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
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Your App Says It Means "Nice to Meet You." People Say It to Their Dentist.
yoroshiku onegai shimasu · I'm in your hands, please treat me well
Survival
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The Yellow Bumpy Strip in Every Japanese Station Is Not Decoration.
tenji burokku · tactile paving
Survival
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You Are Bowing Way Too Much in Japan. This Is the One People Actually Use.
eshaku · a small nod bow
Survival
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Japanese Has a Phrase That Literally Means I Am About to Be Rude. You Say It First, and Then It's the Politest Thing in the Room.
shitsurei shimasu · Excuse me.
Beginner
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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
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The Shop Looks Closed. That Curtain In The Doorway Is Telling You It's Open.
eigyouchuu · Open for business
Survival
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If You Hear This Word Behind You, You're Standing In The Wrong Place.
jama · in the way, a nuisance
Survival
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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
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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
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Japan's Best Souvenir Is Hand-Painted While You Wait
goshuin · a hand-brushed shrine seal
Survival
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The Shop Assistant Hands You a Bag Before You Try It On. It Goes Over Your Head.
feisu kabā · face cover (for trying clothes on)
Beginner
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Say Two Words of Japanese and Someone Will Call You Fluent. Now What?
mada mada desu · I've still got a long way to go
Survival
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Everyone Stops at This Stone Basin Before the Shrine. Nobody Tells You What to Do.
chouzuya · the purification basin at the entrance to a shrine
Intermediate
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That Sign Is Not Saying Please Be Careful. Japanese Has a Way of Saying No Without the Word No.
tabearuki wa go-enryo kudasai · Please refrain from eating while walking.
Intermediate
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It Is Thirty Five Degrees Outside and the Konbini Shelf Just Turned Into Autumn.
kikan gentei · limited time only
Intermediate
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They Just Lost. Now They Are on Their Knees Filling Their Bags With Dirt.
isshoukenmei · with everything you have
Survival
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It Is 36 Degrees and She Just Threw a Bucket of Water at the Pavement. She Is Not Cleaning.
uchimizu · sprinkling water to cool the street
Survival
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A Stranger Just Sat Down at Your Table in Tokyo. The Staff Put Them There.
aiseki · sharing a table with a stranger
Intermediate
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Every Train in Japan Is Packed in Mid-August. The Country Is Going Home to See the Dead.
obon · Obon, the summer season honoring ancestors
Survival
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At Japanese Fireworks, the Whole Crowd Shouts a Long-Gone Shop's Name
tamaya~! · Tamaya! (the fireworks cheer)
Survival
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Japanese People Say This 10 Times a Day. English Has No Word for It.
otsukaresama desu · Thanks for your effort, good work
Beginner
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Handed Natto in Japan? 'I Don't Like It' Is the Wrong Answer.
chotto nigate desu · It's not really my thing
Beginner
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There's a Drum Tower and a Circle of Dancers. You're Allowed to Join.
issho ni odotte mo ii desu ka? · Can I dance with you?
Intermediate
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When a Japanese Friend Says 'Next Time', They Often Mean No
mata kondo · Next time (a polite no)
Survival
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The First Thing to Say When You Step Into a Japanese Home
ojama shimasu · Thanks for having me (excuse me for intruding)
Survival
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Japanese People Don't Say 'Bye' When They Leave. They Say This.
ittekimasu · I'm heading out (and coming back)
Intermediate
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One Day Every July, All of Japan Eats Eel on Purpose. Here's Why.
doyou no ushi no hi · midsummer 'eel day'
Beginner
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Made a Friend in Japan? This Is How You Swap Contacts (Not Instagram)
LINE kōkan shimasen ka? · Want to swap LINE?
Beginner
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Say This Before a Japanese Friend's Big Day (It's Not Good Luck)
ganbatte · you've got this / do your best
Beginner
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Meeting a Japanese Person? Skip Konnichiwa. Say This.
Hajimemashite. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu. · Nice to meet you, I look forward to getting to know you.
Survival
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Why Leaving a Tip in Japan Backfires
otsuri wa ii desu · Keep the change / the change is fine
Survival
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If a Japanese Staffer Says THIS Word, Freeze
dame desu · No - not allowed.
Survival
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The One Word That Makes You Instantly Polite in Japan
dōzo · Here you go. / Go ahead.
Beginner
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Japanese Train Etiquette — The One Rule Tourists Always Forget
denwa wa dame desu ka? · are phone calls not allowed?
Beginner
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I'm Studying Japanese
nihongo o benkyō shite imasu · i'm studying japanese
Intermediate
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The Word You Say Leaving a Japanese Restaurant (Not Arigatō)
gochisōsama deshita · thanks for the meal
Intermediate
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Stop Saying Sayōnara — Japanese People Rarely Do
jaa ne · See you / bye (casual)
Intermediate
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The Summer Outfit Locals Wear to Festivals (and What to Say)
yukata · summer cotton kimono
Intermediate
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Why Japanese People Keep Saying This While You Talk
sō desu ka · oh, I see / is that so (the 'I'm listening' sound)
Intermediate
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The Japanese Shoe Rule Tourists Break the Most
kutsu o nugimasu · I take my shoes off
Intermediate
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How to Actually Pray at a Japanese Shrine
nirei nihakushu ichirei · two bows, two claps, one bow (how to pray at a shrine)
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