In Japan, Your WhatsApp Number Is Useless. Everyone Asks for LINE.
To say Is LINE okay? in Japanese, say LINEでいいですか？ (LINE de ii desu ka?).
You handed over your number. Blank stare. In Japan every local lives on LINE, not SMS. One phrase saves the swap.
In this video
- LINEでいいですか？ LINE de ii desu ka? Is LINE okay?
Why this phrase
Scene: Kōfuku meets Hana at a meetup, hands over a plain phone number, and Hana just goes 「LINEでいいですか？」 (LINE de ii desu ka?), meaning is LINE okay? Kōfuku plays the confused tourist, Hana the local. In Japan LINE isn't one app among many, it's the default: contacts, coupons, group plans, all of it live there. So when a new friend reaches for their phone, the tourist needs to catch one phrase, 「LINEでいいですか？」, and answer in seconds.
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hatsunori · the taxi's starting fare
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Kore de noremasu ka? · Can I get on with this?
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More phrases like this
- POV: Security Opened Your Backpack. Those Konbini Snacks Are Not Coming In. · mochikomi kinshi
- POV: The Bus Drove Straight Past Your Hotel. The Button Over Your Head Was the Whole Game. · kōsha botan
- POV: The Ramen Guy Is Holding a Ladle of Garlic. He Is Waiting. · ninniku nashi de
- She Handed You the Thin One. Accounting Will Throw It Out. · ryōshūsho o onegai shimasu
- Immigration Wants a Square on Your Phone. The Paper Form Does Nothing. · nijigen kōdo
- The Vending Machine Just Rejected Your Only Bill. The Shop Next Door Can Fix It. · kuzushite itadakemasu ka?
- The Gate Spat You Back. Your Card Is Not Broken. It Is Empty. · chāji o onegai shimasu
- You Sat Down to Rest. They Will Not Leave Until You Order a Drink. · wan dorinku sei desu
- You Waited Twenty Minutes. The Waiter Was a Sticker on the Table. · yomitotte kudasai
- Your Pocket Wi-Fi Just Died and Your Hotel Code Was Inside It · kowaremashita
- The Glass at Immigration Wants One Finger · hitosashiyubi o oite kudasai
- You Felt Dizzy in the Heat. She Skipped the Fridge and Handed You a Box. · keikō hosuieki o kudasai
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