Basic expressions: Expressions

💬 [はい] is often used more like "I hear you" or "that's correct" than a strong English "yes." You'll hear it when someone is listening to instructions too.

💬 [お願いします] is built from [お願い] (a request/favor) plus a polite ending, so it's broader than English "please." You can use it after a thing you want — like [水をお願いします] for "Water, please."

🇯🇵 This is one of the most useful polite phrases in Japan: natural with staff, coworkers, and strangers. It often sounds more local than just adding "please" to a direct request.

🇯🇵 People do say this, but much less often than English speakers say "you're welcome." In many everyday situations, a smile, a nod, or just [いえいえ] is more natural.

💬 [すみません] covers both "excuse me" and "sorry," so think of it as "I'm bothering you." That's why it works for getting attention, apologizing lightly, or thanking someone for trouble they took.

🇯🇵 This is one of the most common real-life phrases in Japan. Use it to get a server's attention, squeeze past someone, or apologize for a small inconvenience.

🇯🇵 [ごめんね] is warm and casual, so use it with friends, family, children, or a partner. It's too informal for strangers, staff, or business situations.

💬 [いくつ？] can mean either "how many?" or "how old?" depending on context. For objects, think of it as asking for a count; for a person, it can ask age casually.

💬 [ください] means "please give me," so after a verb in [て]-form like [助けて], it makes a polite request: [助けてください]. You can reuse this pattern with many actions, like [待ってください] "please wait."