Survival Japanese—Key Words And Phrases
Some words and phrases you might find useful next time you visit Niseko.
Planning a trip to Niseko? Well, one of the best things about Niseko is that you can experience Japan without a lot of the worry over language barriers. Niseko is probably Japan's most international-friendly travel destination. You could get through a summer or winter vacation without ever needing to speak a word of Japanese, but sometimes it's nice to have a few stock phrases to help you along the way.
We've laid out some useful words and phrases in the following categories for you below:
- Day-to-day
- A night out
- Help! Save me!
- On the slopes
Day-to-day
| English | Japanese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning | Ohayo | oh-high-yo |
| Good afternoon | Konnichi wa | con-nee-chee wah |
| Good evening | Konban wa | con-bahn wah |
| Good night | Oyasumi | Oh-yah-soo-me |
| How are you? | Genki desu ka? | gen-kee dehs kah |
| I'm good | Genki desu | gen-kee dehs |
| Yes | Hai | High |
| No | Iie | Ee-ee-eh |
A night out
| English | Japanese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Cheers! | Kanpai! | Khan-pie |
| Let's drink! | Nomimashou | No-me-mah-show |
| Beer please | Biru kudasai | Bee-roo koo-dah-sigh |
| I'm hungry | Onaka suita | Oh-nah-kah soo-ee-tah |
| One more please | Mou hitotsu kudasai | Mow hee-toe-tsoo koo-dah-sigh |
| I want to go to (place) | (place) ni ikitai. | (place) nee ee-key-tie |
| I'm full. | Onaka ippai | Oh-nah-kah eep-pie |
| I'm drunk. | Yopparateiru | Yo-pa-rah-tay-ee-roo |
Help! Save me!
| English | Japanese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Help me! | Tasukette! | Tahs-keh-tay! |
| I'm lost. | Maigo desu. | Mah-ee-go dehs |
| My stomach hurts. | Onaka ga itai. | Oh-nah-kah gah ee-tie |
| I want to go to the hospital. | Byoin ni ikitai. | Bi-yoh-een nee ee-kee-tie |
| Look out! | Abunai | Ah-boo-nye |
| Are you okay? | Daijobu desuka? | Die-jo-boo dehs-kah |
| Stop! | Tomate | Toe-mah-tay |
| No! | Dame | Dah-may |
On the slopes
| English | Japanese | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Let's ride together | Issho ni subero | Ee-show nee soo-beh-row |
| After you | Osaki ni dozo | Oh-sah-kee nee doh-zoh |
| It's snowing | Yuki ga futteiru | You-key gah foo-tay-ee-roo |
| So much snow | Yuki ga ippai | You-kee gah eep-pie |
| Great weather today | Ii tenki desu ne | Ee ten-key deh-soo nay |
| Blizzard | Fubuki | Foo-boo-key |
