Say This One Line First and Watch Every Japanese Person Slow Down for You
To say I can only speak a little Japanese in Japanese, say 日本語、ちょっとだけ話せます (nihongo, chotto dake hanasemasu).
Say this one line first and watch every Japanese person slow right down for you.
日本語、ちょっとだけ話せます
nihongo, chotto dake hanasemasu
I can only speak a little Japanese
In this video
- 日本語、ちょっとだけ話せます。 nihongo, chotto dake hanasemasu. I can speak just a little Japanese.
- すみません、日本語、ちょっとだけ話せます。 sumimasen, nihongo, chotto dake hanasemasu. Excuse me, I only speak a little Japanese.
Why this phrase
Declaring your level up front earns patience, slower speech, and usually a smile. Distinct from 'do you speak English' and 'I don't understand.' Survival level: one complete, polite sentence.
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- Hurt Yourself in Japan? The One Word the Doctor Needs to Hear · itai
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