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.
All videos
Beginner
▶
You Bought the Prettiest Charm on the Shrine Counter for Your Boss. Congratulations on Their Safe Delivery.
kore wa nan no omamori desu ka? · What's this charm for?
Survival
▶
An Empty Taxi Drove Straight Past You in Tokyo With Your Arm in the Air. Two Kanji in the Window Had Already Said No.
kaisō · out of service
Survival
▶
Your Anime Taught You to Call People chan. On a Stranger It Lands Like Calling Your Waiter Sweetie.
-san · the default polite name-ending for any adult
Beginner
▶
Your Textbook Taught You the Days of the Week Wrong. Well, Too Long.
kin'you · Friday (casual, dropping the last part of the full word)
Beginner
▶
You Pull Into a Japanese Gas Station and Three People in Uniform Run at Your Car.
regyuraa mantan de onegai shimasu · Regular, fill it up, please.
Survival
▶
There's a Free Hot Spring Outside That Station and Everyone Walks Straight Past It.
ashiyu · foot bath, a public hot-spring bath for your feet with your clothes on
Survival
▶
The Ramen Guy Looks Up and Shouts a Question at You. You Have About Two Seconds.
sono mama de · Just as it comes, thanks.
Survival
▶
Your Legs Died Ten Minutes Ago. They Told You to Stop Kneeling at Minute Two.
dōzo, ashi o kuzushite kudasai · Please, sit however's comfortable. You don't have to kneel.
Survival
▶
Everyone Says You Must Ask Before Reclining on the Shinkansen. The Railway Says There Is No Such Rule.
seki, taoshite mo ii desu ka? · Can I recline my seat?
Survival
▶
Japan Doesn't Hand You a Napkin. One Word Summons It
tishu arimasu ka? · Napkin, do you have one?
Survival
▶
You Grabbed the Melon Pan With Your Hand. Everyone Saw. Nobody's Going to Say a Word.
tongu o otsukai kudasai · Please use the tongs.
Beginner
▶
Two Minutes Into Your Taxi Ride the Driver Asks a Question. Nodding Costs You Money.
kōsoku, tsukaimasu ka? · Shall I take the expressway?
Survival
▶
You're Eight Minutes Late. In Japan That Is Not a Little Late.
okurete sumimasen · Sorry I'm late.
Survival
▶
The Cashier Scanned Everything, Then Pointed Behind You and Walked Off. You Haven't Paid Yet.
achira de onegai shimasu · Please pay over there.
Beginner
▶
Your Sushi Video Taught You an Insider Word for Tea. It Belongs to the Guy Behind the Counter.
ocha kudasai · Tea, please.
Beginner
▶
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
▶
The Crowd Won't Move for You. One Little Word Makes It Split.
sumimasen, chotto tōshite kudasai · excuse me, could I get through?
Survival
▶
Your App Taught You The Japanese Word For You. Nobody Says It To Your Face.
tanaka san · Tanaka-san. Use the person's name, not the word for you.
Survival
▶
You've Been Walking the Museum Backwards This Whole Time.
junro · the set route (follow the arrows)
Survival
▶
Four Minutes to the Last Train. Don't Ask Where. Ask This.
mada ma ni aimasu ka? · can I still make it in time?
Survival
▶
Two Date Stamps on Japanese Food. One Is a Suggestion, One Is a Deadline.
shōhi kigen · use-by date (the safety deadline)
Survival
▶
The Shop Looks Closed. That Curtain In The Doorway Is Telling You It's Open.
eigyouchuu · Open for business
Beginner
▶
Every Cafe in Japan Asks You This in August. The Answer Is One Word.
aisu de onegai shimasu · iced, please
Survival
▶
Japan Just Made a New Word for Hot Official. It Starts at Forty Degrees.
kokushobi · a brutally hot day, forty degrees and up
Survival
▶
Seven Bites on One Ankle. The Word That Fixes It Is Not Mosquito.
mushi ni sasaremashita · I got bitten by an insect.
Survival
▶
Your Tokyo Hotel AC Is Running and the Room Is Still Thirty Degrees. Read One Word on the Remote.
reibō · cooling mode
Beginner
▶
The Ramen Shop Has No Line. There's a Clipboard by the Door and Your Name Isn't on It.
koko ni namae o kakeba ii desu ka? · Should I write my name here?
Survival
▶
If You Hear This Word Behind You, You're Standing In The Wrong Place.
jama · in the way, a nuisance
Survival
▶
The Yukata in Your Ryokan Room. Wrap It the Wrong Way and You Are Dressed Like the Dead.
gyaku desu yo · It's the other way around.
Survival
▶
Every Flower Shop in Japan Is Buried in These This Week. Buy a Bundle for Your Host and You Just Gave Them Grave Flowers.
shiragiku · white chrysanthemum
Survival
▶
Your App's Japanese for How Are You Is a Question You Only Ask After Months Apart.
o-hisashiburi desu · It's been a long time.
Beginner
▶
The Konbini Sells Fireworks All August. Where You Can Light Them Is the Catch.
koko de hanabi o shite mo ii desu ka? · Is it okay to do fireworks here?
Beginner
▶
Haggling in Japan Does Not Work. There Are About Four Places Where It Quietly Does.
mō sukoshi yasuku narimasen ka? · Could it be a little cheaper?
Survival
▶
You Finished the Cold Soba. That Pot of Cloudy Grey Water Is Not for Your Hands.
soba-yu · the water the soba was boiled in
Beginner
▶
Twenty Five Thousand Steps a Day. The Massage Shop Asks You One Question and You Need One Answer.
mō sukoshi tsuyoku onegai shimasu · A little stronger, please.
Survival
▶
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
▶
Two Seats on the Same Shinkansen Cost the Same. Only One of Them Sees Mount Fuji.
madogawa de onegai shimasu · A window seat, please.
Survival
▶
Every Line on This Japanese Menu Has a Price. One Line Has Two Kanji Instead.
jika · market price, whatever it costs today
Survival
▶
This Japanese Shop Is Lit, Open, and Completely Empty. It Still Expects You to Pay.
mujin hanbai · unstaffed shop, pay on the honour system
Survival
▶
Your Ryokan Looked Like a Bargain. One Word on the Booking Page Says Dinner Isn't Coming.
sudomari · room only, no meals
Survival
▶
You Stood Your Chopsticks Up in the Rice. In Japan You Just Set the Table for a Funeral.
hashioki, arimasu ka? · Do you have a chopstick rest?
Survival
▶
Two Stall Doors in an Old Japanese Station. Only the Kanji Tells You Which Is Which.
yōshiki · Western-style (toilet)
Survival
▶
Two Hundred People Are Waiting and You Can't See Where the Line Starts. One Sign Says Where.
saikoubi · the end of the line
Survival
▶
The Ticket Gate Slammed Shut on You in Tokyo. Two Kanji Fix It.
seisan · fare adjustment
Survival
▶
Everyone at the Shrine Is Tying Little Papers to a Rack. That's Bad Luck Being Left Behind on Purpose.
omikuji · a paper fortune drawn at a shrine
Survival
▶
The Waiter Came Back, Said One Short Phrase, and Is Now Just Standing There.
mada desu · not yet (I need another minute)
Beginner
▶
You Booked Two Shinkansen Tickets. Japan Gave You Two Seats in Different Rows.
sumimasen, seki, kawatte moraemasen ka? · Excuse me, could we swap seats?
Survival
▶
Japan's Best Souvenir Is Hand-Painted While You Wait
goshuin · a hand-brushed shrine seal
Page 5 of 11 · 503 videos
Get the free phrasebook
15 essential phrases for your trip — romaji included, zero studying.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.