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Japanese vocabulary - 単語
Now that you’ve at least started learning the Japanese alphabet and Katakana, let’s learn some basic vocabulary words and simple Japanese phrases.
I will list the Kanji, Hiragana, Romaji (the word sounded out using English letters), and the English meaning for each Japanese word or phrase. Most Japanese words have Kanji for them but I will only include the Kanji if that word is typically written that way.
Keep in mind that the Japanese language has different levels of politeness that change based on who you are talking to. I will refer to these as “ultra-formal”, “formal” (or “polite form”), “normal” (or “plain form”), “informal”, and “rude” (we won’t be covering too much of the rude form, however).
| 漢字 - Kanji | ひらがな - Hiragana | Romaji(English Letters) | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私 | わたし | watashi | I(formal for males, normal for females) |
| 僕 | ぼく | boku | I(normal for males) |
| 彼 | かれ | kare | he |
| 彼女 | かのじょ | kanojo | she |
| あなた | あなた | anata | you(singular/normal) |
| これ | これ | kore | this (noun) |
| ここ | ここ | koko | here |
| この | この | kono | this(descriptive - ex. this pen) |
| それ | それ | sore | that (noun) |
| そこ | そこ | soko | there |
| その | その | sono | that(descriptive - ex. that pen) |
| 人 | ひと | hito | person |
| 犬 | いぬ | inu | dog |
| 猫 | ねこ | neko | cat |
| 家 | いえ | ie | house |
Essential Japanese phrases
| 漢字 - Kanji | ひらがな - Hiragana | Romaji(English Letters) | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ありがとう | ありがとう | arigatou | Thank you. (normal) |
| ありがとうございます | ありがとうございます | arigatou gozaimasu | Thank you. (formal) |
| どういたしまして | どういたしまして | douitashimashite | You’re welcome. (normal) |
| おはよう | おはよう | ohayou(sounds like “Ohio”) | Good morning. (informal) |
| おはようございます | おはようございます | ohayou gozaimasu | Good morning.(normal and formal) |
| こんにちは | こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello. (normal) |
| こんばんは | こんばんは | konbanwa | Good evening. (normal) |
| さよなら | さよなら | sayonara | Goodbye. (normal) |
| 頑張ってください | がんばってください | gambatte kudasai(can also be written “ganbatte kudasai”) | Hang in there |
| 気をつけてください | きをつけてください | ki o tsukete kudasai(can also be written “ki wo tsukete kudasai”) | Be careful, Take care |