Word company in japanese

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Updated February 2015. New ones, updated ones and ones still to be done in bold.

Aeon –

ANA – All Nippon Airlines

Asahi – Morning light

ASICS – “anima sana in corpore sano”, Latin for “healthy soul in a healthy body”

au mobile

Benihana – 紅花 – literally “dark red flower”, though I have a feeling it’s actually the name of a specific flower

Bridgestone — named after founder Shojiro Ishibashi. The surname Ishibashi (石橋) means “stone bridge”.

Canon — Originally (1933) Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory. The new name (1935) derived from the name of the company’s first camera, the Kwanon, in turn named after the Japanese name of the Buddhist bodhisattva of mercy. (In Japanese it is still always pronounced with the first sounds as kya- kyanon – like the religious figure)

Casio — from the name of its founder, Kashio Tadao, who had set up the company Kashio Seisakujo as a subcontractor factory. (In Japanese it is usually pronounced with sh sound- Cashio- as the sounds si and shi are indistinguishable in Japanese).

Daiei

Daihatsu — shortened from 大阪の発動機製造　Osaka motor production and it got shortened to 大発 – Daihatsu (Great development), as dai is another pronunciation for the O in Osaka (thanks to the commenter below for this one)

Daiichi Sankyo –第一三共 – the kanji seem to mean something like “Number one from a combination of three”

Daiwa – another pronunciation of Yamato (大和), an ancient name for Japan.

Daikyo

Datsun — first called DAT, from the initials of its financiers Den, Aoyama and Takeuchi. Soon changed to DATSON to imply a smaller version of their original car, then (as SON can means “loss” in Japanese) again to DATSUN when they were acquired by Nissan.

Denon – “The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo and others in 1939.” (presumably actually “denki onkyou” – 電気音響 – meaning “electronic acoustics”)

Dentsu – “Electronic communication” (電通) because it used to be a telegraph company

DHC – short for “daigaku honyaku sentaa” (大学翻訳センター), meaning “university translation centre” as that is what it started as, despite being better known for cosmetics nowadays

DNP – Dai Nippon Printing, still usually known as Dai Nippon Insatsu (大日本印刷) in Japanese. Dai Nippon is mainly a colonial hangover name meaning “greater Japan”, but not sure in this company’s case.

Doutor – apparently from the Portuguese name for “doctor” after a trip to that country by the founder, but have neither been able to trace the source of that story nor work out the connection he thought there was to coffee

Duskin – A few explanations in Japanese here http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%80%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AD%E3%83%B3 but the most likely seems to be the beginning of the English expression “dust cloth” with the end of the similar Japanese expression “zoukin”, as just the Japanese word was a bit too direct and unattractive (just noticed that a commenter beat me to this)

Ebisu – Originally “Yebisu”, both versions being names of a Japanese God, part of the seven who are often pictured together. The name of the area in Tokyo comes from the beer company rather than vice versa. Thanks to a commenter below for beating me to this one.

Epson — Epson Seiko Corporation, the Japanese printer and peripheral manufacturer, was named from “Son of Electronic Printer”

Fujitsu – Short for Fuji Tsūshinki Seizō (富士通信機製造　- Fuji – after the mountain – telecommunications equipment manufacturing)

Geos –

Hakuhodo – 博報堂 – has kanji from museum, information and temple, will try and research why soon…

Hard Off- It is a second hand hardware store in the same chain as Book Off (“off” suggesting cheapness), but not a chain that will be expanding abroad unless it takes a huge change in product range, I think…

Hina –

Hitachi — old place name, literally “sunrise”

Honda — from the family name of its founder, Soichiro Honda (Honda is a common name, with the first kanji “Hon” meaning root or base, and the second kanji “da” meaning rice field).

Isetan　―　伊勢丹

Isuzu　 – Always written in Hiragana as いすゞ, with the final symbol simply meaning “repeat the last symbol with voiced”. My computer brings up the kanji 五十鈴, which would mean “fifty bells” and looks like a place name

JAL — from Japan Airlines

JCB credit cards

JR – Japan Railways

JTB

JVC — Japan Victor Company

Kaldi – the name of the goatherd who was supposed to have first discovered coffee

Kanebo – Always written in katakana, so can’t find the original meaning, though my computer gives me the option fo the kanji 鐘紡

Kao – 花王 – Literal meaning of the kanji is “flower king”, but that is apparently a name for the botan flower. The pun with the word for face “kao” is apparently deliberate. (Thanks to commenter below for this additional info)

Kawasaki — from the name of its founder, Shozo Kawasaki. Kawasaki is a very common family name that comes from the kanji “Kawa” meaning river and “saki” meaning cape (which explains why Kawasaki the company has no connection to Kawasaki the much ignored city between Yokohama and Tokyo).

Kirin – Giraffe, and the mythical Chinese creature which shares its name.

Komatsu — Japanese construction vehicle manufacturer named from the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa, where it was founded in 1917.

Konica — it was earlier known as Konishiroku Kogaku. Konishiroku in turn is the short for Konishiya Rokubeiten which was the first name of the company established by Rokusaburo Sugiura in the 1850s

Korg — named from the surnames of the founders, Tsutomu Katoh and Tadashi Osanai, combined with the letters “rg” from the word organ.

Kumon – 公文 ????

Kyocera — from Kyoto Ceramics, after Kyoto in Japan.

Marubeni – 丸紅 – literal meaning of the kanji is “circle” + “dark red/ crimson”, which looks like a family name to me

Maruetsu – マルエツ – doesn’t seem to be any kanji for it, so not sure the meaning or where it comes from, maybe an abbreviation of two names or a longer company name

Matsuya – 松屋 – simply means “Shop of Mr Fir Tree”, hence being used for completely different and unconnected companies such as a gyudon beef bowl restaurants and a posh department store

Mazda Motor Corporation — the company was founded as Toyo Kogyo, started manufacturing Mazda brand cars in 1931, and changed its name to Mazda in 1984. The cars were supposedly named after Ahura Mazda, the chief deity of the Zoroastrians, though many think this explanation was created after the fact, to cover up what is simply a poor anglicized version of the founders name, Jujiro Matsuda. This theory is supported by the fact that the company is referred to only as “Matsuda” in Japan (松田 – fir tree and rice paddy, a fairly common name).

Mitsubishi — 三菱 – the name Mitsubishi has two parts: mitsu means three and hishi (changing to bishi in the middle of the word) means diamond (the shape). Hence, the three diamond logo. (Note that “diamond” in this context refers only to the rhombus shape, not to the precious gem.)

Mitsui – 三井 – Three wells, a place name and family name

Mitsukoshi – 三越

Mizuho – 瑞穂　- abundant rice, from an ancient name for Japan “豊葦原の瑞穂の国 (とよあしはらのみずほのくに)’ Toyoashihara no mizuho no kuni’ (thanks to a commenter below for this one)

Mos Burger – Mountain Ocean Sky, apparently

MUFG – Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

Muji – usually known in Japanese as “mujirushi”, short for “Mujirushi-ryouhin” (無印 – good quality without branding – ironically for what has become an expensive and trendy brand in places such as London)

NEC – Nippon Electric Company

NHK – Short for Nippon Housou Kyoukai (ニッポン放送協会) Japan Broadcasting Organisation).

Nikkei – (日経) short for Nihon Keizai Shimbun (日本経済新聞 – Japan Economics Newspaper)

Nikon — the original name was Nippon Kogaku, meaning “Japanese Optical”. There is still a “Kogaku street” 光学通り in Ooimachi, Tokyo to one of their factories.

Nintendo – 任天堂 – According to a book on the company, the word “Nintendo” means “leave luck to heaven” or “We do what we can” which suggests the chance inherent in card games, their first products.

Nissan — the company was earlier known by the name Nippon Sangyo (日本産業) which means “Japanese industry”, making the kanji 日産 if you cut some kanji out in typical Japanese style

Nissin – 日清, which looks like it might mean “Japanese pickles” but apparently is short for the motto “日々清らかに豊かな味をつくる”, “Making a clean and great taste every day.”

Nomura – 野村 – A common family name meaning “field village”

NTT – Nippon Telegraph and Telephone

NTT docomo – Do communication????

Odakyu –　小田急 – I’m guessing it’s short for Odawara Kyukou from the city where it goes

Ootoya – 大戸屋 – the shop of Mr Ooto, whose family name seems to mean “big door”

Resona – りそな – ???? (strange as it’s pronounced risona with ri as if it’s an English word, but written in hiragana as if it’s a Japanese word)

Ricoh – Short for Riken Kankoshi（利権感光紙Riken Sensitised Paper）, which would make the kanji 利光

Sansui – 山水 – mountain + water

Sanyo — 三洋　– three + oceans, not sure why

Secom – “security communication” (thanks to a commenter below)

SEGA — Service Games of Japan was founded by Marty Bromley (an American) to import pinball games to Japan for use on American military bases.

Seibu – 西武 – presumably West + a kanji from “Musashino” (武蔵野), the old name for the area spreading west from Tokyo

Seiko —from Seikosha (精工舎), roughly “House of Exquisite Workmanship”

Seiyu　西友 – the kanji literally mean “West” and “friend”. The “sei” bit comes from Seibu as it’s the same group.

Sekisui

Sharp — Japanese consumer electronics company named from its first product, an ever-sharp pencil (mechanical pencil/ automatic pencil), still called “sharp pen” in Japanese after that product.

Shimano – a fairly common Japanese family name meaning “island + field” (島野)

Shinseido – 資生堂 – “The name ‘Shiseido’ comes from Chinese Yi Jing, the Book of Changes from the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism.” according to their website, but doesn’t explain why or what it means

SMBC – Mitsui Sumitomo Banking Corporation (no idea why the first two words are reversed in the acronym) – thanks to a commenter for a correction

Sony — from the Latin word ‘sonus’ meaning sound, and ‘sonny’ a slang word used by Americans to refer to a bright youngster, “since we were sonny boys working in sound and vision”, said Akio Morita. The company was founded as Tokyo Tsoshiu Kogyo KK (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) in 1946, and changed its name to Sony in 1958. Sony was chosen as it could be pronounced easily in many languages.

Subaru — from the Japanese name for the constellation known to Westerners as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters. Subaru was formed from a merger of seven other companies, and the constellation is featured on the company’s logo.

Sumitomo – 住友 – A fairly common family name whose kanji mean “live” and “friend”. “The Sumitomo group traces its roots to a bookshop in Kyoto founded circa 1615 by a former Buddhist priest, Masatomo Sumitomo.”

Sunkus – サンカス – Supposed to be the Japanese pronunciation of “Thanks”, although the Japanese only really use “Sankyu” for “Thank you”. A commenter quotes Wikipedia as saying the logo is “sun”+”kids”+”us” and so it’s also a pun on “sun”.

Suntory　– Japanese pronunciation is actually “santory” (サントリ), although there is no difference between that and “suntory” in Japanese

Suzuki — from the name of its founder, Michio Suzuki. Suzuki is the most popular Japanese family name and means “bell tree”.

Takara Tomy – Always assumed this was from a merger of two companies, but my computer brings up the kanji 高良登美

TDK – Tokyo Denki Kagaku Kokyo 東京電気化学故郷　(Tokyo Electric Chemicals – have no idea what the last two kanji mean)

Tokyu – Short for Toukyou Kyukou (東京急行) – Tokyo Express, the latter word being a usual part of train companies, which how Tokyu group started

Toray　pronounced “torei”

Toshiba – 東芝 – It looks like “East lawn/ meadow”, but it’s a combination of the first syllable of Tokyo and the first word of “Shiba ura” (芝浦 – an area in Tokyo), from the names of the two companies that merged to create that company. The Japanese pronunciation is Toushiba with a long first syllable, like Toukyou for Tokyo.

Toto – 東陶 – the kanji for “East” and “ceramics”, I imagine the first of which comes from the first kanji of Tokyo (東京). The Japanese pronunciation has long vowel sounds – Toutou.

Toyota — from the name of the founder, Sakichi Toyoda (豊田). Initially called Toyeda, it was changed after a contest for a better-sounding name. The new name was written in katakana with eight strokes, a number that is considered lucky in Japan.

Tsutaya – 蔦屋 – “the shop of Tsuya/ Tsuya’s place”, but not sure yet what that kanji means, must be some kind of name and seems to mean some kind of a bird

Uniqlo – I seem to remember reading that it means “unique clothing company”

Wagamama – this restaurant chain called “selfish” (a word as negative in Japanese as it is in English) is, unsurprisingly, not a Japanese company.

Yakult – ヤクルト – from the Esperanto word for yoghurt (thanks to a commenter for this one)

Yamaha – a fairly common family name meaning “mountain + wing” (山羽)

Yamato　– 大和 – An old name for Japan, also pronounced “Daiwa” (see above)

YKK

Yoshinoya – 吉野家 – The shop of Yoshino (吉野), a very common family name

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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Do you have some Japanese words you can come up with right away? Some people might find the food-related words like Sushi or Teriyaki very Japanese, and others find culture-related words like Wabi-Sabi or Hanami very Japanese.

In this lesson, we’ll talk about basic Japanese words and their usage. These words will help you understand and speak Japanese faster and easier. Let’s begin!

Japanese words are one of the few things that will help you get started when you learn Japanese aside from the alphabet. If your goal is to speak the language fast, learning Japanese words will get you to speak and expand your vocabulary.

You may start with learning the basic Japanese words that are often used in conversations. This will help you be able to engage in simple conversations.

You don’t need to learn complex words yet. Just learn them step-by-step.

Basic Japanese Words

Basic Japanese words are words that you’re going to hear and use in most conversations. Here are a few of the basic Japanese words you can start to learn.

• はい (Hai) — Yes
• いいえ (Iie) — No
• ありがとう (Arigatou) — Thank you.
• どういたしまして (Douitashimashite) — You’re welcome.
• ごめんなさい (Gomen nasai) — I’m sorry.
• すみません (Sumimasen) — excuse me, sorry
• どうぞ (Douzo) — Please, Go ahead
• たすけてください！(Tasukete kudasai!) – Help me!

Japanese Family words

Japanese family words are useful words when addressing or talking about your own family members to others. However, it’s important to note that there are other words you’ll use when you talk about other people’s families. You can learn more about it in our article on Japanese family terms.

Among family relationships, the Japanese honorifics さん (San) and ちゃん (Chan) are often exchangeable. In addition, most of the family words have more than one way to call a person.

The word choices depend on the speaker’s preference and the situation of the conversation. There is also a clear distinction between an informal version and a formal version.

Let’s take the word “father” as an example:

• おとうさん (Otousan | お父さん)
• おやじ (Oyaji | 親父),
• とうちゃん (Touchan | 父ちゃん),
• ちち (Chichi | 父), and
• ぱぱ (Papa | パパ).

Here are the Japanese family words you can use to address your family or talk about them:

• かぞく (Kazoku | 家族) — Family
• いえ (Ie | 家) — House, Home
• りょうしん (Ryoushin | 両親) — Parents
• おや (Oya| 親) — Parent
• おとうさん (Otousan | お父さん) — Father
• おかあさん (Okaasan | お母さん) — Mother
• おじいちゃん (Ojiichan | お祖父ちゃん) — Grandfather
• おばあちゃん (Obaachan | お祖母ちゃん) — Grandmother
• そふぼ (Sofubo | 祖父母) — Grandparents
• おにいちゃん (Oniichan | お兄ちゃん) — Older brother
• おねえちゃん (Oneechan | お姉ちゃん) — Older sister
• おとうと (Otouto | 弟) — Younger brother
• いもうと (Imouto | 妹) — Younger sister
• きょうだい (Kyoudai | 兄弟) — Brothers
• しまい (Shimai | 姉妹) — Sisters
• あかちゃん (Akachan | あかちゃん) — Baby

Japanese Relationships Words

Relationships are important among the Japanese. And in every relationship, respect is very evident. This is also reflected in the words they use for each other.

Japanese relationship words can be used when talking about how you’re related to a person.

Below is a list of Japanese relationship words you get started with.

• ともだち (Tomodachi | 友達) — Friend
• しんゆう (Sinyuu | 親友) — Close friend
• こいびと (Koibito | 恋人) — Lover
• かれし (Kareshi | 彼氏) — Boyfriend
• かのじょ (Kanojo | 彼女) — Girlfriend
• ぱーとなー (Paatonaa | パートナー) — Partner
• せんぱい (Senpai | 先輩) — Senior, Upperclassmen
• こうはい (Kouhai | 後輩) — Junior

Japanese School Words

Japanese school words are words you’ll often hear or encounter when you’re a student, a teacher, or someone working in the education industry. Even if you don’t belong to any of these, these are helpful words to learn when you learn Japanese.

Here are some useful Japanese school words:

• がっこう (Gakkou | 学校) — school
• べんきょう (Benkyou | 勉強) — Study
• せんせい (Sensei | 先生) — Teacher
• せいと (Seito | 生徒) — Student
• ようちえん (Youchien | 幼稚園) — Preschool
• ほいくえん (Hoikuen | 保育園) — Daycare
• しょうがっこう (Shougakkou | 小学校) — Elementary school
• ちゅうがっこう (Chuugakkou | 中学校) — Junior high school
• こうこう (Koukou | 高校) — High school
• だいがく (Daigaku | 大学) — University, College
• せんもんがっこう (Senmon Gakkou | 専門学校) — Vocational school, Business college
• しゅくだい (Shukudai | 宿題) — Homework
• しけん (Shiken | 試験) — Exam
• にゅうがく (Nyuugaku | 入学) — School entrance
• そつぎょう (Sotsugyou | 卒業) — Graduation

Japanese Work and Business Words

Japanese work and business words are essential for you to learn if you’re going to work or do business in Japan. Another instance that these words can be important is when you’re doing business with Japanese or working with and for a Japanese company in your country.

Learning the basic Japanese work and business words can be the way to go. Below is a list of basic Japanese work and business words:

• しごと (Shigoto | 仕事) — work, business
• かいしゃ (Kaisha | 会社) — Company
• やといぬし (Yatoinushi | 雇い主) — Employer
• じゅうぎょういん (Juugyouin | 従業員) — Employee
• じょうし (Joushi | 上司) — Boss, Manager
• どうりょう (Douryou | 同僚) — Colleague
• かいぎ (Kaigi | 会議) — Meeting
• めんせつ (Mensetsu | 面接) — Interview
• きゅうけい (Kyukei | 休憩) — Break
• きゅうりょう (Kyuryou | 給料) — Salary

Japanese Time and Date Words

Japanese are very punctual people. Time is very important for them. This is one reason that most Japanese wear watches. In relation to that, learning Japanese time and date words are important to keep up with time and dates as you interact with Japanese people.

These are words that will help you talk about your experiences, plans, and so many others.

Here are a few useful Japanese time and date words:

• じかん (Jikan | 時間) — Time, Hour
• いま (Ima | 今) — Now
• さっき (Sakki) — Just now
• あとで (Atode | 後で) — Later
• こんど (Kondo | 今度) — Next time
• いつか (Itsuka | 何時か) — sometimes, one day
• きょう (Kyou | 今日) — Today
• あした (Ashita | 明日) — Tomorrow
• きのう (Kinou | 昨日) — Yesterday
• あさって (Asatte | 明後日) — Day after tomorrow
• おととい (Ototoi | 一昨日) — Day before yesterday
• ことし (Kotoshi | 今年) — This year
• らいねん (Rainen | 来年) — Next year

Japanese Nature Words

Japan is a very beautiful country where you can see nature and modernism meets. When talking about nature, you’ll need to use Japanese nature words. You also need words to help you describe them but we’ll talk about that in another article.

In the meantime, here are a few of the many Japanese nature and geography words you can learn:

• しぜん (Shizen | 自然) — Nature
• きせつ (Kisetsu | 季節) — Season
• しき (Shiki | 四季) — Four seasons
• しょくぶつ (Shokubutsu | 植物) — Plants
• き (Ki | 木) — Tree
• はな (Hana | 花) — Flowers
• やま (Yama | 山) — Mountains
• うみ (Umi | 海) — Ocean
• かわ (Kawa | 川) — River
• みず (Mizu | 水) — Water
• ひ (Hi | 火) — Fire

Japanese Weather Words

As Japan has four seasons, there are a number of Japanese weather words you need to add to your vocabulary. Learning these Japanese weather words will be useful in conversations.

Below is a list of some Japanese weather words:

• てんき (Tenki | 天気) — Weather
• はれ (Hare | 晴れ) — Sunny
• くもり (Kumori | 曇り) — Cloudy
• あめ (Ame | 雨) — Rainy
• ゆき (Yuki | 雪) — Snowy
• たいふう (Taifuu | 台風) — Typhoon
• かぜ (Kaze | 風) — Wind
• あらし (Arashi | 嵐) — Storm
• じしん (Jishin | 地震) — Earthquake
• つなみ (Tsunami | 津波) — Tsunami
• ふんか (Funka | 噴火) — Eruption
• ちきゅう (Chikyuu | 地球) — Earth
• たいよう (Taiyou | 太陽) — Sun
• つき (Tsuki | 月) — Moon
• うちゅう (Uchuu | 宇宙) — Universe

Japanese Vehicles and Transportation Words

Japan is a highly developed country and is known for manufacturing vehicles. There are many types or forms of vehicles and transportation, you’ll see in Japan.

Each of the vehicles and transportation has its own Japanese words for them. Learning the Japanese vehicles and transportation words will improve your vocabulary.

Here are some of the common Japanese vehicles and transportation words:

• でんしゃ (Densha | 電車) — Train
• くるま (Kuruma | 車) — Car
• オートバイ (Ootobai) — Motorbike
• ばす (Basu | バス) — Bus
• ふね (Fune | 船) — Ship, Boat
• ひこうき (Hikouki | 飛行機) — Airplane
• じてんしゃ (Jitensha | 自転車) — Bycycle
• えき (Eki | 駅) — Station
• ばすてい (Basutei | バス停) — Bus stop
• くうこう (Kuukou | 空港) — Airport

Japanese Animal Words

The Japanese language has a unique word for each of the animals that we know of. Learning the different Japanese animal words will allow you to get involved in basic Japanese conversations. For example, you may want to know someone’s favorite animal or pet at home. You can also share animals you’ve seen in one of your travel or escapade.

Here are some Japanese animal words you can start learning:

• どうぶつ (Doubutsu | 動物) — Animal
• いぬ (Inu | 犬) — Dog
• ねこ (Neko | 猫) — Cat
• とり (Tori | 鳥) — Bird
• にわとり (Niwatori | 鶏) — Chicken
• ぶた (Buta | 豚) — Pig
• うし (Ushi | 牛) — Cow
• さかな (Sakana| 魚) — Fish
• こうかくるい (Koukakurui | 甲殻類) — Shellfish
• むし (Mushi | 虫) — Insects

Japanese Festivals and Events Words

Japan’s culture and tradition is characterized by festivals and unique events or ceremonies. If you’re visiting Japan, it’ll make your life more fun if you’re able to experience their colorful festivals and events. It’ll make your visit even more convenient and meaningful if you know the different Japanese festivals and events words.

Here are some of the Japanese festivals and events words.

• まつり (Matsuri | 祭り) — Festivals
• はなび (Hanabi | 花火) — Fireworks
• けっこんしき (Kekkonshiki | 結婚式) — Wedding
• おそうしき (Oshoushiki | お葬式) — Funeral
• さどう (Sadou | 茶道) — Tea ceremony

Greeting Words in Japanese

Before we start learning Japanese greeting words, let’s grasp the great importance of general greetings in Japan.

Japanese greetings are called あいさつ (Aisatsu | 挨拶) and many Japanese people believe that greetings can show your attentiveness, a caring attitude towards others, and acknowledgment of your companions. This tendency deeply permeates the social consciousness.

Here are the lists of Japanese greeting words. These words don’t necessarily use かんじ (Kanji | 漢字) when it’s written. ひらがな (Hiragana | 平仮名) words are commonly seen nowadays.

Basic Japanese Greeting Words of a Day

Some greeting words have both casual and polite forms in Japanese. When talking to an older person, add です (desu) | ます (masu) | さい (sai) at the end of a phrase or a sentence.

This desu and masu ending expression are called ですますちょう (desu-masu-chou | ですます調) in Japanese and are used widely in everyday conversation.

• こんにちは (Konnichiwa | 今日は) — Hello, Good afternoon
• おはよう (Ohayou | お早う) — Good morning
• おはようございます (Ohayou Gozaimasu | お早う御座います) — Good morning
• こんばんは (Konbanwa | 今晩は) — Good evening
• おやすみ (Oyasumi | お休み) — Good night
• おやすみなさい (Oyasuminasai | お休みなさい) — Good night

Basic Japanese Greeting Words and Phrases

When learning a new language just like Japanese, the first few things you’ll be taught would be basic greeting words and phrases.

These basic Japanese greeting words are often used in daily conversations. So, these will help you engage in Japanese conversations. These are also good conversation starters.

Here are a few of the Japanese greeting words and phrases:

• げんき (Genki? | 元気) — How are you?
• おげんきですか (Ogenki desuka? | お元気ですか) — How are you?
• はじめまして (Hajimemashite | 初めまして) — Nice to meet you.
• よろしく (Yoroshiku | 宜しく) — Nice to meet you.
• よろしくおねがいします (Yoroshiku Onegai shimasu | 宜しくお願いします) — Please take care of me. / I’m in your care.
• またあとで (Mata Ato de | また後で) — See you later.
• またこんど (Mata Kondo | また今度) — See you again.
• さようなら (Sayounara | 左様なら) — Good bye.
• おじゃましました (Ojama shimashita | お邪魔しました) — Thank you for inviting me.

Common Japanese Reply Words

In most conversations, you’ll have to either ask or reply to questions. In cases you’ll have to give a response, you’ll need to know the appropriate reply words.

In Japanese, there are many ways you can reply to questions or react to what you hear. Here’s a list of common Japanese reply words:

• • はい (Hai) — Yes
  • いいえ (Iie) — No
  • いいです (Ii desu | 良いです) — It’s okay
  • わかった (Wakatta | 分かった) — I see
  • わかりました (Wakarimashita | 分かりました) — I understood
  • だいじょうぶ (Daijoubu | 大丈夫) — It’s alright
  • だいじょうぶです (Daijoubu desu | 大丈夫です) — It’s alright
  • もんだいありません (Mondai arimasen | 問題ありません) — No problem
  • どうぞ (Douzo) — Please, Go ahead
  • おねがい (Onegai | お願い) — Yes, please
  • おねがいします (Onegai shimasu | お願いします) — Yes, please
  • ちがいます (Chigai masu | 違います) — no, it’s not
  • だめです (Dame desu | 駄目です) — it’s not okay
  • まちがっています (Machigatte imasu | 間違っています) — it’s wrong
  • わかりません (Wakarimasen | 分かりません) — I don’t understand
  • しりません (Sirimasen | 知りません) — I don’t know
  • ありがとう (Arigatou | 有難う) — thanks
  • ありがとうございます (Arigatou gozaimasu | 有難う御座います) — thank you
  • どういたしまして (Dou itashimashite | 如何致しまして) — your welcome
  • すみません (Sumimasen | 済みません) — excuse me, sorry
  • しつれいします (Shitsurei shimasu | 失礼します) — excuse me
  • ごめん (Gomen | 御免) — sorry
  • ごめんなさい (Gomen nasai | 御免なさい) — I’m sorry
  • もうしわけありません (Moushiwake arimasen | 申し訳ありません) — I’m very sorry

Japanese Question Words

Japanese question words are the same as the WH questions in English although both languages don’t share the same grammar. This means that the English WH questions have their Japanese counterparts.

However, it’s important to note that some WH questions can have more than one Japanese word.

Knowing the Japanese question words would come in handy when you’re visiting or living in Japan or simply having conversations with a friend or colleague.

Here are the Japanese question words:

• どのように (Dono youni) – How
• どのくらい (Dono kurai) –  How much or How long
• いくら (Ikura) – How much (price)
• なに (Nani | 何) – What
• どこ (Doko | 何処) – Where
• いつ (Itsu | 何時) – When
• なんじ (Nanji | 何時) – What time
• なぜ (Naze | 何故) | どうして (Doushite) – Why
• どの (Dono) | どれ (Dore) | どちら (Dochira) – Which
• だれ (Dare | 誰) – Who
• だれの (Dare no | 誰の) – Whose

Japanese Words for Parts of Speech

The Japanese language has five structural categories and ten parts of speech. A part of speech that forms a word is し (Shi | 詞), and distinguishing one another would be helpful to extend your Japanese vocabulary.

• めいし (Mei Shi | 名詞) — noun
• どうし (Dou Shi | 動詞)— verb
• けいようし (Keiyou Shi | 形容詞) — adjective
• けいようどうし (Keiyoudou Shi | 形容動詞) — quasi-adjective
• じょし (Jo Shi | 助詞) — Japanese particles
• じょどうし (Jodou Shi | 助動詞) — auxiliary verb
• ふくし (Fuku Shi | 副詞) — adverb
• れんたいし (Rentai Shi | 連体詞) — adnominal adjective
• せつぞくし (Setsuzoku Shi | 接続詞) — conjunction
• かんどうし (Kandou Shi | 感動詞) — interjection

Useful Japanese Words to Go Around

Other than the Japanese words you’ve learned in the other sections, there are words and phrases that will come in handy. These words and phrases will allow you to get help and clarification.

Here are some useful words for going around Japan or learning Japanese.

• たすける (Tasukeru | 助ける) – to help
• たすけ (Tasuke | 助け) – help
• いう (Iu | 言う) – to say
• はなす (Hanasu | 話す) – to speak
• しゃべる (Shaberu | 喋る) – to speak

Here are some examples of Japanese phrases using the words above:

• たすけてください！(Tasukete kudasai!) – Help me!
• なにかこまっていますか？(Nanika komatte imasu ka?) – Do you need any help?
• たすけがひつようですか？(Tasuke ga hitsuyou desu ka?) – Do you need any help?
• もういちどおねがいします。 (mou ichido onegai shimasu.) – Can you say it again?
• もういっかいいってください。(mou ikkai itte kudasai.) – Can you say it again?
• えいごをはなせますか？(eigo wo hanasemasu ka?) – Do you speak English?
• ゆっくりおねがいします。(Yukkuri onegai shimasu.) – Please speak more slowly.
• ゆっくりしゃべってください。(Yukkuri shabette kudasai.) – Please speak more slowly.

Other Japanese Vocabulary

Expanding your Japanese vocabulary is key to picking up the meanings in a conversation or helping you to express your situations, ideas, and feelings. Today, we’ll introduce you to some of the most common Japanese words.

• ことば (Kotoba | 言葉) — word
• たんご (Tango | 単語) — word
• げんご (Gengo | 言語) — language
• ごい (Goi | 語彙) — vocabulary
• ことばづかい (Kotobazukai | 言葉遣い) — a way of speaking
• いいまわし (Ii Mawashi | 言い回し) — wording

Japanese Word Tips

In this section, you’ll learn about the words used to talk about the different forms used in the Japanese language.

Casual Form and Polite Form

In the Japanese language, the appropriate word and the way of talking vary depending on the situation. For example, when you’re a student and talking to a teacher, you’re expected to use more mannerly words and polite forms.

Colloquially, the casual form is called ためご(Tamego | タメ語) or ともだちくちょう (Tomodachi Kuchou | 友達口調 | a friendly tone).

• けいご (Keigo | 敬語) — honorifics, polite form
• ふつうご (Futsuu Go | 普通語) — standard form
• へいじょうご (Heijou Go | 平常語) — standard form
• ためぐち (Tame Guchi | ため口) — casual form
• ためご (Tame Go | タメ語) — casual form

Also, adding お (o | 御) or ご (go | 御) before the first letter of nouns is a common way to make the word more courteous. People often use this for someone’s belongings and seasonal events.

For instance, the word for a wallet is さいふ (Saifu | 財布), and it becomes おさいふ (O-saifu | お財布) in certain situations.

The word for a festival is まつり (Matsuri | 祭り) and it turns into おまつり (O-matsuri | お祭り or 御祭り) as well. Also, there are only slight gender differences in written Japanese, but spoken Japanese varies.

Standard Words and Regional Variations

The Tokyo dialect is the standard Japanese in modern Japan. However, some areas have local variations for certain words. The specialists say there are at least 16 types of dialects in Japan.

• ひょうじゅんご (Hyoujun Go | 標準語) — standard Japanese
• ほうげん (Hougen | 方言) — dialect
• おおさかべん (Oosaka Ben | 大阪弁) — Osaka dialect
• きょうことば (Kyou Kotoba | 京言葉) — Kyoto dialect
• おきなわほうげん (Okinawa Hougen | 沖縄方言) — Okinawa dialect

*Sometimes Okinawa dialect is called りゅうきゅうご (Ryukyu Go | 琉球語 | Ryukyuan).

For instance,

Thanks

Standard Japanese words / Osaka dialect / Okinawa dialect

ありがとう (Arigatou) / おおきに (Ookini) / にふぇーでーびる (Nifeedeebiru)

A lot

Standard Japanese words / Osaka dialect / Okinawa dialect

たくさん (Takusan) / ぎょうさん (Gyousan) / ばんない (Bannai)

How Many Do You Know? Interesting Facts About Japanese Words

Here, we’ll show you some fun facts and tips about Japanese words. Some words are not suitable for formal situations, but you can find a useful phrase or a good phrase to learn Japanese.

Internet Slang Words: For Everyone Use

The most common Japanese slang is probably まじで (Maji de? | 本気で | Really?) and it’s everywhere in their daily conversations.

Somehow, the Japanese language doesn’t have much variety of swear words compared to foreign languages, though there are some slang words people regularly use. Especially in recent years, some internet slang used among gamers and anime fans has widely started spreading.

• くさ (w | 草) — Similar to the English word “lol”
• おつ (Otsu | 乙) — Thanks for the good work
• どきゅん (DQN | ドキュン) — Not cultured people
• りあじゅう (Ria Juu | リア充) — People who have a fulfilling real life

English Words Born in Japan

Some of the Japanese words traveled and entered many languages. Many words are related to Japanese tradition, culture, and food.

• からおけ (Karaoke | カラオケ) — Karaoke
• あにめ (Anime | アニメ) — Animation
• まんが (Manga | 漫画) — Comic
• おたく (Otaku | オタク、ヲタク) — Nerd, Geek
• おりがみ (Origami | 折り紙 ) — Japanese paper folding
• えもじ (Emoji | 絵文字) — Ideograms or pictograms used on the internet
• さらりーまん (Salariiman | サラリーマン) — Salary worker
• つなみ (Tsunami | 津波) — Tsunami
• たいふう (Taifuu | 台風) — Typhoon
• すうどく (Suudoku | 数独) — Sudoku
• らーめん | ラーメン (Raamen | 拉麺) — Ramen
• すし (Sushi | 寿司) — Sushi

These are the list of some words with negative meanings. Some words’ meanings might have been altered in your country but words like Karoushi and Hikikomori are one of the big social issues in Japan, and Kamikaze could be a sensitive topic.

• ざんぎょう (Zangyou | 残業) — Overtime work
• かろうし (Karoushi | 過労死) — Death caused by overworking
• かみかぜ (Kamikaze (| 神風) — Kamikaze attacks
• へんたい (Hentai | 変態) — Pervert, Abnormality
• ひきこもり (Hikikomori | 引き籠もり) — Social withdrawal

A Special Greeting Word: Only in a Shop and Restaurant

When you enter a restaurant or a shop in Japan, you might notice a unique greeting. The male Sushi chef welcomes you with a low-pitched voice, and the female store clerk gives you a big smile and a high-toned welcome. Did you know that McDonald’s Japan has free smiles on its menu?

• いらっしゃい (Irasshai) — Welcome
• いらっしゃいませ (Irasshai mase) — Welcome

Which One Do You Choose for “I”? More Than 10 Japanese Pronouns

Unlike English or another foreign language, the Japanese language has a variety of first-person pronouns and second-person pronouns. Many native Japanese speakers pick one word suitable for their social image or the situation.

There are male-suited versions and female-suited versions, but no strict rules. When you start speaking Japanese, pick one word you feel comfortable using.

The Japanese words for “I”

• わたくし (Watakushi | 私) — The most formal version for any gender
• わたし (Watashi | 私) — Good for any gender and situation
• あたし (Atashi) — Casual, common among females
• ぼく (Boku | 僕) — Common among men, suitable for casual occasion
• おれ (Ore | 俺) — Only for men and casual use
• わい (Wai | ワイ) — Mostly for men, commonly used in Kansai and Tohoku area
• じぶん (Jibun | 自分) — More common in literature and written forms
• うち (Uchi | ウチ) — Commonly heard among young girls

Learn Japanese Words and Japanese Phrases!

Knowing a word means extending your Japanese knowledge and improving your Japanese skill. Once you start recognizing new words, your will be able to understand more dialogues from the learning sources quickly and smoothly. Emoji can cheer you up while you study Japanese words and basic Japanese phrases!