Saturday, December 12, 2009

Top 10 Survival Japanese Phrases For Traveling Japan

By Emily Kato

Learning a new language is always fun but learning Japanese is extremely interesting, as it is a very different language from English. The beauty of learning new languages is that you come across various new words and phrases and enjoy different words coming out from your mouth. To meet a person from a different language back ground and to communicate with him, you need not to have a firm grip over the entire language but some common phrases will do the job for you.

For example, if you learn some basic survival Japanese phrases, then you can conveniently put across you thoughts to your Japanese friends. In this article, I have compiled a list of top 10 survival Japanese phrases, which will give you more confidence while interacting with your Japanese friends. Merely by learning the following basic Japanese phrases, you will instantly be able to roam around Japan and leave a positive impression on your Japanese:-

1. "Please" is a very courteous word which can be very useful and handy in most situations and in Japanese you can say "Dozo" to express your permission as in "Please go ahead!" or "Be my guest". "Dozo" should not be used for seeking permission as in "May I start?"

2. In order to seek permission as in "May I start?" you must use "O-negai shi-masu" as a way of saying "Please".

3. In case you feel bad about something and you want to say "I am (really) sorry", you can convey your feelings by saying "Gomen-nasai".

4. "Yes" and "No" are the two most commonly used words in any culture of the world and most of the tourists travel through various countries, knowing only these two words. The Japanese alternative for "Yes" is "Hai" and for "No" you can say "iie".

5. "Thank you" can commonly be expressed as "Ari-gatou" and if some one thanks you for something then you can reply "You are welcome" by saying "Dou Itashi-ma-shite!"

6. "Kekkou desu!" is the Japanese alternative phrase for "No! Thank you!" and can be used when your friend offers you something which you do not need.

7. When you are trying to disturb some one busy in his work or want to attract some one's attention then you say "Excuse me please" and in Japanese language you can say "Shit-surei Shi-masu".

8. When entering your friend's house, as per Japanese customs, you are supposed to say "O Jama Shi-masu", which literally means "Sorry to bother you".

9. "Cheers" can be said in Japanese as "Kanpai!"

10. "Take care of yourself" is another commonly used phrase in daily conversation and you can express your greeting as "O Daiji Ni".

I am sure that these top 10 survival Japanese phrases will make your trip more pleasurable and comforting. You can use this list as a handy guide and it will prove useful in any Japanese social gathering.

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