Beginner Japanese Vocabulary List and Pronunciation Guide42

Learning Japanese can be an exciting yet challenging endeavor, especially for beginners. One of the first steps in mastering any language is building a solid vocabulary. This comprehensive beginner Japanese vocabulary list provides essential words and phrases to help you get started on your Japanese language journey.

Each word or phrase in this list includes its English translation, the Japanese equivalent in both Kanji (Chinese characters) and Hiragana (Japanese phonetic script), and the correct pronunciation using the Romaji system. Pronunciation is indicated using diacritical marks to represent the precise sounds of each syllable.

Greetings and Introductions* Hello - こんにちは (Konnichiwa) - [kon-ni-chi-wa]
* Good morning - おはようございます (Ohayo gozaimasu) - [o-ha-yo-go-zai-ma-su]
* Good afternoon - こんにちは (Konnichiwa) - [kon-ni-chi-wa]
* Good evening - こんばんは (Konbanwa) - [kon-ban-wa]
* Goodbye - さようなら (Sayonara) - [sa-yo-na-ra]
* Nice to meet you - はじめまして (Hajimemashite) - [ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te]
* My name is... - 私の名前は... (Watashi no namae wa...) - [wa-ta-shi no na-mae wa...]

Basic Phrases* Thank you - ありがとうございます (Arigato gozaimasu) - [a-ri-ga-to-go-zai-ma-su]
* You're welcome - どういたしまして (Doitashimashite) - [do-i-ta-shi-ma-shi-te]
* Yes - はい (Hai) - [ha-i]
* No - いいえ (Iie) - [i-ie]
* Please - お願いします (Onegaishimasu) - [o-ne-gai-shi-ma-su]
* Excuse me - すみません (Sumimasen) - [su-mi-ma-sen]

Numbers* 1 - 一 (Ichi) - [i-chi]
* 2 - 二 (Ni) - [ni]
* 3 - 三 (San) - [san]
* 4 - 四 (Shi) - [shi]
* 5 - 五 (Go) - [go]
* 6 - 六 (Roku) - [ro-ku]
* 7 - 七 (Nana) - [na-na]
* 8 - 八 (Hachi) - [ha-chi]
* 9 - 九 (Kyu) - [kyu]
* 10 - 十 (Ju) - [ju]

Days of the Week* Monday - 月曜日 (Getsuyobi) - [ge-tsu-yo-bi]
* Tuesday - 火曜日 (Kayobi) - [ka-yo-bi]
* Wednesday - 水曜日 (Suiyobi) - [sui-yo-bi]
* Thursday - 木曜日 (Mokuyobi) - [mo-ku-yo-bi]
* Friday - 金曜日 (Kinyobi) - [ki-n-yo-bi]
* Saturday - 土曜日 (Doyobi) - [do-yo-bi]
* Sunday - 日曜日 (Nichiyobi) - [ni-chi-yo-bi]

Colors* Red - 赤 (Aka) - [a-ka]
* Blue - 青 (Ao) - [ao]
* Yellow - 黄色 (Kiiro) - [ki-i-ro]
* Green - 緑 (Midori) - [mi-do-ri]
* Black - 黒 (Kuro) - [ku-ro]
* White - 白 (Shiro) - [shi-ro]

Food and Drink* Rice - 米 (Kome) - [ko-me]
* Noodles - 麺 (Men) - [me-n]
* Fish - 魚 (Sakana) - [sa-ka-na]
* Meat - 肉 (Niku) - [ni-ku]
* Vegetables - 野菜 (Yasai) - [ya-sa-i]
* Fruit - 果物 (Kudamono) - [ku-da-mo-no]
* Water - 水 (Mizu) - [mi-zu]
* Tea - お茶 (Ocha) - [o-cha]

Animals* Cat - 猫 (Neko) - [ne-ko]
* Dog - 犬 (Inu) - [i-nu]
* Bird - 鳥 (Tori) - [to-ri]
* Fish - 魚 (Sakana) - [sa-ka-na]
* Horse - 馬 (Uma) - [u-ma]
* Cow - 牛 (Ushi) - [u-shi]
* Pig - 豚 (Buta) - [bu-ta]

Parts of the Body* Head - 頭 (Atama) - [a-ta-ma]
* Arm - 腕 (Ude) - [u-de]
* Leg - 足 (Ashi) - [a-shi]
* Hand - 手 (Te) - [te]
* Eye - 目 (Me) - [me]
* Nose - 鼻 (Hana) - [ha-na]
* Mouth - 口 (Kuchi) - [ku-chi]

Places* Home - 家 (Ie) - [i-e]
* School - 学校 (Gakko) - [ga-kko]
* Park - 公園 (Koen) - [ko-e-n]
* Restaurant - レストラン (Resutoran) - [re-su-to-ran]
* Hospital - 病院 (Byoin) - [byo-in]
* Shop - お店 (Mise) - [mi-se]

Weather* Sunny - 晴れ (Hare) - [ha-re]
* Cloudy - 曇り (Kumori) - [ku-mo-ri]
* Rainy - 雨 (Ame) - [a-me]
* Snowy - 雪 (Yuki) - [yu-ki]
* Windy - 風 (Kaze) - [ka-ze]
* Hot - 暑い (Atsui) - [a-tsu-i]
* Cold - 寒い (Samui) - [sa-mu-i]

Other Essential Vocabulary* I - 私 (Watashi) - [wa-ta-shi]
* You - あなた (Anata) - [a-na-ta]
* He/She - 彼/彼女 (Kare/Kanojo) - [ka-re/ka-no-jo]
* This - これ (Kore) - [ko-re]
* That - それ (Sore) - [so-re]
* What - 何 (Nani) - [na-ni]
* Where - どこ (Doko) - [do-ko]
* When - いつ (Itsu) - [i-tsu]
* Why - なぜ (Naze) - [na-ze]
* How - どのように (Dono yo ni) - [do-no yo ni]

2024-12-02

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