Introduction to Japan and the Japanese Language

Welcome to Japanese! In this first lesson you will learn how to state your name Japanese-style, greet people in Japanese, say “I understand” and “I don’t understand,” ask someone to repeat something, and count numbers up to 99. You will also become familiar with a few representative scenes from Japan and facts about the Japanese language.

Dialogues (会話)

Identifying yourself

Romaji	English
Watakushi wa … desu.	I’m (name).

Confirming a place on a map

Romaji	English
Kore wa Tokyo desu ka?	Is this Tokyo?
Hai, soo desu.	Yes, it is.
Iie, chigaimasu.	No, it isn’t. (Lit., No, it is different.)

Asking for repetition

Romaji	English
Sumimasen. Moo ichi-do itte kudasai.	Excuse me. Please say that again.

Greetings

Romaji	English
A: …san, ohayoo gozaimasu.	Good morning, Mr./Ms. …
B: Ohayoo gozaimasu.	Good morning.
A: Konnichiwa.	Good afternoon.
B: Konnichiwa.	Good afternoon.
A: Konbanwa.	Good evening.
B: Konbanwa.	Good evening.
A: Sayoonara.	Good-bye.
B: Sayoonara.	Good-bye.

Classroom expressions

Romaji	English
Instructor: Wakarimasu ka?	Do you understand?
Student: Hai, wakarimasu.	Yes, I understand.
Student: Iie, wakarimasen.	No, I don’t understand.
Student: Moo ichi-do itte kudasai.	Please say it again.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	Kana	English
kore	これ	this (thing)
wa	は	(topic marker particle)
nan	なん	what?
desu	です	is / am / are
ka	か	(question marker particle)
watakushi	わたくし	I
Nihon	にほん	Japan
hai	はい	yes
…san	…さん	Mr., Mrs., Ms.
soo	そう	thus, so, correct
iie	いいえ	no
chigaimasu	ちがいます	wrong, different
sumimasen	すみません	excuse me, I’m sorry
moo	もう	more, again, further
ichi-do	いちど	one time, once
itte kudasai	いってください	please say
ohayoo gozaimasu	おはようございます	good morning
konnichiwa	こんにちは	good day, good afternoon
konbanwa	こんばんは	good evening
sayoonara	さようなら	good-bye
wakarimasu	わかります	understand
wakarimasen	わかりません	not understand
sensee	せんせい	teacher, instructor
o-genki desu ka?	おげんきですか	How are you? (polite)

Grammar & Usage Notes

Japanese names

A Japanese name consists of the family name followed by the given name — the reverse of English order. The family name is used far more frequently in Japanese than in English, and first names are usually reserved for intimates.

Forms of address with san

The title san is the most common form of address and is used regardless of the person’s sex or marital status. It translates as “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” or “Ms.” depending on context. There are three patterns:

1. Family name + san — most common among adults (e.g., Tanaka-san)
2. First name + san — implies intimacy, used between close friends and family
3. Full name + san — most formal, used when a full name is required

Never add san to your own name — it is a mark of politeness toward others.

Greetings

• Ohayoo gozaimasu — “Good morning.” (Ohayoo is the casual form.)
• Konnichiwa — “Good afternoon” or “Good day,” used from late morning to dusk.
• Konbanwa — “Good evening.”
• Sayoonara — “Good-bye,” implying you won’t meet again the same day.

Making questions with ka

Add ka to the end of any statement to turn it into a question:

• Kore wa Tokyo desu. → “This is Tokyo.”
• Kore wa Tokyo desu ka? → “Is this Tokyo?”

Practice Exercises (練習)

Loanwords from English

These English-origin words are commonly used in modern Japanese. Practice pronouncing them:

Romaji	English
basu	bus
biiru	beer
menyuu	menu
biifu	beef
erebeetaa	elevator
chokoreeto	chocolate
wain	wine
koohii	coffee
esukareetaa	escalator
sandoitchi	sandwich
shatsu	shirt
hanbaagaa	hamburger
koora	cola
sarada	salad
seetaa	sweater
sokkusu	socks

American names in Japanese pronunciation

Practice recognizing American names as they sound in Japanese:

Romaji	English name
Sumisu	Smith
Teeraa	Taylor
Hoomuzu	Holmes
Joonzu	Jones
Tonpuson	Thompson
Andaason	Anderson
Jonson	Johnson
Toomasu	Thomas
Reegan	Reagan
Buraun	Brown
Makudonarudo	McDonald
Jakuson	Jackson

Counting: Numbers 0–99

Number	Romaji	Number	Romaji
0	zero	10	juu
1	ichi	20	ni-juu
2	ni	30	san-juu
3	san	40	yon-juu
4	shi / yon	50	go-juu
5	go	60	roku-juu
6	roku	70	nana-juu
7	shichi / nana	80	hachi-juu
8	hachi	90	kyuu-juu
9	ku / kyuu	99	kyuu-juu kyuu

Compound numbers follow a simple pattern: juu-ichi (11), juu-ni (12), ni-juu-ichi (21), etc.

Reading telephone numbers

Use the particle no where the hyphen appears:

• 123-4567 → ichi, ni, san no yon, go, roku, shichi (or nana)

Cultural Notes

• The Japanese writing system uses five kinds of symbols: Kanji (Chinese characters), Hiragana, Katakana, Romaji (Roman letters), and Arabic numerals. About 90% of characters in ordinary text are Kanji and Hiragana.
• Pronunciation basics: Japanese has only five vowels (a, i, u, e, o) and most consonants are similar to English. Each syllable receives approximately equal stress and time — unlike English, where some syllables are louder than others.
• Accent in Japanese is shown by pitch difference (high vs. low), not by stress (loud vs. soft) as in English.
• Most Japanese study English in school but few can use it for conversation. When you need to communicate in English, try writing down what you want to say — many Japanese find it easier to understand written English than spoken English.