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Basic Japanese phrases & greetings

The handful of phrases that carry you through a first trip or first conversation — said correctly, at the right moment. Each one comes with the Japanese, its romaji, and a note on when to reach for it. Learn the first two tables and you're already polite company.

Everyday greetings

Japanese greetings shift with the time of day, and most have a polite and a casual form. When in doubt, use the longer, politer version — it's never wrong.

Greetings through the day

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning & when to use
おはようございます	ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning — the polite form, used until ~10am.
おはよう	ohayō	Good morning — casual, for friends and family.
こんにちは	konnichiwa	Hello / good afternoon — the all-purpose daytime greeting.
こんばんは	konbanwa	Good evening — from dusk onward.
おやすみなさい	oyasumi nasai	Good night — said before sleeping.
さようなら	sayōnara	Goodbye — formal, and for a longer parting.
じゃあね	jā ne	See you / bye — casual, with friends.
またね	mata ne	See you later — casual.

Please, thank you & sorry

If you only learn three words, learn arigatō, sumimasen and onegai shimasu. They open doors, smooth mistakes, and make almost any request work.

Courtesy phrases

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning & when to use
ありがとうございます	arigatō gozaimasu	Thank you — the polite form.
ありがとう	arigatō	Thanks — casual.
どういたしまして	dō itashimashite	You're welcome.
すみません	sumimasen	Excuse me / sorry / thanks — the Swiss-army phrase (see below).
ごめんなさい	gomen nasai	I'm sorry — a genuine apology.
おねがいします	onegai shimasu	Please — when you're asking for something.
どうぞ	dōzo	Please / go ahead — when you're offering something.

Yes, no & "it's fine"

Yes, no, and the in-between

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning & when to use
はい	hai	Yes.
いいえ	iie	No.
だいじょうぶ	daijōbu	It's okay / I'm fine / no problem — hugely common.

Meeting someone

A first introduction in Japanese follows a little script. Say your name, then close with yoroshiku onegai shimasu — a set phrase with no neat English equivalent that signals goodwill and "let's get along."

Introductions

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning & when to use
はじめまして	hajimemashite	Nice to meet you — only the first time you meet someone.
よろしくおねがいします	yoroshiku onegai shimasu	A set phrase: roughly 'please treat me well / I look forward to it.'
わたしは…です	watashi wa … desu	I am … — drop your name into the gap.
おなまえは？	o-namae wa?	What's your name? — politely.

The phrases for coming & going

These are some of the most distinctively Japanese expressions — paired call-and-response phrases said around leaving, returning, and eating. They come in two halves: one person says the first, the other answers with the second.

Set call-and-response phrases

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning & when to use
いってきます	ittekimasu	'I'm off' — said when you leave home.
いってらっしゃい	itterasshai	'Take care' — the reply to the person leaving.
ただいま	tadaima	'I'm home' — said on returning.
おかえりなさい	okaeri nasai	'Welcome back' — the reply to someone who's home.
いただきます	itadakimasu	Said before eating — a thanks for the meal.
ごちそうさまでした	gochisōsama deshita	Said after eating — 'that was a feast.'
おじゃまします	ojama shimasu	'Pardon the intrusion' — entering someone's home.

You don't have to use all of these from day one, but recognising them explains a lot of everyday Japanese life — the "itadakimasu" before a meal, the "okaeri" when someone walks in the door.

Getting by when you're stuck

When the conversation outruns your Japanese, these buy you time and help — politely.

Useful when you're stuck

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning & when to use
えいごをはなせますか？	eigo o hanasemasu ka?	Do you speak English?
わかりません	wakarimasen	I don't understand.
もういちどおねがいします	mō ichido onegai shimasu	Once more, please.
ゆっくりおねがいします	yukkuri onegai shimasu	Slowly, please.
トイレはどこですか？	toire wa doko desu ka?	Where is the toilet?
いくらですか？	ikura desu ka?	How much is it?

A quick word on politeness

You'll notice many phrases here end in -masu or desu, or tack on gozaimasu / onegai shimasu. That's the polite register — the safe default with strangers, shopkeepers, and anyone older or senior. Friends drop those endings for the casual forms (arigatō instead of arigatō gozaimasu, jā ne instead of sayōnara). As a learner, lean polite: over-politeness is charming, under-politeness can grate.

Saying them so they're understood

• Five clean vowels. a, i, u, e, o are always "ah, ee, oo, eh, oh" — short and even, never the gliding vowels of English.
• Hold the long ones. The ō in arigatō and the ū in gozaimasu's neighbours are held about twice as long — it changes meaning, so don't rush them.
• A light, flicked r. The Japanese r sits between English r, l and d — a quick tap of the tongue, as in a softly rolled "d".
• Even stress. Don't hammer one syllable the way English does; keep each beat roughly equal and let pitch, not loudness, carry it.

Keep going: learn to count in Japanese, read the hiragana chart & guide, pick up the angular katakana, or see how the two scripts compare.