A basic guide to Japanese

Something to say about everything: The Japanese language has over 2000 different characters, making our Latin alphabet look rather lazy with a measly 26.

 Greetings:  Keep these basic greetings in your back pocket and bluff your way around Tokyo.

How do you do - Hajimenashite

Good morning – Ohayoo gozaimasu

Good afternoon - Konichiwa

Good evening – Konbanwa

Good night – Oyasumi nasai

Giving the British a run for their money: The Japanese are a very polite society and have over 20 different ways to say sorry. Over indulging in pleasantries is practically a national tic in Britain, so keep these phrases handy and then at least you can apologise in your host country’s language.

Please -  Kudasai

Thank you – Arrigato

Excuse me – Sumimasen

Sorry – Gomen nasai

Yes – Haii

No – Iie

 Counting: The Japanese language has different numbers depending on what you’re counting. These are the most basic and are usually understood anywhere.

1 – ichi

2 – ni

3 – san

4 – shi

5 – go

6 – roku

7 – schichi

8 – hachi

9 – kyuu

10 – juu

Pronunciation: Much like other Asian languages, words can have multiple meanings depending on pronunciation. The word, ‘ame’ can mean sweets or rain, so take your pick.

Tricky stuff: Japanese is a difficult language to learn, particularly for English native speakers because of the Yoda-esque reversed word order. In Japanese, the verb comes second, meaning that instead of saying, ‘I cycle in Japan’, in Japanese you would say, ‘In Japan I cycle’.

Think you're getting the hang of it? Why not test your knowledge with the locals on one of our tours to Japan?