | |
| 皆さん | minasan | Everyone (polite, addressing a group) |
Common Verbs
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | taberu | To eat | |
| 飲む | nomu | To drink | |
| 行く | iku | To go | |
| 来る | kuru | To come | |
| 見る | miru | To see / to watch | |
| 聞く | kiku | To listen / to ask | |
| 話す | hanasu | To speak / to talk | |
| 読む | yomu | To read | |
| 書く | kaku | To write | |
| する | suru | To do | |
| 買う | kau | To buy | |
| わかる | wakaru | To understand | |
| 寝る | neru | To sleep | |
| 起きる | okiru | To wake up / to get up | |
| 働く | hataraku | To work | |
| 休む | yasumu | To rest / to take time off | |
| 待つ | matsu | To wait | |
| 会う | au | To meet | |
| 帰る | kaeru | To return / to go home | |
| 入る | hairu | To enter / to go in | |
| 出る | deru | To leave / to go out | |
| 座る | suwaru | To sit down | |
| 立つ | tatsu | To stand up | |
| 歩く | aruku | To walk | |
| 走る | hashiru | To run | |
| 使う | tsukau | To use | |
| 作る | tsukuru | To make | |
| 教える | oshieru | To teach / to tell someone something | |
| 習う | narau | To learn (from a teacher) | |
| 思う | omou | To think / to feel | |
| 知る | shiru | To know / to find out | |
| 持つ | motsu | To hold / to carry / to have |
Common Adjectives
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大きい | ōkii | Big / large | |
| 小さい | chiisai | Small | |
| 高い | takai | High / expensive / tall | |
| 安い | yasui | Cheap / inexpensive | |
| 新しい | atarashii | New | |
| 古い | furui | Old (of things) | |
| いい | ii | Good | |
| 難しい | muzukashii | Difficult | |
| 暑い | atsui | Hot (weather) | |
| 寒い | samui | Cold (weather) | |
| 忙しい | isogashii | Busy | |
| 楽しい | tanoshii | Fun / enjoyable | |
| 面白い | omoshiroi | Interesting / funny | |
| 美味しい | oishii | Delicious | |
| 悪い | warui | Bad | |
| 長い | nagai | Long | |
| 短い | mijikai | Short | |
| 早い | hayai | Early / fast | |
| 遅い | osoi | Late / slow | |
| 近い | chikai | Near / close | |
| 遠い | tōi | Far | |
| 静か | shizuka | Quiet (a na-adjective: 静かな部屋) | |
| 元気 | genki | Well / healthy / energetic (a na-adjective) | |
| 簡単 | kantan | Easy / simple (a na-adjective) |
Question Words
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 何 | nani | What | |
| 誰 | dare | Who | |
| どこ | doko | Where | |
| いつ | itsu | When | |
| どうして | dōshite | Why | |
| どう | dō | How / how about | |
| いくら | ikura | How much (price) | |
| どれ | dore | Which one (choosing among three or more) | |
| どちら | dochira | Which of two / which way (also a polite 'where') | |
| 何時 | nanji | What time | |
| いくつ | ikutsu | How many / how old | |
| なぜ | naze | Why (more formal than どうして) |
Numbers
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | ichi | One (1) | |
| 二 | ni | Two (2) | |
| 三 | san | Three (3) | |
| 十 | jū | Ten (10) | |
| 百 | hyaku | Hundred (100) | |
| 四 | yon | Four (4); also read shi, though yon is safer | |
| 五 | go | Five (5) | |
| 六 | roku | Six (6) | |
| 七 | nana | Seven (7); also read shichi | |
| 八 | hachi | Eight (8) | |
| 九 | kyū | Nine (9); also read ku | |
| 二十 | nijū | Twenty (20) | |
| 五十 | gojū | Fifty (50) | |
| 千 | sen | Thousand (1,000) | |
| 万 | man | Ten thousand (10,000); 一万 is ichiman | |
| 半分 | hanbun | Half |
Time & Days
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日 | kyō | Today | |
| 明日 | ashita | Tomorrow | |
| 昨日 | kinō | Yesterday | |
| 今 | ima | Now | |
| 朝 | asa | Morning | |
| 夜 | yoru | Night | |
| 時間 | jikan | Time / hour | |
| 週末 | shūmatsu | Weekend | |
| 昼 | hiru | Noon / daytime | |
| 午前 | gozen | A.M. / before noon | |
| 午後 | gogo | P.M. / afternoon | |
| 今週 | konshū | This week | |
| 来週 | raishū | Next week | |
| 先週 | senshū | Last week | |
| 月曜日 | getsuyōbi | Monday | |
| 金曜日 | kin'yōbi | Friday | |
| 土曜日 | doyōbi | Saturday | |
| 日曜日 | nichiyōbi | Sunday | |
| 毎日 | mainichi | Every day | |
| 分 | fun | Minute (counter; read pun after some numbers) |
Everyday Nouns
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 水 | mizu | Water | |
| お金 | okane | Money | |
| 家 | ie | House / home | |
| 車 | kuruma | Car | |
| 電話 | denwa | Telephone | |
| 本 | hon | Book | |
| 名前 | namae | Name | |
| 店 | mise | Shop / store | |
| 食べ物 | tabemono | Food | |
| お茶 | ocha | Tea | |
| コーヒー | kōhī | Coffee | |
| ご飯 | gohan | Cooked rice / a meal | |
| パン | pan | Bread | |
| 駅 | eki | Station | |
| 空港 | kūkō | Airport | |
| 病院 | byōin | Hospital | |
| 銀行 | ginkō | Bank | |
| ホテル | hoteru | Hotel | |
| 部屋 | heya | Room | |
| 道 | michi | Road / way | |
| 切符 | kippu | Ticket (for trains and buses) | |
| 荷物 | nimotsu | Luggage / baggage | |
| 財布 | saifu | Wallet | |
| 鍵 | kagi | Key | |
| 傘 | kasa | Umbrella | |
| 服 | fuku | Clothes | |
| 天気 | tenki | Weather | |
| 仕事 | shigoto | Work / job | |
| 会社 | kaisha | Company | |
| 電車 | densha | Train |
Useful Sentences
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| お名前は何ですか。 | o-namae wa nan desu ka | What is your name? | |
| 私は学生です。 | watashi wa gakusei desu | I am a student. | |
| これは何ですか。 | kore wa nan desu ka | What is this? | |
| 英語がわかりますか。 | eigo ga wakarimasu ka | Do you understand English? | |
| 日本語が少しわかります。 | nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu | I understand a little Japanese. | |
| もう一度お願いします。 | mō ichido onegai shimasu | One more time, please. | |
| ゆっくり話してください。 | yukkuri hanashite kudasai | Please speak slowly. | |
| 助けてください。 | tasukete kudasai | Please help me. | |
| お腹が空きました。 | onaka ga sukimashita | I'm hungry. | |
| 少し待ってください。 | sukoshi matte kudasai | Please wait a moment. | |
| お元気ですか。 | o-genki desu ka | How are you? | |
| 今、何時ですか。 | ima nanji desu ka | What time is it now? | |
| トイレはどこですか。 | toire wa doko desu ka | Where is the bathroom? | |
| また明日会いましょう。 | mata ashita aimashō | Let's meet again tomorrow. | |
| 少し疲れました。 | sukoshi tsukaremashita | I'm a little tired. | |
| これをください。 | kore o kudasai | This one, please. | |
| いくらですか。 | ikura desu ka | How much is it? | |
| 駅はどこですか。 | eki wa doko desu ka | Where is the station? | |
| 日本語を勉強しています。 | nihongo o benkyō shite imasu | I am studying Japanese. | |
| 写真を撮ってもいいですか。 | shashin o totte mo ii desu ka | May I take a photo? | |
| メニューをお願いします。 | menyū o onegai shimasu | The menu, please. | |
| おすすめは何ですか。 | osusume wa nan desu ka | What do you recommend? | |
| カードで払えますか。 | kādo de haraemasu ka | Can I pay by card? | |
| 予約をしたいです。 | yoyaku o shitai desu | I would like to make a reservation. | |
| 気をつけてください。 | ki o tsukete kudasai | Please take care. | |
| 大丈夫です。 | daijōbu desu | It's fine. / I'm okay. | |
| わかりません。 | wakarimasen | I don't understand. | |
| 病院へ行きたいです。 | byōin e ikitai desu | I want to go to the hospital. | |
| 電車は何時に来ますか。 | densha wa nanji ni kimasu ka | What time does the train come? | |
| これは何と言いますか。 | kore wa nan to iimasu ka | What is this called? |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need hiragana or kanji to start?
You can start without them. Every phrase shows a romaji pronunciation next to the Japanese. Say it first and read it later. Hiragana takes a week or two and is worth learning early.
How polite are these Japanese phrases?
They sit in the polite masu form. That is correct with strangers and shopkeepers and colleagues. Plain form belongs with close friends and family. Keigo is the honorific register used at work and is a separate study.
Do I need an app to use these?
No. The list on this page works in a browser. The deck runs in a browser too and in the iPhone app. The app also turns your own sentences into cards with audio.
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