When you're trying to learn a new foreign language, it's always good to know a few of the basic phrases. Recently, we've been learning things that required a lot of thinking but phrases just need to be memorized. I would say it's that time now to give you something easier to do.
| English | Romaji | Kana | Kanji | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | How are you? | genki desu ka | げんきですか | 元気ですか |
| F | I am fine | genki desu | げんきです | 元気です |
| f | And you? | anata wa | あなたは | |
| F | Thank you | doumo arigatou | どうもありがとう | どうも有難う |
| F | You're welcome | dou itashimashite | どういたしまして | どう致しまして |
| Good morning | ohayou | おはよう | お早う | |
| Good evening | konban wa | こんばんは | 今晩は | |
| f | Oi | oi | おい | |
| F | Excuse me | sumimasen | すみません | 済みません |
| Sorry | gomen | ごめん | 御免 |
It's important to note though that most of these words are not as common in spoken Japanese and may even be seen as unnatural depending on the situation. You might just hear more natural phases like どないでっか? (donaidekka), instead of げんきですか? (genki desu ka). Try to listen to real Japanese conversations to pick up the more natural ways.
Notes on Formality
Dropping どうも (doumo) from "Thank you" can make this sound less formal; ありがとう (arigatou) would be similar to just "thanks" in English. Adding ございます (gozaimasu) to the end makes this even politer: どうも
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| doumo どうも |
Cheers |
| arigatou ありがとう |
Thanks |
| arigatou gozaimasu ありがとうございます |
Thank you |
| doumo arigatou どうもありがとう |
Thank you very much |
| doumo arigatou gozaimasu どうもありがとうございます |
Thank you very much for everything |
The above examples should not be taken to literal, as their meanings in Japanese are quite different. Hopefully, you can see the differences in politeness level, when interpreted in English.
ございます is yet another verb ending similar to です but adds that extra bit of politeness and formality. It's actually the modern inflection of the word ござる (gozaru), the very old version of です; please do not randomly use ござる, even though it may be heard in historical dramas or Anime, as it is outdated and may even make you look or sound rather silly.
Add ございます to the end of おはよう makes it more polite. However, it does not work with こんばんは.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ohayou おはよう |
Good morning |
| ohayou gozaimasu おはようございます |
Good morning |
Also, "sorry" can also be made more politer and formal by adding なさい (nasai) to the end: ごめんなさい (gomen nasai); this would be similar to "I am very sorry".
As it is, すみません (sumimasen) means "Excuse me" or "Sorry" and may seem rather formal. You may find a few Japanese people will use the less formal and more colloquial すいません (suimasen) instead but this is generally used only in spoken Japanese as it's considered easier to say; do not use it in formal documents, messages or emails.
Additional Notes
As mentioned in the introduction, we'll be using mostly British English (UK) in this course.
Here, おい (oi) is translated as "Oi". In the USA, this just means "Hey". Oi is the common Informal British way of saying hey but does not have the politeness that "hey" has. It is as an exclamation to attract someone's attention that may be used in a rough or angry way but this is not always true.
Even though the meaning is not quite the same as it is in English, don't go around saying おい in Japanese. It may come across rude or even hostile in some context.
This is why I think the British "Oi" makes more sense here than the more formal, politer "hey". There's no point saying it's "a lot like the English version of, 'Hey!' – But even less polite." When the English version "oi" serves this exact meaning anyway.
Continue to broaden your research and listen to how real Japanese people use these words. It's important to make sure you have many other resources to use. Do not rely on this website alone.