Everything Tourists Get Wrong About Japanese Politeness
To say excuse me / sorry / thank you in Japanese, say すみません (sumimasen).
You have been taught Japanese politeness backwards. Kofuku and Hana fix it.
すみません
sumimasen
excuse me / sorry / thank you
Up next
Survival
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Your Yakiniku Grill Went Black in Ten Minutes. You Are Not Supposed to Keep Cooking on That.
ami, otorikae shimashou ka? · Shall I change the grill for you?
Survival
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You Sat Down at a Japanese Baseball Game. Half the Stadium Is About to Sing Without You.
ōenseki wa doko desu ka? · Where's the cheering section?
Survival
▶
The Storm Heading for Your Trip Has a Name. Nobody in Japan Will Use It.
taifū jūni-gō · Typhoon No. 12
Survival
▶
Your Taxi Gets More Expensive at Night. Four Kanji Tell You When.
shin'ya ryōkin · late-night rate
More phrases like this
- The Only Empty Seats on a Packed Tokyo Train Are Upstairs. Sitting In One Costs Extra. · guriin-sha
- That Deer Just Headbutted You. You Held the Crackers Like a Snack. · shika senbei, hito-fukuro kudasai
- The Photo Booth Corner in Japan Has a Sign About You. It Isn't What You'll Assume. · dansei dake demo daijōbu desu ka?
- Two Kyoto Buses at the Same Stop Have the Same Number. One of Them Is Going the Long Way Round. · kono basu wa Kinkaku-ji ni ikimasu ka?
- You Stepped Out for Ice in a Yukata. The Door Clicked Behind You. · heya ni kagi o wasuremashita
- The Whole Platform Stepped Back at the Same Second. Nobody Looked Up. · osagari kudasai
- Everyone in the Carriage Turned at Once. The Announcement Had Just Told Them Which Door Opens. · o-deguchi wa migigawa desu
- Wallet Gone, No Way Home. The Japanese Police Box Has a Form for This. · kaeri no denshachin o kashite itadakemasen ka.
- The Machine Has Your Note and Keeps Spitting It Back. One Small Light Says Why. · tsurisen-gire
- Japan Has Two Emergency Numbers. The One That Brings an Ambulance Is Not the One You'd Guess. · hyaku-jūkyū-ban, onegai shimasu
- You Missed Your Reserved Shinkansen. Do Not Buy Another Ticket. · noriokuremashita.
- One Piece Left on the Plate. Nobody Will Touch It. Japan Has a Name for It. · enryo naku dōzo.
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