Japanese Language Tips
 

Though I realize it's possible to get by with little to no Japanese in Japan, the next time we go (now looking like March 2025) we'd like to be able to say more than "excuse me", "thank you" and "two please." . Any special advice from those of you with basic (or better) Japanese language skills on how to (and what to) learn quickly (including particular resources).
Thanks, Z
P.S. We are signed up for a conversation class through a Buddhist church in our area.

I've always been pleased with Pimsleur's language lessons.
Kudos for the effott!

Thanks kja, I'll be checking Pimsleur out.

Japanese Language Tips
 

Though I realize it's possible to get by with little to no Japanese in Japan, the next time we go (now looking like March 2025) we'd like to be able to say more than "excuse me", "thank you" and "two please." . Any special advice from those of you with basic (or better) Japanese language skills on how to (and what to) learn quickly (including particular resources).
Thanks, Z
P.S. We are signed up for a conversation class through a Buddhist church in our area.

You might ask the moderators to eliminate this duplicate post. To do so click, on the orange triangle.

It's wonderful that you are attempting to learn some phrases. I expect the locals will greatly appreciate the effort, but you likely won't need, or be able to speak comfortably, more than the few basics when on the ground. (I had my "basics" for France, and froze up all the time.) It's not easy. A greeting, a smile, and a mien of warm respect are most important. And when asking for something complicated, I'd have the phrase pre-translated and on my phone screen to show the local person.

Your class will be great. After a day or two in Japan, I expect you'll be saying the following phrases very comfortably:

• arigato (thank you)
• o-ne-gai-shi-mas (please)
• gomen-kudasai (please excuse my bothering you, but...)
• kon-nichi-wa (hello)
• o-hai-yo gozaimas (good morning or simply 'o-haiyo!)
• sayonara (goodbye, or more casually 'bye-bye'!)

Consider how many loan words the Japanese use nowadays, so often you can say the thing in English, and they'll understand:

• Coffee o-ne-gai-shi-mas (co-hi)
• Hamburger or cheeseburger (han-ba-ga or chee-su-ba-ga)
• taxi (takushi)
• vending machine (be-n-din-gu)

And in your conversation class, they'll likely mention it, but Japanese is an alphabet of syllables (or more like syllables) rather than single letters, so...
our vowels A-E-I-O-U are more like... ah, ee, oo, eh, oh
K sound: ka, kee, koo, kay, ko
S sound: sa, shi, su, se, so
M sound: ma, me, moo, may, mo
R sound: ra, ree, roo, ray, ro, etc.

I thought this youtuber was helpful on the above.

Watching a little Japanese tv from time to time will help your ear. Turn on NHK Japan if you have with your cable subscription, though it's English language, often the travel shows have Japanese with English subtitles. Or certainly Netflix has Japanese dramas. We pay for JME.tv in our house, and enjoy it for 'Asa-ichi' (a daily morning news program, like Today or GMA) and Tsurube's visits to local villages.
https://www.jme.tv/

And also, use chopsticks at home now so you feel comfortable. Last year, my brother and his family struggled a tiny bit on our trip, and I realized, even in Chicago, I eat nearly all my meals with chopsticks so it was no issue when I travelled. So it's something I mention to tourists now.

And some other cultural considerations, first and foremost, is not to cause discomfort to the society around you, which means things like no loud talking/laughing in close spaces. One I heard, which I never considered, but never did anyway in Japan, is crossing your legs in certain situations. Perhaps it comes off as an arrogance that strikes the Japanese as a bit amusing or boorish. (I expect, as a Japanese-American, I still do things that come off as boorish. Luckily, my mother's side is Okinawan, and I find that culture more friendly, happy, and warm than I've found in the metropolitan areas of mainland, though I've never felt anything but kindness in Japan.)

Good luck with your travels, and thanks for helping make tourists like us less annoying overseas!

duplcate threads merged

Thank you very much ChgoGal for your excellent tips and advice. I have to say that you've also stirred our interest in traveling to Okinawa. Perhaps in 2026....if we're lucky.

Thanks kja and Moderator!

>> Japanese is an alphabet of syllables
It is a syllabary

Basics you will learn
vowels A-E-I-O-U ah-eh-e-o-u (u is like you but without the y sound, like in Putin)
Y is never a vowel

bye-bye sounds the same in Japanese but would be like bai-bai (bah e bah e)
(irks me when an excellent ramen place in Long Beach welcomes you with "irisshai" with the ending pronounced as "shay" when it should be "shy")

Vowels end syllables. The first consonant in a pair is a syllable, e.g.
Sapporo is more like sa-p-po-ro than sa-po-ro (the r is rolled)

Two syllables for
東京 Tōkyō
京都 Kyōto

Vowel sounds are short except when there is a bar on top in romajii.
Tō in Tōkyō sounds like English "toe"
to in Kyōto is like "toe" but you clip it off as soon as you start the o sound.(like tote with a shorter o than toe)

Japanese has a pitch accent. The pitch/tone of the first and/or last syllables can be higher/lower than the others.
sa KE is a drink
SA ke is a fish but you can just say samon, the borrowed word

I think that the u in gozaimasu is unvoiced.

Youtube channel Japanese Ammo with Misa is quite particular about pronunciation. I think she must have studied linguistics.

I think my pronunciation is better when I remember to widen my mouth when speaking Nihongo.

That youtube linked above is excellent. He uses the correct term mora where I used syllable.

One of the most useful phrases, as far as I'm concerned, is when you need directions to the station, toilet, hotel, etc:
Marriott Hoteru wa, doku desu ka?
Say it as: "Marriott Hoteru wah, dough-coo dess kai?"
Drop the u at the end of words. pronounce Rs as D, pronounce Ls as R
Even easier for you and the person to whom your asking is, "Marriott Hoteru, please?"

Clever...and thank you!
Z