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Japanese Phrases

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English Phrases Japanese Phrases

English Greetings Japanese Greetings:

Hi! Yaa. *1 やあ。

Good morning! Ohayou gozaimasu. おはようございます。

Good evening! Konbanw こんばんは。

Welcome! (to greet someone) Youkoso irasshai mashita. ようこそいらっしゃいました。

How are you? Ogenki desuka? お元気ですか？

I'm fine, thanks! Watashi wa genki desu. Arigato! わたしは元気です。ありがとう

。

And you? Anatawa? あなたは？

Good/ So-So. Genki desu. / maa-maa desu. 元気です。/ まあまあです。

Thank you (very much)! Arigatou! *2 ありがとう！

You're welcome! (for "thank you") Dou itashi mashite. どういたしまして。

I missed you so much! Samishi katta desu. *3 さみしかったです。

What's new? Saikin dou desuka? 最近どうですか？

Nothing much Kawari nai desu. 変わりないです。

Good night! Oyasumi nasai. おやすみなさい。

See you later! Mata atode aimashou! またあとで会いましょう！

Good bye! Sayonara! さようなら！

Asking for Help and Directions

I'm lost Mayotte shimai mashita. 迷ってしまいました。

Can I help you? Otetsudai shimashouka? お手伝いしましょうか？

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English Phrases Japanese Phrases

Can you help me? Tetsudatte kuremasuka? *4 手伝ってくれますか？

Where is the (bathroom/

pharmacy)?

(Toire/yakkyoku) wa doko desuka? (トイレ/薬局) はどこですか

？

Go straight! then turn left/ right! Massugu itte kudasai. Soshite, hidari / migi ni magatte kudasai まっすぐ行ってください。そして、左／右にまがってください。

I'm looking for john. John wo sagashite imasu. Johnを探しています。

One moment please! Chotto matte kudasai. ちょっと待ってください。

Hold on please! (phone) Chotto matte kudasai. ちょっと待ってください。

How much is this? Kore wa ikura desuka? これはいくらですか？

Excuse me ...! (to ask for

something) Sumimasen! すみません！

Excuse me! ( to pass by) Sumimasen! すみません！

Come with me! Watashi to issho ni kite kudasai. 私といっしょに来てください。


How to Introduce Yourself

Do you speak (English/ Japanese)? Anata wa eigo/nihongo wo hanashimasu ka? あなたは（英語／日本語）を話しますか？

Just a little. Sukoshi dake. 少しだけ。

What's your name? Namae wa nandesu ka? 名前は何ですか？

My name is ... Watashi no namae wa ….. 私の名前は・・・

Mr.../ Mrs.…/ Miss… *5 “san” is adequate for all. ・・・さん

Nice to meet you! Hajimemashite! or Oai dekite ureshii desu. *6 はじめまして！／お会いできてうれしいです！

You're very kind! Anata wa totemo shinsetsu desu. あなたはとてもしんせつです

。




Where are you from? Doko no shusshin desu ka? どこの出身ですか？

I'm from (the U.S/ Japan) Amerika/Nihon kara desu. アメリカ／日本からです。

I'm (American) Watashi wa Amerika jin desu. 私はアメリカ人です。

Where do you live? Doko ni sun de imasu ka? どこに住んでいますか？

I live in (the U.S/ Japan) Watashi wa amerika / nihon ni sundeimasu. 私はアメリカ／日本に住んでいます。

Did you like it here? Kokowa suki ni narimashita ka? ここは好きになりましたか？

Japan is a wonderful country Nihon ha subarashii kuni desu. 日本は素晴らしい国です。

What do you do for a living? Osigoto wa nandesu ka? お仕事は何ですか？

I work as a (translator/ businessman) Osigoto wa nandesu ka? ほんやく／会社員として働いています

。

I like Japanese Watashi wa nihongo ga suki desu. 私は日本語が好きです。

I've been learning Japanese for 1

month

Watashi wa nihongo wo ichikagetu narrate imasu. 私は日本語を一ヶ月習っています。

Oh! That's good! Sorewa iidesu ne. それはいいですね。

How old are you? Toshi wa ikutsu desu ka? 年はいくつですか？

I'm (twenty, thirty...) years old. Watshi wa (20, 30) sai desu. 私は（２０，３０）才です。

I have to go Ikanakutewa narimasen. 行かなくてはなりません。

I will be right back! Sugu modori masu. すぐ戻ります。

Wish Someone Something

Good luck! Ganbatte ne! *7 がんばってね！

Happy birthday! Tanjyoubi omedetou gozaimasu! 誕生日おめでとうございます

！

Happy new year! Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. あけましておめでとうございます。

Merry Christmas! Merii Kurisumasu! *8 メリークリスマス！


Congratulations! Omedetou! おめでとう！

Enjoy! (for meals...) (noun, etc) wo tanoshinde kudasai. ( ) を楽しんでください。

I'd like to visit Japan one day Ituka nihon wo otozure tai. いつか日本を訪れたい。

Say hi to John for me John ni yoroshiku to tsutaete kudasai.

Johnによろしくと伝えてください。

Bless you (when sneezing) Odaiji ni. お大事に。

Good night and sweet dreams! Oyasumi nasai. おやすみなさい。

Solving a Misunderstanding

I'm Sorry! (if you don't hear

something) Sumimasen. すみません。

Sorry (for a mistake) Gomenasai. ごめんなさい。

No Problem! Daijyoubu desu. 大丈夫です。

Can You Say It Again? Mouichido itte kuremasuka? もういちど言ってくれますか？

Can You Speak Slowly? Yukkuri shabette kuremasuka? ゆっくりしゃべってくれますか

？

Write It Down Please! Kaite kudasai. 書いてください。

I Don't Understand! Wakarimasen. わかりません。

I Don't Know! Shirimasen. 知りません。

I Have No Idea. Wakarimasen. わかりません。

What's That Called In Japanese? Arewa nihongo de nanto iimasu ka? あれは日本語で何といいますか？

What Does "gato" Mean In English? “Omedeto” wa eigo de douiu imi desu ka?

Omedeto は英語でどういう意味ですか？

How Do You Say "Please" In

Japanese?

“Please” wa nihongo de nanto iimasu ka?

“Please” は日本語で何と言いますか？

What Is This? Korewa nandesu ka? これは何ですか？


My Japanese is bad. Watashi no nihongo wa heta desu. 私の日本語はへたです。

I need to practice my Japanese Nihonn go wo renshu suru hitsuyou ga arimasu. 日本語を練習する必要があります。

Don't worry! Goshinpai naku. ご心配なく。

Japanese Expressions and Words

Good/ Bad/ So-So. Yoi / Warui / maa-maa よい／悪い／まあまあ

Big/ Small Ookii/Chiisai 大きい／小さい

Today/ Now Kyou / Ima 今日／今

Tomorrow/ Yesterday Ashita / Kinou 明日／昨日

Yes/ No Hai / iie はい／いいえ

Here you go! (when giving

something) Hai, douzo! はい、どうぞ。

Do you like it? Suki desu ka? 好きですか？

I really like it! Honto ni suki desu. ほんとに好きです。

I'm hungry/ thirsty. Onaka ga suki masita. / Nodo ga kawaki mashita. おなかが空きました。／のどがかわきました。

In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night. Asa ni, yuugata ni, yoru ni 朝に／夕方に／夜に

This/ That. Here/There Kore / Are Koko / Asoko これ／あれここ／あそこ

Me/ You. Him/ Her. Watashi / anata Kare / Kanojyo 私／あなた彼／彼女

Really! Honto! ほんと！

Look! Mite！見て！

Hurry up! Isoide! 急いで！

What? Where? Nani? Doko? 何？どこ？

What time is it? Nanji desu ka? 何時ですか？


It's 10 o'clock. 07:30pm. Jyuji desu. Gogo hichi ji sanjyu pun desu. 十時です。午後７時３０分です。

Give me this! Kore wo kudasai! これをください。

I love you! Daisuki desu./ Anata wo aishite imasu. *9

大好きです。/あなたを愛しています。

I feel sick. Choshi ga warui desu. 調子が悪いです。

I need a doctor Byouin ni ikitai. 病院に行きたい。

One, Two, Three Ichi, ni, san いち、に、さん

Four, Five, Six Yon, go, roku よん、ご、ろく

Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten Nana (shichi) hachi, kyuu, jyuu なな（ひち）、はち、きゅう、

じゅう

*1 This may be a kind of literary/writing expression… and it’s seldom used in conversation. But

never is unnatural.

*2 Arigato and Arigato gozaimasu. There’s no big difference between them, “Arigato gozaimasu” is

more polite.

*3 (Anata ga inakute) Samishi katta desu : Abbreviated Anata ga inakute.

*4 Usually we just say “Excuse me/ Sumimasen”, and “Can you help me” is included in this

“Sumimasen”.

*5 ...san is a very normal way. Add after both first and family name like Koizumi san or Jyunichiro

san.

*6 This sentence can directly be Oai dekite ureshii desu. If you meet person for the first time, you

can say Hajimemashite.

*7 Direct translation is Kouun wo inorimasu.

*8 Christmas is not really celebrated by the Japanese and therefore Merry Christmas is not a

common greeting you would hear.

*9 This is one of the Japanese language mysteries, I love you is expressed in progressive aspect

like “I am loving you”. But basically it’s seldom used. Instead, Daisuki desu is used casually.

I hope the content of this page was useful to you, and that you learned some Japanese phrases,

expressions and words. Make sure to memorize them to be able to use them in your daily

conversation. If you want to practice what you have learnt here, go to Language Test.

To add this page to your favorite pages simply press (Ctrl+D) on your keyboard for Internet

Explorer and Firefox. You can also link to us here: Link to Us.

Japanese Alphabet

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This page contains a table including the following: Japanese alphabet, including Kana,

Hiragana, and Katakana, letters which help you pronounce the words in a given language, you

will also learn about the different consonants and vowels. Make sure to check our Learn

Japanese page, which contains several lessons that might help you in your learning process.

Japanese Alphabet

The Japanese alphabet is usually referred to as kana, specifically hiragana and katakana. While the

Hiragana consists of 48 syllables, it is a phonetic alphabet where each alphabetic combination represents

just a single sound. Thus any Japanese word can be written in a way that can be read without having to

remember how the word is pronounced. So the Japanese kana are much simpler, the way something is

written is the way it sounds. There is also Kanji, a Japanese system of writing based on borrowed or

slightly modified Chinese characters.

Hiragana Syllables (Alphabet)

The table below shows the 48 Hiragana syllables:


EN JP EN JP EN JP EN JP EN JP

a あ ka か sa さ ta た na な

i い ki き shi し chi ち ni に

u う ku く su す tsu つ nu ぬ

e え ke け se せ te て ne ね

o お ko こ so そ to と no の

ha は ma ま ya や ra ら wa わ

hi ひ mi み

ri り wi ゐ

fu ふ mu む yu ゆ ru る n ん

he へ me め

re れ we ゑ

ho ほ mo も yo よ ro ろ wo を

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Maybe you have noticed that many sounds are missing, that’s why Japanese added some additional

sounds using diacritics or combinations of syllables, the table below shows the additional sounds in

Hiragana:



ga が za ざ da だ ba ば pa ぱ

gi ぎ ji じ ji ぢ bi び pi ぴ

gu ぐ zu ず zu づ bu ぶ pu ぷ

ge げ ze ぜ de で be べ pe ぺ

go ご zo ぞ do ど bo ぼ po ぽ

kya きゃ sha しゃ cha ちゃ hya ひゃ pya ぴゃ

kyu きゅ shu しゅ chu ちゅ hyu ひゅ pyu ぴゅ

kyo きょ sho しょ cho ちょ hyo ひょ pyo ぴょ

gya ぎゃ ja じゃ nya にゃ bya びゃ mya みゃ

gya ぎゅ ju じゅ nyu にゅ byu びゅ my みゅ

gyo ぎょ jo じょ nyo にょ byo びょ myo みょ

rya りゃ ryu りゅ ryu りょ (ja) ぢゃ (ju) ぢゅ

Katakana Syllables (Alphabet)

Katakana are most often used for transcription of words in foreign languages. used to represent sounds,

technical and scientific terms.



Katakana's main feature is short straight strokes and angular corners, that’s why Katakana is considered

the simplest of the Japanese scripts.



a ア ka カ sa サ ta タ na ナ

i イ ki キ shi シ chi チ ni ニ

u ウ ku ク su ス tsu ツ nu ヌ

e エ ke ケ se セ te テ ne ネ

o オ ko コ so ソ to ト no ノ

ha ハ ma マ ya ヤ ra ラ wa ワ

hi ヒ mi ミ

ri リ (wi) ヰ

fu フ mu ム yu ユ ru ル n ン

he ヘ me メ

re レ (we) ヱ

ho ホ mo モ yo ヨ ro ロ (w)o ヲ

For a modern Katakana there was a necessity to add some sounds, below is a list of additions to the

katakana, used mainly to represent sounds from other languages:



ga ガ za ザ da ダ ba バ pa パ

gi ギ ji ジ ji ヂ bi ビ pi ピ

gu グ zu ズ zu ヅ bu ブ pu プ

ge ゲ ze ゼ de デ be ベ pe ペ






go ゴ zo ゾ do ド bo ボ po ポ

kya キャ sha シャ cha チャ hya ヒャ pya ピャ

kyu キュ shu シュ chu チュ hyu ヒュ pyu ピュ

kyo キョ sho ショ cho チョ hyo ヒョ pyo ピョ

gya ギャ ja ジャ nya ニャ bya ビャ mya ミャ

gya ギュ ju ジュ nyu ニュ byu ビュ my ミュ

gyo ギョ jo ジョ nyo ニョ byo ビョ myo ミョ

rya リャ ryu リュ ryu リョ (ja) ヂャ (ju) ヂュ

Kanji Characters (Alphabet)

Kanji are used together with three other systems to write modern Japanese, Kanji which is a Japanese

system of writing based on borrowed or slightly modified Chinese characters is used to write parts of the

language such as nouns, adjective stems and verb stems. For Kanji characters refers to the Chinese

characters.


EN JP EN JP EN JP EN JP

ye イェ va (ヷ) va ヴァ she シェ

wi ウィ vi (ヸ) vi ヴィ je ジェ

we ウェ vu ヴ ve ヴェ che チェ

wo ウォ ve (ヹ) vo ヴォ

vo (ヺ) vya ヴャ

ti ティ tsa ツァ fa ファ



EN JP EN JP EN JP EN JP

tu トゥ tsi ツィ fi フィ

tyu テュ tse ツェ fe フェ

di ディ tso ツォ fo フォ

du ドゥ

fyu フュ

dyu デュ

Japanese Cardinal Numbers

Numbers in Japanese can either be written in the usual "Arabic numbers" fashion (0...9), or using

kanji. 0...9 is more often used when writing horizontally, kanji when writing vertically, although

there are plenty of exceptions to both.

When using kanji to write numbers, a positional system is employed. 25 is "two ten five", 3479 is

"three thousand four hundred seven ten nine", etc. Note that there is a character and word for

10,000 (man), but not for a million. To say a million, you have to say "one hundred ten-thousand".

Cardinal numbers are digits like 1, 2, 3, 4 … There are two ways of writing the numbers in

Japanese, in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) or in Chinese numerals (一, 二, 三). The Arabic numerals

are more often used in horizontal writing, and the Chinese numerals are more common in vertical

writing.


English Japanese Cardinal Numbers in Romaji Kanji

0 rei [rei] 零

1 Iti [ichi] 一

2 ni 二

3 san 三

4 Shi 四

5 go 五

6 roku 六




7 nana 七

8 hati [hachi] 八

9 kyu 九

10 jyu 十

11 jyu ichi 十一

20 ni jyu 二十

100 hyaku 百

Here are some examples of some other numbers which will give you an idea on how the structure

of several numbers is made:



17 jyu nana, jyu shichi 十七

151 hyaku go-jyu ichi 百五十一

302 san-byaku ni 三百二

469 yon-hyaku roku-jyu kyu 四百六十九

2025 ni-sen ni-jyu go 二千二十五

Japanese Ordinal Numbers Ordinal numbers are used to determine a position or a rank, for example: first, second, third ...

please look at the table below:

Katakana's main feature is short straight strokes and angular corners, that’s why Katakana is

considered the simplest of the Japanese scripts.








first tuitati 1日

second hutuka 2日

third mikka 3日

fourth yokka 4日

fifth ituka 5日

sixth muika 6日

seventh nanoka 7日

eight youka 8日

ninth kokonoka 9日

tenth touka 10日

eleventh zyuuitiniti 11日

twentieth hatuka 20日

hundredth hyakka 100日

Japanese Verbs

This page contains a table including the following: Japanese Verbs and tenses. Try to memorize

the way they're used because they're very important in communication, and might be very helpful

to convey your most important expressions. Make sure to check our Learn Japanese page,

which contains several lessons that might help you in your learning process.

Japanese Verbs

When it comes to learning the Japanese Verbs, there is good news, unlike English or most

European language, Japanese verb conjugation is the same for all subjects, first person ("I", "we"),

second person ("thou", "you") and third person ("he/she/it" and "they"), singular and plural. The

plain form of all verbs ends in u. There are very few irregular verbs, but if you master the regular

verbs and how to use them, then you would have taken care of 98% of the verbs use.


Japanese Present Tense

More good news is that the present and the future are the same in Japanese. To understand that

better we will take examples in English, in English sometimes you can refer to the future using the

present tense, for example a person might say: I'm taking the kids with me next time, even though

the present tense was used here, it still refer to the future, usually it's understood by context or

using words refering to the future "next time", "tomorrow"... The same goes with the Japanese

future tense. For example:

(私は)買い物をする (watashi wa) kaimono wo suru: "(I) shop", or "(I) will shop". (私は)明日勉強す

る (watashi wa) ashita benkyou suru: "Tomorrow, (I) will study". (Japanese pronouns usually are

omitted when it is clear about whom the speaker is talking.) (check the list of verbs below)

Japanese Past Tense

The easiness of the Japanese Verbs doesn't stop with the present and future tense. Even the past

tense is very easy to conjugate. The past tense is very similar in conjugation to the "te" form. Most

of the past tenses are formed by replacing "te" with "ta". Examine the table below:


Verbs Ending Past Form

Raw Example Past Form

う u った tta

使う tsukau (use) 使った tsukatta

く ku いた ita

焼く yaku (burn) 焼いた yaita

ぐ gu いだ ida

泳ぐ oyogu (swim) 泳いだ oyoida

す su した shita

示す shimesu (show) 示し

た shimeshita

つ tsu った tta

待つ matsu (wait) 待った matta

ぬ nu んだ nda

死ぬ shinu (die) 死んだ shinda



Verbs Ending Past Form

Raw Example Past Form

ぶ bu んだ nda

呼ぶ yobu (call) 呼んだ yonda

む mu んだ nda

読む yomu (read) 読んだ yonda

る ru (consonant stem) った tta

走る hashiru (run) 走った hashitta

いる iru, える eru (vowel

stem)

いた ita, えた

eta

着替える kigaeru (change

clothes) 着替えた kigaeta

As you can see, the table above shows the Japanese verbs in the raw format and then when it's in

the past tense very straight forward method. There are some irregular forms but they're not too

many, here are some examples:

する suru (do) becomes した shita.

来る kuru (come) becomes 来た kita.

行く iku (go) becomes 行った itta.

Japanese Verbs in the Negative Form

To use the negative with verbs it's very easy as well. The basic pattern is that "u" becomes "anai",

for example: 焼く yaku (to burn) becomes 焼かない yakanai (not to burn). 読む yomu (to read)

becomes 読まない yomanai (not to read), easy right?

Japanese Verb List

One of the characteristics of the Japanese language is that the verb generally comes at the end of

the sentence. Japanese has two types of regular verbs:

consonant stem, godan katsuyō (五段活用?), Group I, or u verbs.

Vowel stem, ichidan katsuyō (一段活用?), Group II, or ru verbs.

Here is a list of verbs ending in "eru" which are Group 1 Verbs:




English Group I Japanese Verbs

to act violently takeru

to attend on haberu

to be absorbed in fukeru

to be crooked kuneru

to be hatched (see kaeru above) kaeru

to be overturned kutsugaeru

to be slippery numeru

to become cloudy kageru

to become damp shikeru

to carve eru

to chatter daberu

to choose (see eru above) eru

to compete seru

to decrease heru


to decrease meru

to fall forward nomeru

to feel hot hoderu

to flatter omoneru

to flush, to feel hot hoteru

to grow thick shigeru

to hide, lie in ambush fuseru

to humble oneself heru

to hurry aseru

to kick keru

to lie sprawled soberu

to pick, play with seseru

to pinch tsumeru

to pinch tsuneru

to return (see kaeru above) kaeru


to ridicule azakeru

to ridicule (see eru above) eru

to rise from the dead yomigaeru

to root with the nose useru

to shine teru

to slip suberu

to soar kakeru

to talk, to chat shaberu

to temper, to refine, to knead neru

to turn over kaeru

to turn over, to wave hirugaeru

to twist hineru

to undulate uneru

This is a list of verbs ending in "iru" which are Group 1 Verbs





to abuse verbally nonoshiru

to be frightened tamagiru

to be greasy aburagiru

to be surprised bibiru

to become misty kishiru

to become misty kiru

to become sultry ikiru

to belittle; to despise mikubiru

to boil down iru

to boil, to seethe tagiru

to come/go - humble mairu

to curse kashiru

to cut (see kiru above) kiru

to dare to omoikiru


to edge forward nijiru

to enter hairu

to fall, sink ochiiru

to feel depressed meiru

to fiddle with ijiru

to gnaw kajiru

to go in (see iru above) iru

to gouge, scoop kujiru

to gouge, wrench kojiru

to grasp nigiru

to grip, strangle kubiru

to grumble guchiru

to gush tobashiru

to gush, spurt hotobashiru

to jeer at yajiru


to know shiru

to limit kagiru

to mess up dojiru

to mingle majiru

to muff lines tochiru

to need (see iru above) iru

to overflow minagiru

to parody, to twist mojiru

to pass by, to drop in yogiru

to pester for sebiru

to pick, dig out hojiru

to pledge chigiru

to pluck, to pick, to tear mushiru

to ponder, to contemplate omoiiru

to rebuke najiru


to roast (see iru above) iru

to run hashiru

to scatter chiru

to slander soshiru

to squeak, creak kishiru

to torment, roast ibiru

to traverse yokogiru

to twist nejiru

to twist, distort yojiru

to winnow hiru

to wrench mogiru

to wriggle sujiru

This is a list of the most commonly used verbs:


English Japanese Romaji






Verbs

Arrive 到着 touchaku

Live 生活する seikatsu suru

Ask 尋ねる tazune ru

Look 見る miru

Be 存在する sonzai suru

Love 愛 ai

Become 〜になる ~ ninaru

Make 作る tsukuru

Begin 開始する kaishi suru

Mean 意味する imi suru

Break 壊す kowasu

Meet 会う au

Bring 持ってくる motte kuru

Need 必要性 hitsuyousei

Build 建てる tate ru

Open 開く hiraku

Burn 燃える moe ru

Play 遊ぶ asobu

Buy 買う kau

Push プッシュ pusshu

Call 呼ぶ yobu

Read 読む yomu

Choose 選ぶ erabu

Remember 思い出す omoidasu

Clean 汚れのない yogore nonai

Return 戻る modoru



Close 閉じる toji ru

Run 走る hashiru

Come 来る kuru

Say 言う iu

Cut 切る kiru

See 見る miru

Dance ダンス dansu

Sell 売る uru

Do する suru

Send 送る okuru

Dream 夢 yume

Sit 座る suwaru

Drink 飲む nomu

Sleep 眠る nemuru

Eat 食べる tabe ru

Speak 話す hanasu

Fall 落ちる ochiru

Take 取る toru

Find 見つける mitsu keru

Talk 離す hanasu

Forget 忘れる wasure ru

Teach 教える oshie ru

Get 手に入れる teniire ru

Tell 教える oshie ru

Go 行く iku

Think 考える kangae ru

Hear 聞く kiku

Understand 理解する rikai suru

Help ヘルプ herupu

Wait 待つ matsu



Kiss キス kisu

Want 欲しい hoshii

Know 知っている shitte iru

Work 働く hataraku

Laugh 笑う warau

Japanese Adjectives

An adjective is a word whose main role is to modify a noun or pronoun, giving more information about

the noun or pronoun's definition. Some examples are: That is a green tree. I met a very old man.

However in Japanese it's a bit different.

There are three types of words that can be considered to be adjectives in Japanese:

Adjectival verbs (Japanese: 形容詞, keiyōshi, "(true) adjective"), or i-adjectives

These have a conjugating ending -i which can become, for example, past or negative. For example,

atsui (暑い) "hot":

暑い日 (Atsui hi) ("a hot day")

今日は暑い。(Kyō wa atsui.) ("Today is hot.")

Adjectival nouns (形容動詞, keiyō-dōshi, "adjectival verb"[1]), or na-adjectives.

These attach to a form of the copula, which then inflects. For example, hen (変) "strange":

変な人 (Hen na hito) ("a strange person")

彼は変だ。(Kare wa hen da.) ("he is strange.")

attributives (連体詞, rentaishi, "attributive")

These may only occur before nouns, not in a predicative position. They are various in derivation and

word class. For example, ōki na (大きな) "big":

大きなこと(Ōki na koto) ("a big thing").

Japanese Adjectives Types

So Basically Japanese adjectives come in two main forms: "true" and "adjectivial nouns." In some circles

they are also known as "i adjectives" and "na adjectives" because those are the suffixes they get when

they're followed by a noun. Nevertheless, we can call them "true" and "adjectivial nouns" in this page,

here are some examples of both types:


True Adjectives Adjectivial Nouns




ii: good kantan na: easy, as in easy to do

yoi: good raku na: easy, as in an easy situation; comfortable

warui: bad kara na: empty

takai: expensive; high; tall kirei na: pretty; clean

yasui: cheap kechi na: stingy (not generous)

hikui: low binbou na: poor; destitute

nagai: long hinpan na: frequent

mijikai: short benri na: convenient

katai: hard fuben na: inconvenient

yawarakai: soft busaiku na: clumsy; awkward

atsui: hot tanki na: impatient; quick-tempered

samui: cold ganko na: stubborn

tsumetai: cold byouki na: sick

hiroi: wide; spacious genki na: healthy; to be feeling well


semai: narrow; cramped shizen na: natural, proper

tsuyoi: strong yutaka na: full; abundant

yowai: weak anzen na: safe

kitsui: strong kanzen na: perfect

abunai: dangerous

akarui: bright

kurai: dark

karui: light

omoi: heavy

furui: old

hayai: fast; early

osoi: slow; late

omoshiroi: interesting

Here is a list of the most used Japanese adjectives, try to memorize them because they're used very

often:




English Japanese Adjectives Pronunciation

Bad 悪い warui

Beautiful 美しい utsukushi i

Cheap 安い yasui


Cold 冷たい tsumeta i

Different 異なる kotonaru

Difficult 困難 konnan

Early 早く hayaku

Easy 簡単な kantan na

Friendly フレンドリー furendori^

Good 良い yoi

Heavy 重い omoi

Important 重要な juuyouna

Married 結婚 kekkon


Natural 自然 shizen

Nice 素敵な suteki na

Open 開く hiraku

Polite 丁寧 teinei

Poor 貧しい mazushii

Rich リッチ ricchi

Sad 悲しい kanashi i

Simple 単純な tanjunna

Slow ゆっくりした yukkurishita

Small 小さな chiisa na

Sweet 甘い amai

Tall 背が高い sega takai

Warm 暖かい atataka i

Well 上手に jouzu ni

Worse 悪化 akka


Worst 最悪 saiaku

Wrong 間違った machigatta

Japanese Vocabulary




Animals

Adjectives

Bear 熊 kuma

Angry 怒って ikatte

Bird 鳥 tori

Bad 悪い warui

Cat 猫 neko

Beautiful 美しい utsukushi i

Cow 牛 ushi

Cheap 安い yasui

Dog 犬 inu


Fish 魚 sakana

Cold 冷たい tsumeta i

Horse 馬 uma

Different 異なる kotonaru

Monkey サル saru

Difficult 困難 konnan

Mouse マウス mausu

Early 早く hayaku

Pig 豚 buta

Easy 簡単な kantan na

Sheep 羊 hitsuji

Friendly フレンドリー furendori^

Good 良い yoi

Body Parts

Heavy 重い omoi

Arm 腕 ude

Important 重要な juuyouna





Back 後ろの ushiro no

Married 結婚 kekkon

Chest 金庫 kinko

Natural 自然 shizen

Ear 耳 mimi

Nice 素敵な suteki na

Eye アイ ai

Open 開く hiraku

Face 顔 kao

Polite 丁寧 teinei

Finger 指 yubi

Poor 貧しい mazushii

Fingers 指 yubi

Rich リッチ ricchi

Foot 足 ashi

Sad 悲しい kanashi i

Hair 髪 kami

Simple 単純な tanjunna

Hand 手 te

Slow ゆっくりした yukkurishita

Head 頭 atama

Small 小さな chiisa na

Heart 心臓 shinzou

Sweet 甘い amai

Leg 脚 ashi

Tall 背が高い sega takai

Mouth 口 kuchi

Warm 暖かい atataka i

Neck 首 kubi

Well 上手に jouzu ni

Nose 鼻 hana

Worse 悪化 akka

Shoulder 肩 kata

Worst 最悪 saiaku

Stomach 胃 i

Wrong 間違った machigatta

Teeth 歯 ha

Tongue 舌 shita

Tooth 歯 ha








Objects

Food

Bathroom バスルー

ム basuru^mu

Apple リンゴ ringo

Bed ベッド beddo

Apricot あんず anzu

Bedroom 寝室 shinshitsu

Banana バナナ banana

Ceiling 天井 tenjou

Bread パン pan

Chair 椅子 isu

Breakfast 朝食 choushoku

Clothes 衣類 irui

Butter バター bata^

Coat コート ko^to

Candy キャンディ kyandei

Cup カップ kappu

Carrot ニンジン ninjin

Desk デスク desuku

Cheese チーズ chi^zu

Dress ドレス doresu

Chicken チキン chikin

Floor 床 toko

Dessert デザート deza^to

Fork フォーク fo^ku

Dinner 夕食 yuushoku

Furniture 家具 kagu

Fish 魚 sakana

Glass ガラス garasu

Food 食べ物 tabemono

Hat 帽子 boushi

Fruit フルーツ furu^tsu

House 家 ie

Grapes ブドウ budou

Ink インク inku

Ice cream アイスクリー

ム aisukuri^mu

Jacket ジャケッ

ト jaketto

Lamb 子羊 kohitsuji

Kitchen 台所 daidokoro

Lemon レモン remon

Knife ナイフ naifu

Lunch 昼食 chuushoku



Lamp ランプ ranpu

Meal 食事 shokuji

Letter 手紙 tegami

Meat 精肉 seiniku

Map 地図 chizu

Onion タマネギ tamanegi

Newspaper 新聞 shinbun

Orange オレンジ orenji

Notebook ノート no^to

Pork 豚肉 butaniku

Pants パンツ pantsu

Potato ジャガイモ jagaimo

Paper 紙 kami

Salad サラダ sarada

Pen ペン pen

Salt 塩 shio

Pencil 鉛筆 enpitsu

Sandwich サンドイッ

チ sandoicchi

Pharmacy 薬局 yakkyoku

Sausage ソーセージ so^se^ji

Picture 写真 shashin

Soup スープ su^pu

Plate プレート pure^to

Sugar 砂糖 satou

Refrigerator 冷蔵庫 reizouko

Supper 夕食 yuushoku

Restaurant レストラ

ン resutoran

Turkey トルコ toruko

Roof 屋根 yane

Vegetables 野菜 yasai

Room 部屋 heya

Rug 敷物 shikimono

Miscellaneous

Objects

Scissors はさみ hasami

Art アート a^to

Shampoo シャンプ

ー shanpu^

Book 本 hon

Shirt シャツ shatsu

Dictionary 辞書 jisho

Shoes 靴 kutsu

Geography 地理 chiri



Soap せっけん sekken

History 歴史 rekishi

Socks 靴下 kutsushita

Math 数学 suugaku

Spoon スプーン supu^n

Music 音楽 ongaku

Table テーブル te^buru

Science 科学 kagaku

Toilet トイレ toire

Bank 銀行 ginkou

Toothbrush 歯ブラシ haburashi

Beach 浜辺 hamabe

Toothpaste 歯磨き粉 hamigakiko

By bicycle 自転車で jitensha de

Towel タオル taoru

By bus バスで basu de

T-shirt Tシャツ shatsu

By car 車の場合 kuruma no baai

Umbrella 傘 kasa

By train 電車で densha de

Underwear 下着 shitagi

Cafe カフェ kafe

Wall 壁 kabe

Country 国 kuni

Wallet ウォレッ

ト uoretto

Desert 砂漠 sabaku

Window ウィンド

ウ uindou

Flowers 花 hana

Football フットボール futtobo^ru

People

Forest 森 mori

Aunt 叔母 oba

Game ゲーム ge^mu

Baby 赤ちゃん akachan

Garden 庭 niwa

Brother 兄弟 kyoudai

House 家 ie

Cousin いとこ itoko

Island 島 shima

Daughter 娘 musume

Lake 湖 mizuumi

Dentist 歯医者 haisha

Library 図書館 toshokan



Doctor 医師 ishi

Mountain 山 yama

Father 父 chichi

Movies 映画 eiga

Granddaughter 孫娘 magomusume

Ocean オーシャン o^shan

Grandfather 祖父 sofu

Office オフィス ofisu

Grandmother 祖母 sobo

On foot 徒歩で toho de

Grandson 孫 mago

Player プレーヤー pure^ya^

Husband 夫 otto

River 川 kawa

Mother 母 haha

Sea 海 umi

Nephew 甥 oi

Soccer サッカー sakka^

Niece 姪 mei

Supermarket スーパーマー

ケット su^pa^ma^ketto

Nurse 看護師 kango shi

Swimming pool スイミングプ

ール suimingupu^ru

Policeman 警官 keikan

Theater 劇場 gekijou

Postman ポスト posuto

Tree 木 ki

Professor 教授 kyouju

Son 息子 musuko

Teacher 先生 sensei

Uncle 叔父 oji

Wife 妻 tsuma

Verbs

Arrive 到着 touchaku

Live 生活する seikatsu suru

Ask 尋ねる tazune ru

Look 見る miru

Be 存在する sonzai suru

Love 愛 ai



Become 〜になる ~ ninaru

Make 作る tsukuru

Begin 開始する kaishi suru

Mean 意味する imi suru

Break 壊す kowasu

Meet 会う au

Bring 持ってく

る motte kuru

Need 必要性 hitsuyousei

Build 建てる tate ru

Open 開く hiraku

Burn 燃える moe ru

Play 遊ぶ asobu

Buy 買う kau

Push プッシュ pusshu

Call 呼ぶ yobu

Read 読む yomu

Choose 選ぶ erabu

Remember 思い出す omoidasu

Clean 汚れのな

い yogore nonai

Return 戻る modoru

Close 閉じる toji ru

Run 走る hashiru

Come 来る kuru

Say 言う iu

Cut 切る kiru

See 見る miru

Dance ダンス dansu

Sell 売る uru

Do する suru

Send 送る okuru

Dream 夢 yume

Sit 座る suwaru

Drink 飲む nomu

Sleep 眠る nemuru

Eat 食べる tabe ru

Speak 話す hanasu

Fall 落ちる ochiru

Take 取る toru

Find 見つける mitsu keru

Talk 離す hanasu

Forget 忘れる wasure ru

Teach 教える oshie ru

Get 手に入れ

る teniire ru

Tell 教える oshie ru



Go 行く iku

Think 考える kangae ru

Hear 聞く kiku

Understand 理解する rikai suru

Help ヘルプ herupu

Wait 待つ matsu

Kiss キス kisu

Want 欲しい hoshii

Know 知ってい

る shitte iru

Work 働く hataraku

Laugh 笑う warau

Japanese Sayings

Japanese Sayings and Wisdom Words

悪妻は百年の不作。 (Akusai wa hyaku-nen no fusaku) Literally: A bad wife spells a hundred years of

bad harvest.

Meaning: A bad wife is a ruin of her husband.

残り物には福がある。 (Nokorimono ni wa fuku ga aru) Literally: Luck exists in the leftovers.

Meaning: There is luck in the last helping.

虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず。 (Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu) Literally: If you do not enter the tiger's

cave, you will not catch its cub.

Meaning: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. / You can't do anything without risking something.

夏炉冬扇（karo tōsen) Literally: Summer heater winter fan

Meaning: Something which is out of season and therefore rendered useless.

花鳥風月 (Kachou Fuugetsu) Literally: Flower, Bird, Wind, Moon

Meaning: Experience the beauties of nature, and in doing so learn about yourself.

起死回生 (kishi kaisei) Literally: Wake from death and return to life


Meaning: To come out of a desperate situation and make a complete return in one sudden burst.

自業自得 (Jigou Jitoku) Literally: One's Act, One's profit/Advantage.

Meaning: That's what you get, Just desserts, You reap what you sow.

瓜田李下 (kaden rika) Literally: Melon field, under a plum tree

Meaning: Stepping into a melon field, standing under a plum tree (, such behavior causes

misunderstanding that you want to steal those fruits); implying that you must avoid actions which

could be taken on a bad faith.

晴天の霹靂 (Seiten no heki-reki) Literally: Thunderclap from a clear sky.

Meaning: A bolt from the blue. / A complete surprise.

猿も木から落ちる。 (Saru mo ki kara ochiru) Literally: Even monkeys fall from trees.

Meaning: Everyone makes mistakes. / Nobody's perfect.

蓼食う虫も好き好き (Tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki) Literally: There are even bugs that eat knotweed.

Meaning: There's no accounting for taste. / To each his own.

井の中の蛙大海を知らず。 (I no naka no kawazu taikai wo shirazu) Literally: A frog in a well does not

know the great sea.

Meaning: People are satisfied to judge things by their own narrow experience, never knowing of the

wide world outside.

蛙の子は蛙。 (Kaeru no ko wa kaeru) Literally: Child of a frog is a frog.

Meaning: Like father, like son.

鳶が鷹を産む。 (Tonbi (or Tobi) ga taka wo umu) Literally: A kite breeding a hawk.

Meaning: A splendid child born from common parents.

覆水盆に帰らず。 (Fukusui bon ni kaerazu) Literally: Spilt water will not return to the tray.

Meaning: It's no use crying over spilt milk. / A separated couple can never go back to as it was.


二兎を追う者は一兎をも得ず。 (Ni usagi wo ou mono wa ichi usagi wo mo ezu) Literally: One who

chases after two hares won't catch even one.

Meaning: Trying to do two things at once will make you fail in both.

継続は力なり。 (Keizoku wa chikara nari) Literally: Continuance (also) is power/strength.

Meaning: Don't give up. Just continuing to hold on will yield/reveal strength and power. Continuing on

after a setback is its own kind of strength. Perseverance is power.

門前の小僧習わぬ経を読む。 (Mon zen no kozō narawanu kyō wo yomu) Literally: An apprentice near a

temple will recite the scriptures untaught.

Meaning: The environment makes our characters.

知らぬが仏 (Shiranu ga hotoke) Literally: Not knowing is Buddha.

Meaning: Ignorance is bliss. / It's better to not know the truth.

見ぬが花 (Minu ga hana) Literally: Not seeing is a flower.

Meaning: Things will never be as you imagine, so you're better off not seeing them. / Reality can't

compete with imagination.

猫に小判 (neko ni koban) Literally: gold coins to a cat.

Meaning: Giving a gift to someone who can't appreciate it; A useless gesture; "Pearls before swine."

猫に鰹節 (neko ni katsuobushi) Literally: fish to a cat.

Meaning: A situation where one can not let their guard down (because the cat can't resist stealing your

fish).

七転び八起き (nanakorobi yaoki) Literally: stumbling seven times but recovering eight.

Meaning: perseverance is better than defeat.

三日坊主 (mikka bōzu) Literally: a monk for (just) three days.

Meaning: Giving up at the first sign of difficulty.

案ずるより産むが易し。 (Anzuru yori umu ga yasashi) Literally: Giving birth to a baby is easier than


worrying about it.

Meaning: Fear is greater than the danger. / An attempt is sometimes easier than expected.

馬鹿は死ななきゃ治らない。 (Baka wa shinanakya naoranai) Literally: Unless an idiot dies, he won't be

cured.

Meaning: Only death will cure a fool. / You can't fix stupid.

出る杭は打たれる。 (Deru kui wa utareru) Literally: The stake that sticks out gets hammered down.

Meaning: Don't make waves / Apply your effort where it will do the most good / Excellence breeds

envy and/or enmity / It's better to conform than to stick out.

挨拶は時の氏神。 (Aisatsu wa toki no ujigami) Literally: A greeting is the local deity who turns up

providentially.

Meaning: Arbitration in a quarrel is a godsend.

秋茄子は嫁に食わすな。 (Akinasu wa yome ni kuwasuna) Literally: Don't let your daughter-in-law eat

your autumn eggplants.

Meaning: Don't let yourself be taken advantage of.

花よりだんご (hana yori dango) Literally: dumplings over flowers

Meaning: The person to whom it is directed prefers practical gain to aesthetics.

水に流す (mizu ni nagasu) Literally: let flow in the water

Meaning: Forgive and forget; water under the bridge

雤降って地固まる (ame futte chi katamaru) Literally: after the rain, earth hardens

Meaning: Adversity builds character./After a storm, things will stand on more solid ground than they

did before.

油を売る (abura o uru) Literally: to sell oil

Meaning: to spend time chitchatting or to waste time in the middle of a task.

竜頭蛇尾 (ryuutou dabi) Literally: dragon, head, snake, tail


Meaning: Anticlimax, the beginning is like a dragons head, great and majestic and the ending is like a

snakes tail, tiny and pathetic.

晴耕雤読 (seiko udoku) Literally: clear sky, cultivate, rainy, reading

Meaning: Farm when it's sunny, read when it rains.

四面楚歌 (Shimen soka) Literally: Chu songs on all sides

Meaning: Defeat is clear; Situation is desperate beyond hope.

十人十色 (jūnin toiro) Literally: ten men, ten colors

Meaning: To each his/her own. / Different strokes for different folks.

三日坊主 (mikka bouzu) Literally: 3 day monk.

Meaning: Someone who gives up easily or is adverse to work.

大同小異 (daidō shōi) Literally: big similarity, small difference

Meaning: Similarities outweigh the differences.

一石二鳥 (isseki nichō) Literally: one stone, two birds

Meaning: Killing two birds with one stone; Doing 2 things with one action.

雲散霧消 (unsan mushō) Literally: scattered clouds, disappearing mist

Meaning: Disappear without a trace.

我田引水 (gaden insui) Literally: pulling water to my own rice paddy

Meaning: Doing/speaking about things in a way to benefit yourself.


Other Japanese Proverbs




Ayamachitewa aratamuruni habakaru koto nakare. If you make a mistake, don't hesitate to correct it.

Aho ni toriau baka. It is foolish to deal with a fool.

Aite no nai kenka wa denkinu. One cannot quarrel without an opponent.

Ame futte ji katamaru. Rained on ground hardens (Adversity builds character).

Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice inside the

ceiling laugh (Nobody knows what tomorrow might bring).

Baka ga atte riko ga hikitatsu. Due to the presence of fools wise people stand out.

Baka na ko hodo kawaii. The more stupid the child the dearer it is.

Bushi wa kuwanedo taka-yoji. A samurai, even when he has not eaten, uses his toothpick.

Chisa wa madowazu, yusha wa osorezu. A wise man does not lose his way, a brave man does not fear.

Deta-toko shobu. To gamble as the dice fall.

Doku kurawaba sara made. If eating poison finish up the plate (or, If eating poison don't forget to lick

the plate)..

Gaden insui. To draw water into one's own rice field

Inu o mikka kaeba san-nen on o wasurenu, neko wa san-nen katte mikka de on o wasureru. Feed a

dog for three days and it is gratefull for three years. Feed a cat for three years and it forgets after

three days.

Ippai-me wa hito sake o nomi, nihai-me wa sake sake o nomi, sanbai-me wa sake hito o nomu. With


the first glass a man drinks wine, with the second glass the wine drinks the wine, with the third glass

the wine drinks the man.

Koji ma Oshi. Good things, many devils.

Ko-in ya no gotoshi. Time flies like an arrow.

Kuni yaburete, sanga ari. The country is in ruins, and there are still mountains and rivers.

Kokai saki ni tatazu. Repentance never comes first.

Me wa kuchi hodo ni mono o ii. The eyes speak as much as the mouth.(love needs no words)

Me wa kokoro no kagami. The eyes are the mirror of the soul.

Mime yori kokoro. Heart rather than appearance.

Mimi o oute, suzu o nusumu. Cover the ears and steal the bell.

Migi no mimi kara hidari no mimi. to go in the right ear and out the left.

Mitsugo no tamashii hyaku made. The soul of a three year old until a hundred.

Mizukara boketsu o horu. to dig one's grave

Muri ga toreba, dori hikkomu. If unreason comes, reason goes.

Muyo no cho-butsu. a useless long object

Naite kurasu mo issho, waratte kurasu mo issho. It is the same life whether we spend it crying or


laughing.

Nana korobi, ya oki. to fall seven times, to rise eight times

Nurenu saki koso tsuyu omo itoe. People want to avoid the dew before they become wet.

Shunsho ikkoku, atai senkin. Half an hour in a spring evening is worth a thousand gold pieces.

Sode fure-au mo tasho no en. Even when our sleeves brush together it is our karma.

Sugitaru wa nao oyobazaru ga gotoshi. Let what is past flow away downstream.

Tazei ni buzei. Few against many.

Nou aru taka wa tsume wo kakusu. The hawk with talent hides its talons (The person who knows most

often says least).

Hotoke no kao mo san-do made. Even the Buddha's face, only until the third [slap], meaning even the

most mild-mannered person will lose his/her temper eventually.

Saru mo ki kara ochiru. Even monkees fall from trees (Even an expert can make mistakes).

Tonari no shibafu wa aoi. The neighbour's lawn is green (The grass is always greener on the other side

of the fence).

Gou ni itte wa, gou ni shitagae. Entering the village, obey the village (When in Rome, do as the

Romans do)

Iwanu ga hana. Not-speaking is the flower (Silence is golden)

Fuku sui bon ni kaerazu. Overturned water doesn't return to the tray (There's no use crying over spilt


milk).

Atama kakushite, shiri kakusazu. Cover your head, and not cover your bottom (Don't cover your head

but expose your bottom, ie: you have to be careful not to expose your weak point while attempting to

protect yourself).

Uma no mimi ni nembutsu. A sutra (Buddhist prayer) in a horse's ear (A wasted effort).

Baka mo ichi-gei. Even a fool has one talent (Even a fool may be good at something).

Neko ni koban. A coin to a cat (Don't offer things to people who are incapable of appreciating them).

Yabu wo tsutsuite hebi wo dasu. Poke a bush, a snake comes out (Let sleeping dogs lie).

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