Vocabulary List
挨拶 (aisatsu)
The everyday phrases you’ll hear and use constantly, from "good morning" to "I’m home."
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | hello / good afternoon |
| おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu | good morning |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | good evening |
| さようなら | sayōnara | goodbye |
| おやすみなさい | oyasuminasai | good night |
| ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | thank you |
| すみません | sumimasen | excuse me / sorry |
| ごめんなさい | gomennasai | I'm sorry |
| はい | hai | yes |
| いいえ | iie | no |
| お願いします | onegaishimasu | please |
| どういたしまして | dō itashimashite | you're welcome |
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | nice to meet you |
| お元気ですか | o-genki desu ka | how are you? |
| 元気です | genki desu | I'm fine |
| いただきます | itadakimasu | (said before eating) |
| ごちそうさまでした | gochisōsama deshita | (said after eating) |
| いってきます | ittekimasu | I'm leaving (and will return) |
| ただいま | tadaima | I'm home |
Notice how many situations in Japanese have a fixed phrase where English has none: いってきます ("I'm leaving, and I'll be back") said on your way out the door is answered with いってらっしゃい ("go and come back safely"), and ただいま ("I'm home") is answered with おかえりなさい ("welcome back"). すみません is remarkably flexible — it can mean "excuse me" to get someone's attention, "sorry" for a minor inconvenience, or even "thank you" when someone has gone out of their way for you. Mastering these set phrases does more for sounding natural than memorizing grammar rules.
Every phrase here is built from hiragana — our free trainer covers all 46 characters.