Japanese Words You Absolutely Need to Know14

Japanese is a beautiful and complex language, with a rich vocabulary and a unique grammatical structure. If you're just starting to learn Japanese, there are a few words that you should definitely know. These words are essential for everyday conversation, and they will help you to get by in Japan.

Here are 1500 Japanese words you absolutely need to know:

Basic Greetings

* Konnichiwa (こん・に・ち・わ) [konnichiwa]: Hello
* Ohayō gozaimasu (お・は・よ・う・ご・ざ・い・ま・す) [ohayou gozaimasu]: Good morning
* Konbanwa (こ・ん・ば・ん・は) [konbanwa]: Good evening
* Sayōnara (さ・よ・う・な・ら) [sayounara]: Goodbye
* Arigatō gozaimasu (あ・り・が・と・う・ご・ざ・い・ま・す) [arigatou gozaimasu]: Thank you

Introductions

* Hajimemashite (は・じ・め・ま・し・て) [hajimemashite]: Nice to meet you
* Watashi wa [name] desu (わ・た・し・は_[name]_で・す) [watashi wa [name] desu]: My name is [name]
* Dozo yoroshiku (ど・う・ぞ・よ・ろ・し・く) [douzo yoroshiku]: Please take care of me

Questions

* Nan desu ka? (な・ん・で・す・か) [nan desu ka?]: What is it?
* Do desu ka? (ど・う・で・す・か) [dou desu ka?]: How are you?
* Itsu desu ka? (い・つ・で・す・か) [itsu desu ka?]: What time is it?

Answers

* Hai (は・い) [hai]: Yes
* Iie (い・い・え) [iie]: No
* Wakaranai (わ・か・ら・な・い) [wakaranai]: I don't know

Phrases

* Sumimasen (す・み・ま・せ・ん) [sumimasen]: Excuse me
* O-negai shimasu (お・ね・が・い・し・ま・す) [onegai shimasu]: Please
* Daijōbu desu (だ・い・じ・ょ・う・ぶ・で・す) [daijoubu desu]: It's okay

Numbers

* Ichi (い・ち) [ichi]: One
* Ni (に) [ni]: Two
* San (さ・ん) [san]: Three
* Yon (よ・ん) [yon]: Four
* Go (ご) [go]: Five

Days of the Week

* Getsuyōbi (げ・つ・よ・う・び) [getsuyoubi]: Monday
* Kayōbi (か・よ・う・び) [kayoubi]: Tuesday
* Suiyōbi (す・い・よ・う・び) [suiyobi]: Wednesday
* Mokuyōbi (も・く・よ・う・び) [mokuyoubi]: Thursday
* Kinyōbi (き・ん・よ・う・び) [kinyoubi]: Friday
* Doyōbi (ど・よ・う・び) [doyoubi]: Saturday
* Nichiyōbi (に・ち・よ・う・び) [nichiyoubi]: Sunday

Months of the Year

* Ichigatsu (い・ち・が・つ) [ichigatsu]: January
* Nigatsu (に・が・つ) [nigatsu]: February
* Sangatsu (さ・ん・が・つ) [sangatsu]: March
* Shigatsu (し・が・つ) [shigatsu]: April
* Gogatsu (ご・が・つ) [gogatsu]: May
* Rokugatsu (ろ・く・が・つ) [rokugatsu]: June
* Shichigatsu (し・ち・が・つ) [shichigatsu]: July
* Hachigatsu (は・ち・が・つ) [hachigatsu]: August
* Kugatsu (く・が・つ) [kugatsu]: September
* Jūgatsu (じ・ゅ・う・が・つ) [juugatsu]: October
* Jūichigatsu (じ・ゅ・う・い・ち・が・つ) [juichigatsu]: November
* Jūnigatsu (じ・ゅ・う・に・が・つ) [juunigatsu]: December

Places in Japan

* Tōkyō (と・う・き・ょ・う) [toukyou]: Tokyo
* Kyōto (き・ょ・う・と) [kyouto]: Kyoto
* Ōsaka (お・お・さ・か) [ousaka]: Osaka
* Sapporo (さ・っ・ぽ・ろ) [sapporo]: Sapporo
* Fukuoka (ふ・く・お・か) [fukuoka]: Fukuoka
These are just a few of the many Japanese words that you should know. As you continue to learn Japanese, you will pick up more and more words. But these basic words will give you a good foundation for your Japanese language learning journey.

2024-12-31

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