Learn Japan in 30-second reels
Real phrases for the konbini, the restaurant, the train — each with romaji and English, ready to use the second you land.
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Survival
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They Knocked. Your Bath Is Over.
O-jikan desu · Your time is up.
Survival
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Exit 35 and Exit 3 Are Not Neighbors
nanban deguchi desu ka · Which exit number?
Survival
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POV: Shibuya Sold You the Can
Rojō inshu wa kinshi desu · No drinking on the street.
Survival
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POV: You Ordered the Hormone Plate
horumon · grilled offal
Survival
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Your Train Left From the Other Side
Hantai-gawa desu · It's the other side.
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You Picnicked on the Finish Line
Undōkai desu ka? · Is this a sports day?
Survival
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The Taxi Hasn't Moved.
hatsunori · the taxi's starting fare
Survival
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You Landed With a Welcome Suica. The Gate Is Not the Place to Find Out.
Kore de noremasu ka? · Can I get on with this?
Survival
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The Hotel Room Is Black. The Switch Is the Slot.
kādo o sashikonde kudasai · please insert the card
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POV: You Paid for a Ryokan. The Floor Is Empty. They Did Not Forget the Bed.
Futon o shiite kudasai · Please lay out the futon.
Survival
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POV: Security Opened Your Backpack. Those Konbini Snacks Are Not Coming In.
mochikomi kinshi · no outside food or drinks
Survival
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POV: The Bus Drove Straight Past Your Hotel. The Button Over Your Head Was the Whole Game.
kōsha botan · the stop button (press it or the bus will not stop)
Survival
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POV: The Ramen Guy Is Holding a Ladle of Garlic. He Is Waiting.
ninniku nashi de · without garlic
Beginner
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She Handed You the Thin One. Accounting Will Throw It Out.
ryōshūsho o onegai shimasu · An official receipt, please.
Survival
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Immigration Wants a Square on Your Phone. The Paper Form Does Nothing.
nijigen kōdo · QR code (2D code)
Survival
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The Vending Machine Just Rejected Your Only Bill. The Shop Next Door Can Fix It.
kuzushite itadakemasu ka? · Could you break this into smaller bills?
Survival
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The Gate Spat You Back. Your Card Is Not Broken. It Is Empty.
chāji o onegai shimasu · I'd like to add money, please.
Survival
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In Japan, Your WhatsApp Number Is Useless. Everyone Asks for LINE.
LINE de ii desu ka? · Is LINE okay?
Survival
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You Sat Down to Rest. They Will Not Leave Until You Order a Drink.
wan dorinku sei desu · there is a one-drink minimum
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You Waited Twenty Minutes. The Waiter Was a Sticker on the Table.
yomitotte kudasai · Please scan it
Survival
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Your Pocket Wi-Fi Just Died and Your Hotel Code Was Inside It
kowaremashita · it broke / it's not working
Beginner
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The Glass at Immigration Wants One Finger
hitosashiyubi o oite kudasai · Please place your index finger.
Beginner
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You Felt Dizzy in the Heat. She Skipped the Fridge and Handed You a Box.
keikō hosuieki o kudasai · Oral rehydration drink, please.
Survival
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Your Suitcase Just Jammed in a Tokyo Ticket Gate. There Was One Gate You Should Have Used.
koko, tōremasu ka? · Can I get through here?
Survival
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That Deer Just Headbutted You. You Held the Crackers Like a Snack.
shika senbei, hito-fukuro kudasai · One pack of deer crackers, please
Beginner
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You Stepped Out for Ice in a Yukata. The Door Clicked Behind You.
heya ni kagi o wasuremashita · I left my key in the room.
Survival
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You Missed Your Reserved Shinkansen. Do Not Buy Another Ticket.
noriokuremashita. · I missed my train.
Survival
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A Hotel Room in Japan Without a Kettle? Just Ask for One.
ketoru arimasu ka? · Is there a kettle?
Beginner
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Your Pile of One-Yen Coins Has a Legal Limit. It Is Twenty.
kozeni demo ii desu ka · is it okay if I pay in coins?
Survival
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A Stranger Offers You a Half-Price Bar Upstairs. This Is the One You Walk Past.
machiawase desu · I'm meeting someone
Survival
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No Eating While You Walk, No Bins. So Where Does the Skewer Go?
gomi, onegai dekimasu ka? · Could you take this rubbish for me?
Beginner
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Japan Went Cashless. This Cafe Still Will Not Take Your Card for a Four Hundred Yen Coffee.
kādo wa ikura kara tsukaemasu ka? · From how much can I use a card?
Beginner
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Eleven Minutes in a Tokyo Izakaya and Nobody Has Taken Your Order. It Was Never Going to Happen at the Table.
chūmon wa dō sureba ii desu ka? · How do I order?
Survival
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It Is Thirty Five Degrees and Your Nose Will Not Stop Running. You Did Not Catch a Cold in Japan.
kafunshou desu. · I have hay fever.
Beginner
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It's Six in Kyoto and You're Still in a Rented Kimono. The Shop Shut at Five Thirty.
henkyaku wa nanji made desu ka? · What time do I have to bring it back by?
Survival
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Seven Bites on One Ankle. The Word That Fixes It Is Not Mosquito.
mushi ni sasaremashita · I got bitten by an insect.
Survival
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You Made the Last Train Back to Your Kyoto Guesthouse. The Front Door Still Won't Open.
mongen · the curfew, the hour the front door locks
Beginner
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The Japanese Cold Medicine Box Is All Kanji. One Question Gets You the Dose.
kore, ichinichi nankai nomeba ii desu ka? · How many times a day should I take this?
Survival
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A Stranger Stops in the Shinkansen Aisle, Checks His Ticket, Then Looks at You.
machigaemashita · I got it wrong. My mistake.
Survival
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The Fireworks Are Tonight. So Is the Typhoon.
sumimasen, chuushi desu ka? · Excuse me, is it cancelled?
Beginner
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You Missed the Last Train in Tokyo. There Is a Door That Costs Two Thousand Yen.
naito pakku arimasu ka? · Do you have a night pack?
Beginner
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You Fell Asleep on a Japanese Train and Woke Up Somewhere Else. Say This at the Gate.
norisugoshimashita · I missed my stop.
Beginner
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Your Flight Just Got Cancelled by a Typhoon. Check Out Is in Forty Minutes.
mou ippaku dekimasu ka? · Can I stay one more night?
Survival
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One Short Line Makes Japanese Staff Slow Down and Walk You Through It. Say It Before You Panic.
koko, hajimete nan desu · It's my first time here.
Survival
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Train Leaves in 4 Minutes. This Station Has 17 Platforms.
nanbansen desu ka? · which platform is it?
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This Train Looks Right, But It Skips Your Stop
kakueki teisha desu ka? · Is this the local (all-stops) train?
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