The 100 Most Important Japanese Words You Should Know

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Say you booked a last minute trip to Japan. Then, soon after that, you quickly realize that you don’t speak a word of Japanese (let alone a hundred words). For all of you people out there (or, for all of you beginners of Japanese out there), this list is for you. These 100 words will get you through an untold number of situations, problems, and feelings, just by knowing these all-important words. I’m not saying that there aren’t any other important words out there (and I hope you add to the list by commenting below), but I do think this list of 100 words will get you really, really far if you are, for some reason, only limited to learning 100 words. Enjoy!

Having trouble pronouncing these “crazy” Japanese words? Try out some of the free lessons on TextFugu to become a Japanese pronunciation master.

Emergency

If you’re traveling to Japan, you’re going to want to know words that have to do with “emergency” situations. You don’t want to be caught off guard in a foreign country. If you’re in trouble, you need to be able to ask for some help, whether that help is finding a bathroom or getting someone who speaks English.

トイレ (toire) = Toilet. Everyone has to use the toilet at some point, so if you need help finding it, this is the word for you.

手洗い (tearai) = Bathroom. Just like toilet, but a little more all-inclusive. You can feel free to use either of these in a pinch, though.

助けて (tasukete) = HELP. Just yell this out and (maybe) someone will come to your aid… if you’re lucky.

わかりません (wakarimasen) = I don’t understand. If someone is speaking to you in Japanese and you don’t understand them (if you’re using this list, then maybe you don’t) then you can just tell them you don’t understand what they’re saying. Follow that up with “eigo, eigo” (which you’ll learn in a minute) and you’ll be golden.

やめて！ (yamete!) = Stop it! Maybe somebody is messing with you and you want them to stop (yakuza? probably not). This is what you’d want to say.

英語 (eigo) = English. Sometimes you just need someone who speaks some English. Everyone in Japan is supposed to be able to speak English, though you might have trouble finding the right person depending on where you are.

服 (fuku) = Clothes. Don’t ask… I just thought it would be terrible to lose your clothes, and with all the hot springs and perverts, you never know.

死にそう (shini sou) = Seems Like I’m Going To Die. When things get really serious, you may need to pull out all the stops.

警察 (keisatsu) = Police. If something really bad happens, these are the guys you’re going to want to ask for.

危ない (abunai) = Dangerous. You’ll see this on signs and stuff too. If someone says “abunai” to you, you should probably watch your step.

危険 (kiken) = Peril, Hazard. Basically, this is a fancier abunai. You’ll see this on signs as well.

[hr]

Asking

Asking broad general questions, then using body language to tell people the rest is a really fun way to get by in a country where you don’t speak the language!

どうした？ (doushita?) = What Happened? Then again, you probably won’t understand what the person responds with, but it’s always nice to ask.

どうして？ (doushite?) = Why? You never know…

なに？ (nani) = What? Unbelievable!

時間 (jikan) = Time. Just ask this with an quizzical tone and people will get the drift.

質問 (shitsumon) = Question. Have a question? Let someone know. Couple this with “eigo! eigo!” and maybe someone who can speak some English will come to answer your shitsumon.

だれ (dare) = Who. Great in case you need to find someone.

いつ (itsu) = When. Pretty important if you’re trying to time something.

[hr]

People

Sometimes you need something that has to do with a someone. You can get by without too much here.

先生 (sensei) = Teacher. If you’re a student in Japan, this one comes in handy.

会社員 (kaishain) = Employee. Good if you’re looking for an organization’s employee to ask a question, perhaps.

人 (hito) = Person. For when you need to point out a person in general.

[hr]

Locations

Finding your way around can be pretty important. Here are some words that will help you do that and keep you from getting lost.

ホテル (hoteru) = Hotel. You’ll need to be able to find this if you’re traveling in Japan.

どこ (doko) = Where. Don’t know where something is? Ask where it is with this word.

空港 (kuukou) = Airport. Don’t miss your flight!

駅 (eki) = Station. Gotta catch that train!

日本 (nihon) = Japan. Good to know where you are.

大学 (daigaku) = College. Great for college students studying in Japan, or people who like colleges in general.

本屋 (honya) = Bookstore. Some bookstores are pretty sketchy, be careful!

タクシー (takushi) = Taxi. Expensive, but you can find them everywhere.

家 (uchi/ie) = Home. There’s no place like it.

[hr]

Food

Oh food, how I love thee. Can’t live without it, either.

おなかすいた (onaka suita) / はらへった (hara hetta) = Hungry. Two ways to say this one. First one is more neutral, second is more casual.

食べます (tabemasu) = To Eat. Do you eat this? Yes I eat this.

食べません (tabemasen) = To Not Eat. Do you eat this? No I don’t.

飲みます (nomimasu) = To Drink. Glug Glug.

飲みません (nomimasen) = To Not Drink. I don’t drink beer, sorry.

水 (mizu) = Water. I drink water, instead, because that’s how I roll.

飲み物 (nomimono) = Drink. Not the verb, but the noun. Please get me a drink.

食べ物 (tabemono) = Food. Need food? Any food?

美味しい (oishii) = Good Tasting. If something tastes nice (or if you want to be nice), you’d say this.

不味い (mazui) = Bad Tasting. I probably wouldn’t ever say this, but just in case you need to let someone know…

レストラン (resutoran) = Restaurant. Now you need to figure out which one.

コンビニ (konbini) = Convenience Store. Great place to buy small things and food. Convenience Store food in Japan is pretty awesome.

スーパー (suupaa) = Super Market. If you need something a convenience store can’t give you.

[hr]

Being Polite

You don’t want to piss people off when you’re in their country. Bad things happen if you do…

ありがとうございます (arigatougozaimasu) = Thank You. Do I even need to tell you why you should learn this? I hope not.

すみません (sumimasen) = Excuse Me. The streets can be busy, it’s nice to say excuse me when you walk through people.

ごめんなさい (gomennasai) = Sorry. If you bump into a Yakuza gang member, you might want to whip this one out.

[hr]

Greetings

Hopefully you meet some nice people in your travels. Say hello (and then goodbye!) to them.

おはようございます (ohayougozaimasu) = Good Morning. A greeting for morning.

こんにちは (konnichiwa) = Good Afternoon. You can use this around noonish on to the evening.

こんばんは (konbanwa) = Good Evening. Like the other ones, but for evenings.

ではまた (dewamata) = See You Later.

また明日 (mata ashita) = See You Tomorrow.

さようなら (sayounara) = Good bye. Probably won’t see them for a while :(

おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) = Good Night. Time for sleepy time.

[hr]

Basic Verbs

Verbs will get you a long ways. You don’t have to know much else as long as you know verbs, because verbs help you to get things done.

行きます (ikimasu) = To Go.

帰ります (kaerimasu) = To Return (home).

食べます (tabemasu) = To Eat. Nom nom nom.

します (shimasu) = To Do. This is the best verb ever.

見ます (mimasu) = To See. What is it you want to see?

買います (kaimasu) = To Buy. For all of you who like shopping.

待ちます (machimasu) = To Wait.

書きます (kakimasu) = To Write. Have people write the directions down!

止まります (tomarimasu) = To Stop.

教えます (oshiemasu) = To Teach. If you’re a teacher in Japan.

話します (hanashimasu) To Speak.

[hr]

Basic Adjectives

Adjectives, while not as awesome as verbs, are also very useful. They help you describe things.

新しい (atarashii) = New.

嬉しい (ureshii) = Happy.

大丈夫 (daijoubu) = Okay. As in “I’m okay!”

すごい (sugoi) = Amazing. For the sight seeing.

高い (takai) = Expensive / Tall. Just depends on the context.

大きい (ookii) = Big, Large.

小さい (chiisai) = Small.

近い (chikai) = Near. How close is it?

遠い (tooi) = Far. How far is it?

悪い (warui) = Bad.

いい (ii) = Good.

面白い (Omoshiroi) = Interesting.

楽しい (tanoshii) = Fun.

熱い (atsui) = Hot.

寒い (samui) = Cold.

上手 (jouzu) = Good At.

下手 (heta) = Bad At.

赤 (aka) = Red.

青 (ao) = Blue.

黒 (kuro) = Black.

緑 (midori) = Green.

黄色 (kiiro) = Yellow.

白 (shiro) = White.

馬鹿 (baka) = Stupid! I bet you knew this one already.

[hr]

Numbers

一 (ichi) = One.

二 (ni) = Two.

三 (san) = Three.

四 (shi/yon) = Four. Such an unlucky number!

五 (go) = Five. Good way to remember the first five numbers: “Itchy knee! Son, She go!” Imagine that playing out…

六 (roku) = Six.

七 (shichi) = Seven. Also kinda unlucky.

八 (hachi) = Eight.

九 (ku) = Nine.

十 (juu) = Ten.

百 (hyaku) = 100.

千 (sen) = 1,000.

万 (man) = 10,000.

円 (en) = Yen. Not really a number, but goes nicely with the numbers, I think.

[hr]

What’s Missing?

Okay, okay. Hold your space horse space cowboy. I know that this list isn’t every important word. That would be impossible, and really depend on the person. But, now’s your chance to let me know what you would have added to this list as a “most important” word. List the word and the meaning down in the comments to help other people out too! That way your comment does some good, not evil.

Newer Comments →
  • http://twitter.com/KenKyanon Ken Cannon

    hahah, love it. I especially enjoyed, “Yamete!” as being one of the most important Japanese words. I probably would have added tomodachi, cause you might need some of those.

  • j3ss4ndr4

    Fix the pronunciation for 面白い — you put the English word there, lol. ^_^

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1343878064 Jocylyn Saltsman

    Before I list the words I would add, I’ll say that I noticed some stuff that might confuse people who don’t know Japanese at all. Onaka suita and hara hetta mean, I think, “I’m hungry!” or something to that degree, and the pronunciation of 面白い　is omoshiroi, not interesting, although that’s what it means.

    As for words I’d add the word for money at the least.
    お金(okane)= Money. When you’re referring directly to it, like, “I need more money!” If I’m wrong, though, please correct me!
    はい(hai)=Yes. Be aware that this isn’t like yes in English, though. It’s always to show agreement, even when someone asks a question with a negative in it. “You’re not going?” “Yes, I’m not going.” <== That sort of usage.
    いいえ(iie)=No. It's the same thing as hai, except it's to show disagreement with a person. "You're not going?" "No, I'm going."

    Those are the few I thought of! The compilation is already fairly thorough. Thanks for the great article, Koichi!

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    whoops! Thanks much, fixed now!

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    ooh, yeah, those are good! Good additions!

  • Anonymous

    Hey Koichi! I don’t know if what I’m saying is right but…
    I find it a little odd that every verb were conjugated long form present tense while oshieru and hanasu were left at their dictionary forms..?

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    good addition!

    For those of you that don’t know:

    友達 (tomodachi) = Friend

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    whoops, you’re right. Glad there are folks like you who catch things like that, thank you!

  • http://twitter.com/JJLuke77 Gian

    4W350M€! :D (ma i bimbiminkia scrivono anche con i numeri?)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=654807674 Steven Mitchell

    Perhaps 医者? I think that would be immensely more useful than 会社員, but that’s just me 8D

  • http://twitter.com/jDictionary Rick Noelle

    Hi Koichi! I think you forgot to include the definition of the most important phrase on the list, “I’m hungry!” y(^o^)y

  • Anonymous

    This is a useful list. I could imagine someone forgetting what “restroom” or “toilet” is, and just telling someone “shini sou” while looking like they have to go XD

    And I hope I don’t sound rude, but “hikouki” means “airplane”, not “airport”. That’s “kuukou*”. Though telling someone “airplane” may still give them a hint as to what he/she means.

    (*From Jisho.org because I’ve gotta cite my sources.)

  • http://www.tokyoreese.wordpress.com Michael Maurice

    Great post! If i had to add a word it would be ” ikura- How much? “

  • http://twitter.com/tmakko tmakko

    Hello!! This is my first comments.I think shichi is lucky number,not unlucky.We also say it nana.So 七 has two ways of saying,shichi/nana.I’m japanese,sorry for poor english.

  • http://www.survivingnjapan.com/ Ashley @ Surviving in Japan

    Lots of good ones on this list for sure. :) I might add “お願いします” (onegai shimasu, sort of like a please for a favor type phrase). I think the top words I say every day are ありがとうございます, すみません, and お願いします. Oh! And いらない (don’t need). Whenever you go to the store, supermarket, convenience store, etc, if you don’t need a bag or don’t want a bag (good to bring bags to the supermarket as they usually charge for bags), they often ask but even if they don’t you can say いらない, if you already have a bag or don’t need one. I say that all the time too…One note on トイレ & 手洗い. Sometimes, people become confused when I’ve asked where the 手洗い is. I think トイレ is a lot more standard these days and more people will know what you mean… I’d use that one first. Though it’s good to know the kanji for 手洗い as you’ll see it on signs occasionally. And one last one! (sorry!) これ (this). Very helpful at restaurants if you can’t read the menu but want to order something using the pictures. (won’t go into それ and あれ lol…)

  • http://twitter.com/victorzito Victor Zito

    What about Okazu? There are people who might need it Hahahah xD
    Just kidding…
    But, I think “Fire” would be important. And “lost” too, kinda “I’m lost” ^^

  • Anonymous

    You forgot the most important word of them all: 飲み放題 (nomihoudai) which means “drink as much as you want” and is a concept at restaurants, karaoke, izakaya etc where you pay an amount of money, and then you can order an unlimited amount of alcohol within a limited amount of time. o/

    (There is also one major one called 食べ放題 (tabehoudai) and is the same, but for food. But it’s far from as important as 飲み放題!!)

  • http://twitter.com/aandsua o-ken

    Cool work! I’m afraid to point out 飛行機 (hikouki) doesn’t mean an airport, but an airplane. 空港 (kuukou) means an airport.

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    do’h! fixed 飛行機 to 空港. Thanks!

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    do’h! fixed 飛行機 to 空港. Thanks!

  • Kai

    病院 – hospital

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527427480 Claudia C. ‘kyu-ree’ Harders

    おなかすいた (onaka suita) / はらへった (hara hetta). Two ways to say this one. First one is more neutral, second is more casual.

    where’s the English translation? I think you forgot it (or I’m blind)

    when I read “cold” I wondered whether “Ko Samui” in Thailand is not so very popular among Japanese tourists ^^’

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    do’h, you’re not blind, just me :)

  • Kayla

    気をつけて
    When I went to Japan, I had a pretty good concept of basic speech. But this phrase would have been EXTREMELY helpful to know beforehand. Everyone said it – esp family.

  • http://batni.tumblr.com Batni

    What about the Japanese word for ouch「いたっ」(romaji: ita!) ? It’s one of those words you don’t need until you need it, but when you do need it nothing else will do! You’d think that that ouch is one of those universal words, but it really isn’t. いたっ is definitely is on my top 10 list.

  • http://twitter.com/richfowler Rich Fowler

    Great idea. Here’s what I thought of:

    The 天気 or 気象 in Japan can be nasty. 地震、台風、洪水、… those are some big nasties to avoid there. Whenever there’s a 地震 near the coast, you’ll have to keep an eye out for a 津波 warning. 火山 can be dangerous, too, when they get all “erupty.” But even 雪、雨、嵐、and 風 can be annoying. (Especially when they mess with your 服!) When they get 大, like 大雪、大雨, you can expect things to get much worse.

    A 火事 is also something to avoid (especially in your ホテル!), but it’s not really 天気 or 気象 … hmm…

    Greeting-wise, じゃまた is what we always used. Slightly more causal than でわまた, not as casual as じゃねー. I have had a few teachers who refused to let me use さよなら, even if I’m not going to see them for a week or two (or longer), because it sounded “too lonely.”

    でわまた feels like cucumber sandwiches without the crust and drinking tea with the pinky held out. :D

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1439347531 Miranda Iwakami

    One nice thing i learned from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8P97ePKplU was that if a kanji has a square in it it means it has something to do with speaking, i found this very usefull ^^

  • erika

    what about the word. “wasshoi”?

  • http://www.japaneseexpressions.com BradJPE

    How about 病気 (びょうき) – Sick?

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W726I3XLWPHCF5TP4HKI5MEGRU Brendan

    I would add a list of “What the hell are they saying (to me)?”

    Set phrases:
    At a resturant or shop: 「いらっしゃいませ。」 or 「いらっしゃい。」
    Before eating: 　「いただきます。」
    After eating: ［ご馳走様でした。」

    Common questions you might get walking around:
    At a resturant that does takeout orders: 「店内で召し上がりますか。それともお持ち帰りますか。」 Basically, “for here or to go?”.
    At a resturant: 「 禁煙ですか。喫煙ですか。」 “Smoking or non-smoking?”

    At a department store if you’d like something gift wrapped: ［贈り物のようにしてください。」

    How to ask for the check (e.g., at a restaurant that doesn’t update your running total on a receipt you take to the front). I still don’t know the answer to this one. I’d just say something like 「合計は？」 or good old ［チェックお願いします。」

    A useful phrase: 「そこにさわるな！」

  • http://twitter.com/audreybenten audreybenten

    Yes! Totally agree with you!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jake-Barrett/586389640 Jake Barrett

    In the words “tearai, aka, ao, kuro, and shiro” I’m confused. In “My Japanese Coach” for DS, they add O’s or I’s to these words. I watched your video about how guys learning Japanese sound like girls. Is that what you meant by sounding like a girl?

  • http://www.tofugu.com koichi

    Nope, just two ways to do a lot of color adjectives, depending on how
    they’re being used. Ao and aoi are both the same, just used in different
    situations.

  • http://twitter.com/richfowler Rich Fowler

    I totally forgot about the phrase I hear the most. It’s one of those good “social lubricant” phrases that’s handy to know when you meet people, and it’s nice to say to them. Here it is, from informal (for friends— brah!) to achingly formal (your new CEO):　よろしく (yoroshiku)　よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu)　よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegai itashimasu)It all means the same thing. Literally it means “please treat me well,” but I like to think of it more as “nice to meet you, let’s get along well.” (Although when you’re meeting your new CEO, maybe it’s more like “please don’t fire me!”) :DSometimes you’ll see it in shorthand as 4649– the numbers can be read yon-roku-shi-ku, or yo-ro-shi-ku.You can get by with just a yoroshiku sometimes, but if you’re feeling like going for bonus points, then yoroshiku goes well after a 始めまして (hajimemashite), which literally means “This is the first time we’ve met,” but I like to think of it as “How do you do?” because it sounds a lot less translator-y. It’slways nice to pop out a Hajimemashite when you meet someone for the first time. Follow it with your name + desu, then a yoroshiku, and you’re golden.

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  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sandahl-Ahmad/593532537 Sandahl Ahmad

    i would probably addKetai = cell phoneneto = internetpersocon = computer/laptopgambatte = good luck/work hardotsukaresamadeshta = thanks for your hard worktsukareta = tired (i’m tired)shinkansen = bullet trainatashi/boku = Ikimi/anata = youdouzou = go aheaddomo = hello/thank youhajimemashte = nice to meet youongaku = musictelevi = TVkuruma = caraircon = ACThis list is too long. Sorry. Thanks for an excellent article! :)

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  • Guest C

    An absolutely essential word: Daijoubu 大丈夫　　Everything’s cool. I’m all right. I didn’t hurt myself. I can eat that bizarre looking stuff. etc.

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  • sunshine

    hahahaa … thks ;)
    i love this : “Itchy knee! Son, She go!”
    hahahaa u make my days ;D

  • Daniel Parrey

    Great list, although some of your romaji is off. Yet another reason why kana is ultimately better.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jonwaller0 Jonathan Waller

    I’d suggest 気にしないで (ki ni shinai de / Don’t worry about it). Very useful when you’ve talked yourself into a corner and can’t explain yourself. Super useful. :)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1550596562 Alexa VanDemark

    Just wanted to comment on the verb “to do”. My friend and I are taking Japanese in school, and we whole-heartedly agree that it’s the best verb. Its addition to the list made us laugh. :D

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  • http://mistersanity.blogspot.com Jonadab

    Can you comment briefly on the difference between 警察 and 御巡りさん? Is it just a difference between formal and informal language, or is there more to it than that?

  • Ivyyue

    those are too basic words actually need far more than those to live in japan

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