Top 50 phrases to get by Japan: Essential communication

🇯🇵 [こんにちは] is a normal daytime greeting, but not usually the first thing you say when entering a shop or restaurant in Japan. Staff will often say [いらっしゃいませ] to you, and customers usually don't answer with [こんにちは].

🇯🇵 [ありがとう] is fine in everyday situations, but with strangers or staff, [ありがとうございます] sounds more natural and polite. Using the shorter form can feel a bit casual.

🇯🇵 [どういたしまして] is correct, but in real life Japanese people often respond to thanks with softer replies like [いえいえ] or [大丈夫です] instead. Don't be surprised if you rarely hear this exact phrase.

🇯🇵 [すみません] does a lot of work in Japan: apology, getting attention, and even a mild "thank you" when someone helps you. It's one of the most useful polite phrases to keep ready.

🇯🇵 [さようなら] is real Japanese, but it's not the usual everyday goodbye for short partings. People often use things like [じゃあ、また] or [失礼します] depending on the situation.

💬 [お願いします] often works like "please," but literally it is more like "I request this of you." You'll also hear it after a noun: [水をお願いします] for "Water, please."

💬 [分かりません] is the negative form of [分かります] "understand." You can reuse the same pattern with polite verbs: [知りません] "I don't know," [行きません] "I don't go / won't go."