Manners & Basic Japanese Phrases

Manners & Public Etiquette

Talk quietly on public transit.
Bowing is a way of greeting in Japan. You don’t have to do it yourself but you’ll notice everyone doing it.
There is usually a line/queue for everything, respect it please!
If you know you will be taking your shoes off, make sure to bring or wear socks.
Try not to overdo the perfume. A little is fine.
Be ready to carry your trash. (The only area in Tokyo that has trashcans is Harajuku.)
Bonus: When you enter rooms, try not to step on door frames. It’s considered bad luck.
Bonus: Adding “san” after someone’s name expresses respect. For example, if I had a tour guide named Kyoko, I might address her as “Kyoko-san”.

English	Japanese	Reading	Audio number
Hello	こんにちは	kon-ni-chi-wa	1
Thank you	ありがとうございます	a-ri-ga-to-u go-za-i-ma-su	2
Excuse me	すみません	su-mi-ma-se-n	3
I’m sorry	ごめんなさい	go-me-n-na-sa-i	4
It’s okay / No thank you	大丈夫です	dai-jou-bu-de-su	5
Nice to meet you	初めまして	ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te	6
Please treat me well.
(I know it sounds weird in English but we say it all the time.)	よろしくお願いします	yo-ro-shi-ku o-ne-ga-i-shi-ma-su	7
My name is ___	私の名前は___です	wa-ta-shi no na-ma-e-wa ___ de-su	8
Where is ___ ?	___ はどこですか？	___ wa do-ko-de-su-ka?	9
How much does ____ cost?	___ はいくらですか？	___ wa i-ku-ra-de-su-ka?	10
What is this?	これは何ですか？	ko-re wa nan-de-su-ka?	11
Water	水	mi-zu	12
Bathroom	トイレ	to-i-re (toilet)	13
Station	駅	e-ki	14

1 - Hello

2 - Thank you

3 - Excuse me

4 - I’m sorry