Japanese learning blog
Practical guides on speaking, grammar, pronunciation, listening, and study planning, written for learners who want to use Japanese in real life.
All articles · Page 121
How to Say Can You Speak English in Japanese: Polite Ways to Ask
The polite way to ask whether someone speaks English in Japanese is eigo o hanasemasu ka, and in shops and stations the softer eigo wa daijōbu desu ka, is English okay, gets a friendlier answer.
12 min readHow to Say Cheer Up in Japanese: Genki Dashite and Kinder Alternatives
The closest Japanese to cheer up is genki dashite, literally bring out your energy, but the phrases people most often reach for when a friend is down are daijōbu da yo, it is all right, and ki ni shinai de, do not worry about it.
12 min readHow to Say Get Well Soon in Japanese: O-daiji ni and the Register Ladder
The everyday way to say get well soon in Japanese is o-daiji ni, which works with friends, colleagues and strangers, while hayaku yoku naru to ii ne is the warmer phrase you save for people close to you.
13 min readHow to Say How Much Is This in Japanese: Ikura, Zeikomi and Totals
The standard way to ask how much something costs in Japanese is kore wa ikura desu ka, and at a market or shop you can shorten it to a point and a friendly ikura desu ka.
13 min readHow to Say I Have a Question in Japanese: Class, Work and Shops
The plain way to say I have a question in Japanese is shitsumon ga arimasu, but in most real situations people soften it to chotto o-kiki shitai n desu ga, which means there is something I would like to ask.
12 min readHow to Say I Am Looking For in Japanese: Sagashite Imasu and Arimasu ka
To say I am looking for something in Japanese, use the pattern X o sagashite imasu, or, in a shop, the more natural X wa arimasu ka, do you have X, and X wa doko desu ka, where is X, when you know the shop stocks it.
13 min readHow to Say Just Kidding in Japanese: Jōdan, Nante Ne and Uso Uso
The everyday way to say just kidding in Japanese is jōdan desu or, with friends, jōdan da yo, and the softer nante ne tacked onto the end of a sentence lets you pull back something you said in a playful way.
13 min readHow to Say Sounds Good in Japanese: Ii desu ne, Ii ne and Sō Shimashō
The everyday way to say sounds good in Japanese is ii desu ne, or ii ne with friends, and when you want to go beyond approval and actually commit to the plan you add sō shimashō, let's do that.
12 min readHow to Say What Happened in Japanese: Dō Shita No, Nani ga Atta and Polite Forms
To ask what happened in Japanese, say dō shita no to a friend, dō shimashita ka in polite speech, or nani ga atta no when you can see that some specific event has upset the person in front of you.
12 min readHow to Say What Is This in Japanese: Kore wa Nan desu ka and Beyond
The standard way to ask what is this in Japanese is kore wa nan desu ka, shortened to kore nani? among friends, and you switch to nan to iimasu ka or nan te yomimasu ka when what you really want is the name or the reading of something.
13 min readHow to Say Check Please in Japanese: O-kaikei, the X Gesture and Paying Up
Check please in Japanese is o-kaikei onegaishimasu, said to any member of staff, and in most restaurants you then take the slip from your table to the register by the door rather than paying where you sit.
13 min readHow to Say Do You Have in Japanese: Arimasu ka, Motte imasu ka and Shop Replies
In a shop, do you have is simply the item plus wa arimasu ka; for something a person owns or carries it is motte imasu ka; and for people or pets it becomes imasu ka, because Japanese chooses the verb by what is being had.
13 min readPractical guides
Turn Japanese knowledge into speaking confidence
Practice with Unihongo's AI Sensei in an immersive 3D classroom, with roleplay missions, pronunciation coaching, useful feedback, and learning games that build your vocabulary while you play.