If you are taking a Japanese group lesson online, or planning to study as a foreign student in Japan or to teach your language as a teacher in Japan, it’s good to know Japanese classroom phrases well for effective learning and better communication in the class.

In this guide, we introduce the most useful Japanese classroom phrases and vocabulary from various aspects, including school vocabulary, classroom greetings and calls, explaining absence and tardiness, teacher’s phrases, student phrases, and school subjects. You will learn not only common Japanese classroom phrases and vocabulary but also the unique features of Japanese schools, such as the school system, school routines, and school supplies. Let’s get ready for your class with JapanesePod101.com!

答えがわかったら手を挙げて Kotae ga wakattara te o agete
(“Raise your hand if you know the answer”)

Table of Contents

1. School Vocabulary
2. Classroom Greetings and Calls
3. Explaining Absence and Tardiness/Leaving Early
4. Teacher’s Phrases
5. Student’s Phrases
6. Talking About Subjects
7. Conclusion

1. School Vocabulary

Before talking about Japanese classroom phrases, here are the lists of school vocabulary for the Japanese school system, school facilities, school personnel, school routines and school supplies.

1. Japanese School System

April is one of the most important months of the year in Japan as the school year or the fiscal year begins.  Classes are held from Monday to Friday in compulsory education and at public schools, and some private schools are also open on Saturdays. The Japanese school year usually consists of three terms (学期 gakki), and there are short spring and winter breaks or a long summer break between each school term.

Below is the basic Japanese school system;

Elementary school:  6 years (age 7 to 12)    [Compulsory Education]
Junior high school : 3 years (age 13 to 15) [Compulsory Education]
Senior high school : 3 years (age 16 to 18)

[Higher Education]
University: 4 years (6 years for Medicine, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, and Dentistry School)
Junior college: 2 years (or 3, depending on the school)
Vocational school: 2 years (or 3, depending on the school)

Japanese Words for School Vocabulary 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
school	学校	がっこう	gakkō
elementary school	小学校	しょうがっこう	shōgakkō
junior high school	中学校	ちゅうがっこう	chūgakkō
senior high school	高校 /高等学校	こうこう / こうとうがっこう	kōkō  (short version) / kōtō gakkō
university	大学	だいがく	daigaku
junior college	短期大学	たんき だいがく	tanki daigaku
vocational / technical school	専門学校	せんもん がっこう	senmon gakkō

教室 kyōshitsu (“classroom”)

2. School Facilities

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
classroom	教室	きょうしつ	kyōshitsu
faculty room	職員室	しょくいんしつ	shokuinshitsu
science laboratory	理科室	りかしつ	rikashitsu
arts / craft room	美術室 / 図工室	びじゅつしつ / ずこうしつ	bijutsushitsu / zukōshitsu
library	図書室 / 図書館	としょしつ  / としょかん	toshoshitsu / toshokan
gymnasium	体育館	たいいくかん	taiikukan
infirmary	保健室	ほけんしつ	hokenshitsu
schoolyard	校庭	こうてい	kōtei
athletic ground	運動場 / 校庭	うんどうじょう / こうてい	undōjō / kōtei
school cafeteria	学生食堂/ 学食	がくせい しょくどう/ がくしょく	gakusei shokudō/ gakushoku (short version)

図書室 toshoshitsu (“library”)

3. School Personnel

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
student	生徒	せいと	seito
teacher	先生 *	せんせい	sensei
professor	教授	きょうじゅ	kyōju
faculty	教員	きょういん	kyōin
vice principal	教頭 / 副校長	きょうとう / ふくこうちょう	kyōtō / fukukōchō
school principal	校長	こうちょう	kōchō
librarian	司書	ししょ	shisho
school caretaker	用務員	ようむいん	yōmuin

*Generally, 先生 (sensei) is who teaches something, and 先生 (sensei) is commonly used for school teachers. On the other hand, a synonym word 教師 (kyōshi) is used as an occupation, for example, 私は教師です Watashi wa kyōshi desu. “I’m a teacher.” 

4. School Routines

English	Kanji/Katakana	Hiragana	Reading
going to school	登校	とうこう	tōkō
morning assembly	朝礼	ちょうれい	chōrei
class	授業	じゅぎょう	jugyō
examination	試験	しけん	shiken
food service *	給食	きゅうしょく	kyūshoku
break / recess	休み時間	やすみじかん	yasumi jikan
cleaning **	清掃	せいそう	seisō
club activity	クラブ活動	くらぶかつどう	kurabu katsudō
leaving school	下校	げこう	gekō

*Food Service  給食 kyūshoku is usually provided at elementary school and middle high school for very low monthly fees in Japan. They usually eat kyūshoku in the classroom. In high school, students either bring their own lunch boxes お弁当 o-bentō or use the school cafeteria.

**There is time allocated for cleaning, especially from elementary to high school, and students clean their school by themselves in Japan. Not only in their home classroom but also in corridors, bathrooms, gym, and other places in the school. In this way, Japanese schools teach students to clean, keep tidy, be responsible, use things with care, etc.

5. School Supplies

English	Kanji / Katakana	Hiragana	Reading
pencil	鉛筆	えんぴつ	enpitsu
mechanical pencil	シャーペン *	しゃーぺん	shāpen
pen	ペン	ぺん	pen
eraser	消しゴム	けしごむ	keshigomu
pen case	筆箱	ふでばこ	fudebako
pencil sharpener	鉛筆削り	えんぴつけずり	enpitsu kezuri
notebook	ノート	のーと	nōto
textbook	教科書	きょうかしょ	kyōkasho
book	本	ほん	hon
scissors	ハサミ	はさみ	hasami
glue	ノリ	のり	nori
ruler	定規	じょうぎ	jōgi
calculator	計算機	けいさんき	keisanki
school indoor shoes	上履き **	うわばき	uwabaki
school backpack (elementary school)	ランドセル ***	らんどせる	randoseru

 * シャーペン shāpen (“mechanical pencil”) is 和製英語 Wasei-eigo (“Japanese-made English”)  word that is the shorter version of シャープペンシル “sharp pencil.”

** Wearing 上履き uwabaki (“school indoor shoes”) at school is something particular about Japan. This comes from the Japanese culture and etiquette that people are expected to remove their shoes when entering homes and other particular rooms or buildings.

*** ランドセル randoseru (“school backpack for elementary school kids”) is a unique Japanese school backpack usually made of leather with a firm structure. Traditionally, parents or grandparents give children as a gift upon entering elementary school. They use the same randoseru for 6 years until they graduate from elementary school. 

To enhance your Japanese vocabulary and learn more about Japanese basic nouns, please check out Guide to the Top 100+ Japanese Nouns.

ランドセルは日本の小学校のかばんです。
Randoseru wa Nihon no shōgakkō no kaban desu.
(“Randoseru is a bag for elementary school in Japan” )

6. Example Sentences

タメ口 Tameguchi (“peer language”) or casual speech form can be used when talking among students. However, 敬語 keigo (“honorific speech”) or polite language should be used for teachers.

Here are some basic phrases in Japanese classrooms using school vocabulary:

[Japanese]     鉛筆を1本借りてもいい？　Enpitsu o ippon karite mo ii?  (casual)      　　          
[English]        “May I borrow a (one) pencil? ”

*Japanese language learning: To learn more about Japanese numbers, see Japanese Numbers: Let’s Master the Basic Japanese Numbers!

[Japanese]    生物の教科書を失くしちゃった。    (casual)
                       Seibutsu no kyōkasho o nakushichatta. 
[English]        “I lost my biology textbook.”

[Japanese]    宿題を忘れました。 (polite)
                       Shukudai o wasuremashita.
[English]        “I forgot my homework.”

[Japanese]    消しゴム持ってる?     Keshigomu motte ru?    (casual)    　
[English]        “Do you have an eraser?”

[Japanese]    これ使っていいよ。   Kore tsukatte ii yo.     (casual)   
[English]        “Here, you can use this.”

[Japanese]    ありがとう、後で返すね。  Arigatō, ato de kaesu ne.     (casual)   
[English]        “Thanks, I will return it to you later.”

[Japanese]    明日の朝は体育館で全校朝礼があります。     (polite)
                       Ashita no asa wa taiikukan de zenkō chōrei ga arimasu.
[English]        “We will have a whole school assembly at the gymnasium tomorrow morning. ”

[Japanese]    明日の化学の試験は何時だっけ？       (casual)
                       Ashita no kagaku no shiken wa nan-ji dakke?
[English]        “What time is the chemistry test tomorrow?”

*Please visit How to Tell Time in Japanese article and Japanese Calendar Dates: Reading Dates in Japanese & More on JapanesePod101 to learn how to tell time and date in Japanese.

消しゴム持ってる?  Keshigomu motte ru?    (“Do you have an eraser?”)

2. Classroom Greetings and Calls 

Some of the most essential Japanese classroom phrases are greetings and calls used at school.
Here is the list of frequently used Japanese words and greetings in classrooms.

[Japanese]     先生 / 教授、おはようございます。　Sensei / kyōju, ohayō gozaimasu.  (polite)
[English]        “Good morning teacher / professor.”

*Japanese language learning: To learn more Japanese greetings, check out How to Say Hello in Japanese: Practical Japanese Greetings.

[Japanese]    おはよう。 Ohayō.   (casual)    　　  
[English]        “Good morning.”

[Japanese]    バイバイ。 Bai bai.   (casual)    　　  
[English]        “Bye bye.”

[Japanese]    また明日。 Mata ashita.  (casual)    　　  
[English]        “See you tomorrow.”

[Japanese]    先生、さようなら。 Sensei, sayōnara.   (polite)    　　  
[English]        “Good bye, teacher.”

[Japanese]    起立！   　 気をつけ！　   礼!　      着席!            (imperative)
                       Kiritsu ! Ki o tsuke ! Rei ! Chakuseki !
[English]        “Stand up! Attention (make a good posture)! Bow!  Seated down! ”

*This is the traditional call and ritual of bowing in Japan at the start and end of school class to greet the teacher. Usually, one of the students in a class is allocated to the call roll on a weekly or monthly basis.

When there is a whole school or classroom assembly, usually held in the gymnasium or schoolyard, the following phrases are used.

[Japanese]    集合！     Shūgō!     (imperative)    　
[English]        “Assemble / gather!”

[Japanese]    一列に並べ。   Ichi-retsu ni narabe.     (imperative)   
[English]        “Line up in a row.”

[Japanese]    前へならえ。  Mae e narae.     (imperative)   
[English]        “Stand at arm’s length. (Literally: follow (do) as front)”

[Japanese]    解散！ Kaisan !      (imperative) 　　   
[English]        “Dismissed!”

3. Explaining Absence and Tardiness/Leaving Early 

1. Taking Attendance

At Japanese Schools, usually from elementary school to high school, students have a “home class” and a particular teacher (担任 tannin) who’s in charge of its home class. Students usually stay in the home classroom and 担任 (tannin) teaches all the basic subjects in elementary school, and teachers of each subject come to the classroom to give classes in junior highschool and senior highschool.

The teacher in charge of a home-class calls the roll in the morning meeting. 

Japanese Vocabulary for Taking Attendance

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
take attendancecall the roll	出欠を取る	しゅっけつをとる	shukketsu o toru
present	出席	しゅっせき	shusseki
absent	欠席	けっせき	kesseki
tardiness / late	遅刻	ちこく	chikoku
leave early	早退	そうたい	sōtai

2. Teacher

Following are some teacher’s basic phrases in Japanese for taking attendance:

[Japanese]    静かに。出欠を取ります。 Shizuka ni. Shukketsu o torimasu.  　　  
[English]        “Quiet please, I will take attendance now.”

[Japanese]    名前を呼ばれたら返事をすること。   Namae o yobaretara henji o suru koto. 　　  
[English]        “Respond when your name is called.”

[Japanese]    全員いますか。  Zen’in imasu ka.　　  
[English]        “Is everyone here?”

[Japanese]    誰か欠席の人いますか。 Dare ka kesseki no hito imasu ka.      　　  
[English]        “Anybody absent?”

[Japanese]   [name]さんが今日欠席した理由を知っている人はいますか。
                      [name]-san ga kyō kesseki shita riyū o shitte iru hito wa imasu ka.
[English]     “Does anyone know why [name] is absent today?”

 はい、います。 Hai, imasu. (“Yes, I’m present”)

3. Student

Following are some student’s basic phrases in Japanese for taking attendance:

[Japanese]    はい、います。 Hai, imasu.  　　  
[English]       “Yes, I’m present.”   (response when your name is called) 

[Japanese]    [name] さんがいません。[name]-san ga imasen.    　　  
[English]      “[name] is not here.”

[Japanese]    すみません、寝坊したので遅刻しました。
                       Sumimasen, nebō shita node chikoku shimashita.
[English]        “I’m sorry, I was late because I overslept.”

[Japanese]    電車が人身事故で止まったので遅刻しました。
                       Densha ga jinshin jiko de tomatta node chikoku shimashita.
[English]        “I was late because the train stopped due to an injury accident.”

[Japanese]    [name]さんは昨日から体調が悪くて、今日は欠席です。 
                       [name]-san wa kinō kara taichō ga warukute, kyō wa kesseki desu.
[English]        “[name] has been sick since yesterday and is absent today.”

[Japanese]    足を骨折したので、体育の授業は見学します。 
                       Ashi o kossetsu shita node, taiiku no jugyō wa kengaku shimasu.
[English]        “I will just observe the PE class because I broke my leg.”

[Japanese]    すみません、とても気分が悪いので早退します。 
                       Sumimasen, totemo kibun ga warui node sōtai shimasu.
[English]        “Excuse me, I’m leaving early because I feel very sick.”

4. Teacher’s Phrases  

In the Japanese culture, names are called together with 敬称 keishō (“Japanese honorific title”), “さん san” is most commonly used.

When a teacher talks to a student : [student family name] + さん san 
In some cases, [family name of a male student] + 君 くん kun

The following are frequently used Japanese classroom phrases by teachers in a class.

1. Instructions

[Japanese]    みんな、席に着いて。 Minna, seki ni tsuite.  　　  
[English]       “Everyone, be seated.”

[Japanese]    [name] 君、早く座りなさい。　[name]-kun, hayaku suwarinasai.    　　  
[English]        “[name], sit down now.”

[Japanese]    では、始めます。 Dewa, hajimemasu.                   　  
[English]        “Well, let’s begin.”

[Japanese]    今日はXXXについて勉強します。    Kyō wa XXX ni tsuite benkyō shimasu.
[English]        “We are going to learn XXX today.”

[Japanese]    教科書のXXページを開いてください。  Kyōkasho no XX-pēji o hiraite kudasai. 
[English]        “Please open to page XX of your textbook.”

[Japanese]    これはとても重要です。   Kore wa totemo jūyō desu.  　　  
[English]        “This is very important.”

[Japanese]    これはテストに出るので、しっかり理解してください。 
                       Kore wa tesuto ni deru node, shikkari rikai shite kudasai.
[English]        “Please understand this well because this will be on the test.”

[Japanese]   しっかり聞いてください。 Shikkari kiite kudasai.　  
[English]       “Listen carefully.”

[Japanese]   　黒板の図を見てください。　Kokuban no zu o mite kudasai.  　　  
[English]        “Look at the diagram on the blackboard.”

[Japanese]    この質問の答えがわかる人は手をあげてください。 
                       Kono shitsumon no kotae ga wakaru hito wa te o agete kudasai.
[English]        “Raise your hand if you know the answer to this question.”

[Japanese]    最初に聞いてから、私の後で繰り返してください。    
                       Saisho ni kiite kara, watashi no ato de kurikaeshite kudasai.
[English]        “Listen first and repeat after me.”

[Japanese]    答えをノートに書いて。  Kotae o nōto ni kaite. 
[English]        “Write the answers in your notebook.”

[Japanese]    みんなで一緒に、２段落目から読みましょう。   
                       Minna de issho ni, ni-danraku-me kara yomimashō.
[English]        “Let’s read from the second paragraph together.”

[Japanese]    [name]さん、XXページを読んでください。
                       [name]-san, XX-pēji o yonde kudasai.
[English]        “[student name], read the page XX please.”

[Japanese]    紙を一枚ずつ取って、後ろの人に渡してください。
                       Kami o ichi-mai zutsu totte, ushiro no hito ni watashite kudasai.
[English]        “Take one sheet of paper and pass (the rest) to the person behind you.”

これはとても重要です。 Kore wa totemo jūyō desu.   ( “This is very important.”)

2. Homework

[Japanese]    今日の宿題はXXXです。    Kyō no shukudai wa XXX desu.
[English]        “Homework for today is XXX.”

[Japanese]    宿題は教科書XXページの１番から５番です。
                       Shukudai wa kyōkasho XX-pēji no ichi-ban kara go-ban desu.
[English]        “The homework is from the number 1 to 5 on page XX of the textbook.”

[Japanese]    今日学んだことを家で復習してください。  
                       Kyō mananda koto o ie de fukushū shite kudasai.
[English]        “Review at home what you’ve learned today.”

[Japanese]    前回出された宿題は、先生の机の上に提出してください。
                       Zenkai dasareta shukudai wa, sensei no tsukue no ue ni teishutsu shite kudasai.
[English]        “Please submit the homework given last time on the teacher’s desk.”

[Japanese]    宿題の提出は成績に反映されます。
                       Shukudai no teishutsu wa seiseki ni han’ei saremasu.
[English]        “Your homework submission will be reflected in your grades.”

3. Questions

[Japanese]    質問はありますか。    Shitsumon wa arimasu ka.
[English]        “Any questions?”

[Japanese]    皆さん分かりましたか。  Mina-san wakarimashita ka.
[English]        “Did everyone understand this?”

[Japanese]    誰かこの問題を解答できますか。   Dare ka kono mondai o kaitō dekimasu ka.  　　  
[English]        “Can anyone solve this problem?”

[Japanese]    正しい答えは何ですか。     Tadashii kotae wa nan desu ka.
[English]        “What is the correct answer?”

[Japanese]    ここまでで何か分からないことはありますか。
                       Koko made de nani ka wakaranai koto wa arimasu ka.
[English]        “Is there anything you don’t understand so far?”

  正しい答えは何ですか。  Tadashii kotae wa nan desu ka.  ( “What is the correct answer?”)

4. Keeping the Order

[Japanese]    静かにしなさい。Shizuka ni shinasai.
[English]        “Be quiet.”

[Japanese]    おしゃべりはやめなさい。  Oshaberi wa yamenasai.
[English]        “Stop talking!”

[Japanese]    自分の席に戻りなさい。    Jibun no seki ni modorinasai.
[English]        “Go back to your seat!”

[Japanese]    授業に集中しなさい。 Jugyō ni shūchū shinasai.
[English]        “Focus on the class!”

[Japanese]    質問がある時は手をあげてください。   Shitsumon ga aru toki wa te o agete kudasai.
[English]        “Raise your hand if you have a question.”

Japanese language learning : To learn more Japanese angry phrases, please also check out Getting Angry in Japanese: 20+ Useful Japanese Angry Phrases. 

5. Student’s Phrases 

At schools in Japan, faculty is usually called by his/her title by students.
When students talk to a teacher:  先生 sensei (“Mr./ Mrs.“, Literally: teacher)
When students talk to a professor:  教授 kyōju (Literally: professor)

If you want to be more specific, add a name in front of a title, such as 高橋先生 Takahashi-sensei (Mr./ Mrs.Takahashi, Literally: Takahashi teacher).

Here is the list of most useful Japanese classroom phrases used by students, including when asking questions to a teacher and when talking with other students.

1. Asking Questions

[Japanese]    すみません、何ページですか。    Sumimasen, nan-pēji desu ka.
[English]        “Excuse me, what page are we on?”

[Japanese]    わかりません。Wakarimasen.
[English]        “I don’t understand.”

[Japanese]    過去分詞の使い方がわかりません。Kakobunshi no tsukaikata ga wakarimasen.
[English]        “I don’t understand how to use a past participle.”

[Japanese]    その部分をもう一度言ってください。 Sono bubun o mō ichi-do itte kudasai.
[English]        “Please repeat that part again.”

[Japanese]    もう一度ゆっくり言ってもらえますか。 Mō ichi-do yukkuri itte moraemasu ka.
[English]        “Can you say that again slowly?”

[Japanese]    もっとわかりやすく説明してください。Motto wakariyasuku setsumei shite kudasai.
[English]        “Please explain it in a more understandable way.”

[Japanese]    質問があります。Shitsumon ga arimasu.
[English]        “I have a question.”

[Japanese]    質問してもいいですか。  Shitsumon shite mo ii desu ka.
[English]        “Can I ask you a question?”

[Japanese]    先生は今何て言いましたか。 Sensei wa ima nante iimashita ka.
[English]        “What did the teacher just say?”

[Japanese]    これは何て発音しますか。 Kore wa nante hatsuon shimasu ka.
[English]        “How do you pronounce this?”

[Japanese]    XXXはどういう意味ですか。　XXX wa dō iu imi desu ka.
[English]        “What does XXX mean?”

[Japanese]    どうしてこの場合に未来完了形を使うのですか。
                       Dōshite kono bāi ni mirai kanryōkei o tsukau no desu ka.　
[English]        “Why do you use the future perfect tense in this case?”

[Japanese]    これは合ってますか。 Kore wa atte masu ka.
[English]        “Is this correct ?”

[Japanese]    これが正解ですか。 Kore ga seikai desu ka.
[English]        “Is this the correct answer?”

[Japanese]    やっと理解しました。Yatto rikai shimashita.
[English]        “I finally understood.”

[Japanese]    トイレに行ってもいいですか。 Toire ni itte mo ii desu ka.
[English]        “May I go to the bathroom?”

[Japanese]    気分が悪いので、保健室に行ってもいいですか。
                       Kibun ga warui node, hokenshitsu ni itte mo ii desu ka.
[English]        “May I go to the infirmary because I feel sick?”

 質問があります。Shitsumon ga arimasu. (“I have a question.”)

2. Talking Among Students

The speech tone is very casual for conversations among students. The following are handy Japanese classroom phrases when you want to chat with your friends in a class.

[Japanese]    今どこ？ Ima doko?
[English]        “Where are we at?”

[Japanese]    今何ページ？　Ima nan-pēji?
[English]        “Which page are we on?”

[Japanese]    宿題やった？ Shukudai yatta?  
[English]        “Did you do your homework?”

[Japanese]    宿題やったのに、家に忘れてきちゃった。Shukudai yatta noni, ie ni wasurete kichatta.
[English]        “Though I did my homework, I forgot it at home.”

[Japanese]    後でノート見せてもらってもいい？  Ato de nōto misete moratte mo ii?
[English]        “Can I see your notebook later?”

[Japanese]    今日の授業は全然わからなかった。Kyō no jugyō wa zenzen wakaranakatta.
[English]        “I didn’t understand today’s class at all.”

[Japanese]    この問題が分からないんだけど、教えて。 Kono mondai ga wakaranai n da kedo, oshiete.
[English]        “I don’t understand this problem, can you teach me?”

[Japanese]    宿題は何だっけ？ Shukudai wa nan dakke?
[English]        “What is the homework?”

[Japanese]   教科書の何ページが試験範囲？ Kyōkasho no nan-pēji ga shiken han’i?
[English]        “Which pages of the textbook will be covered in the exam?”

[Japanese]    英語のテストはいつだっけ？  Eigo no tesuto wa itsu dakke?
[English]        “When is the English exam?”

[Japanese]   試験の勉強は全然できてない。  Shiken no benkyō wa zenzen dekite nai.             
[English]        “I couldn’t study enough for exams at all.”

[Japanese]    テスト/試験 どうだった？ Tesuto / shiken dō datta?
[English]        “How was your test / exams?”

[Japanese]   どうしよう、英語のテストが赤点*だった。Dō shiyō, Eigo no tesuto ga akaten* datta. 
[English]        “What should I do, I got a red mark on the English test.”

*赤点 akaten is a slang word for bad grades, it is literally translated as “red mark”, meaning “failing grades”.

[Japanese]   試験の結果は思ったより良かったよ。Shiken no kekka wa omotta yori yokatta yo.           
[English]        “The result of the exam was better than I thought.”

[Japanese]    試験期間が終わったら、カラオケに行こう！ Shiken kikan ga owattara, karaoke ni ikō!
[English]        “When the exam period is over, let’s go to Karaoke!”

テストどうだった？ Tesuto dō datta? (“How was your test?”)

6. Talking About Subjects  

1. Subject Vocabulary [From Elementary To High School]

School subjects are one of the most essential parts when learning classroom phrases and vocabulary. 

The following is the list of subjects (科目 kamoku) that are taught from elementary school to high school in Japan. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Reading
arithmetic(elementary school)	算数	さんすう	sansū
mathematics	数学	すうがく	sūgaku
science (elementary and middle highschool)	理科	りか	rika
physics	物理	ぶつり	butsuri
chemistry	化学	かがく	kagaku
biology	生物	せいぶつ	seibutsu
geography	地理	ちり	chiri
Japanese(national language)	国語	こくご	kokugo
modern literature	現代文	げんだいぶん	gendaibun
classical literature	古文	こぶん	kobun
English	英語	えいご	Eigo
social science	社会	しゃかい	shakai
politics and economics	政治経済	せいじけいざい	seiji keizai
Japanese History	日本史	にほんし	Nihonshi
world history	世界史	せかいし	sekaishi
art and craft(elementary school)	図工	ずこう	zukō
art	美術	びじゅつ	bijutsu
physical education	体育	たいいく	taiiku
home economics	家庭科	かていか	kateika
music	音楽	おんがく	ongaku

学科 gakka / 科目 kamoku (“School subjects”)

2. Subject Vocabulary [University]

Below are the common department / course of study (学科 gakka) taught in higher education, such as junior college or university.

English	Kanji / Katakana	Hiragana	Reading
Psychology	心理学	しんりがく	shinrigaku
Law	法学	ほうがく	hōgaku
Literature	文学	ぶんがく	bungaku
Business Management	経営学	けいえいがく	keieigaku
Statistics	統計学	とうけいがく	tōkeigaku
Accounting	会計学	かいけいがく	kaikeigaku
Information Technology	情報技術	じょうほうぎじゅつ	jōhō gijutsu
International Relations	国際関係	こくさいかんけい	kokusai kankei
Education	教育学	きょういくがく	kyōikugaku
Medicine	医学	いがく	igaku
Pharmaceutics	薬学	やくがく	yakugaku
Nursing	看護学	かんごがく	kangogaku
Architecture	建築学	けんちくがく	kenchikugaku
Agriculture	農学	のうがく	nōgaku
Foreign language	外国語	がいこくご	gaikokugo
French	フランス語	ふらんすご	Furansu-go
German	ドイツ語	どいつご	Doitsu-go
Spanish	スペイン語	すぺいんご	Supein-go
Russian	ロシア語	ろしあご	Roshia-go
Chinese	中国語	ちゅうごくご	Chūgoku-go
Korean	韓国語	かんこくご	Kankoku-go

3. Example Sentences

Here are some basic phrases in Japanese using subject vocabulary:

[Japanese]    私の一番好きな科目は [subject] です。 
                       Watashi no ichi-ban suki na kamoku wa [subject] desu.
[English]        “My favorite subject is [subject].”

[Japanese]    私は [subject] が得意です。Watashi wa [subject] ga tokui desu.
[English]        “I’m good at [subject].”

[Japanese]    私は [subject] が苦手です。Watashi wa [subject] ga nigate desu.
[English]        “I’m not good at [subject].”

[Japanese]   [subject] は難しいので嫌いです。  [subject] wa muzukashii node kirai desu.
[English]        “I don’t like [subject] because it’s difficult.”

[Japanese]    何の科目が一番好きですか。 Nan no kamoku ga ichi-ban suki desu ka.
[English]        “What is your favorite subject?”

[Japanese]   何の科目が得意ですか。  Nan no kamoku ga tokui desu ka.            
[English]        “Which subjects are you good at?”

[Japanese]    大学では [subject] を学びたいです。 Daigaku de wa [subject] o manabitai desu.
[English]        “I’d like to learn [subject] at university.”

[Japanese]   専攻学科は何ですか。Senkō gakka wa nan desu ka.        
[English]        “What is your major?”

[Japanese]   私の専攻学科は [subject] です。 Watashi no senkō gakka wa [subject] desu.         
[English]        “My major is [subject].”

[Japanese]    第二外国語としてドイツ語のクラスをとっています。
                       Dai-ni gaikokugo toshite Doitsu-go no kurasu o totte imasu.
[English]        “I’m taking German class as a second foreign language.”

Japanese language learning : If you want to learn more about how to introduce yourself in Japanese, please see How to Say “My Name is,” in Japanese + More!

7. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced 100+ most useful Japanese Classroom Phrases and Vocabulary, including:

• School vocabulary and the Japanese school system 
• Useful Classroom Greetings and Calls
• Explaining Absence and Tardiness/Leaving Early
• Teacher’s Phrases
• Student’s Phrases
• Talking about Subjects

Whether you are taking a Japanese class or you want to teach at a Japanese local school and/or study with native students, our guide of Japanese Classroom Phrases and Vocabulary will make your school life easier and more adaptable.

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language, you’ll find a lot more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. This is the best place to learn Japanese online, providing a variety of free lessons designed to help you improve your Japanese-language skills. 

If you are interested in more Japanese phrases sorted by situations, the following articles are just right for you: 

• Japanese Travel Phrases for an Enjoyable Trip to Japan
• 50+ Restaurants Phrases for Eating Out in Japan
• Essential Business Japanese: Learn the Most Useful Phrases

And there’s so much more! Be a faster learner and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any specific topics or situations you’d like to learn Japanese phrases for. We’d be glad to help, and we look forward to hearing from you! 

Like many other countries, Japan is blessed with beautiful nature and all kinds of animals. 

When you start learning the Japanese language, picking up the most common Japanese animal names will be an inevitable part of the process! Animals play a central role in our lives, so learning what to call them is important. Doing so will not only allow you to talk about your pets or favorite animals with native speakers, but also help you understand Japanese idioms and stories related to them. 

The good news is that learning Japanese animal names is actually very easy! Do you know why? It’s because animal names in Japanese are often short and simple, and we also use plenty of loanwords from other languages (usually English) to label foreign animals.

While the Kanji for many Japanese animal names is difficult, don’t let this worry you. Even ordinary Japanese people don’t know how to write or read them, so the much simpler Hiragana and Katakana are more commonly used. 

In this article from JapanesePod101.com, you’ll learn popular animal names in Japanese, from pets and farm animals to sea animals and insects. We’ll also introduce animal sounds in Japanese and animal-related Japanese proverbs.

Ready to boost your vocabulary and cultural knowledge? Let’s go!

Table of Contents

1. Pets
2. Farm Animals
3. Wild Animals
4. Sea Animals
5. Bugs and Insects
6. Birds
7. Reptiles
8. Animal Body Parts
9. Animal Sounds
10. Animal-Related Proverbs
11. Conclusion

1. Pets

The Japanese word for “animal” is 動物 (dōbutsu). Literally, this breaks down to 動 (“moving”) + 物 (“thing”). 

Japanese does not distinguish between singular and plural nouns, so the word 動物 (dōbutsu) and all of the animals listed in this article can refer to one animal or many.

To talk about baby animals in Japanese, we add the word for “child” to the beginning of the animal name in question: 子 こ (ko).

• うさぎ (usagi) – “rabbit” → 子うさぎ (kousagi) – “baby bunny”

The most common Japanese counter word for animals is 匹 ひき (hiki), which we place after the number. Or, if we’re counting larger animals, we can use the word 頭 とう (tō), meaning “head.” 

For example:

• 私は犬を２匹飼っています。
  Watashi wa inu o ni-hiki katte imasu.
  “I have two dogs.”

To learn more about numbers in Japanese, please check out our article Japanese Numbers: Let’s Master the Basic Japanese Numbers!

Following is a list of popular pet animals in Japan.

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“dog”	犬	いぬ	inu
“puppy”	子犬	こいぬ	koinu
“cat”	猫	ねこ	neko
“kitten”	子猫	こねこ	koneko
“rabbit”	兎	うさぎ	usagi
“hamster”	ー	ハムスター	hamusutā
“mouse” / “rat”	鼠	ねずみ	nezumi
“budgerigar”	ー	インコ	inko
“parrot”	ー	オウム	ōmu
“goldfish”	金魚	きんぎょ	kingyo
“hedgehog”	ー	ハリネズミ	harinezumi * literally “needle mouse” in Japanese.

* The Kanji for “rabbit” (兎) and “mouse” (鼠) are difficult and uncommon. We normally use Hiragana or Katakana for these words.

Like many other countries, dogs and cats are popular pets in Japan.

2. Farm Animals

Popular farm animals in Japan include cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, and horses. Ducks and swans are commonly seen in the countryside. 

In addition to the counter words 匹 ひき (hiki) and 頭 とう(tō), meaning “head,” there’s also a counter used for birds: 羽 わ (wa), meaning “feather.”

For example:

• この農場には馬が４頭います。
  Kono nōjō ni wa uma ga yon-tō imasu.
  “There are four horses on this farm.”

• この湖には白鳥が10羽います。
  Kono mizūmi ni wa hakuchō ga jū-wa imasu.
  “There are ten swans in this lake.”

Here’s a list of animals in Japanese you’re likely to find on a farm or in the countryside: 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“cow”	牛	うし	ushi
“calf”	子牛	こうし	koushi
“pig”	豚	ぶた	buta
“piglet”	子豚	こぶた	kobuta
“horse”	馬	うま	uma
“foal”	子馬	こうま	kouma
“sheep”	羊	ひつじ	hitsuji
“baby sheep”	子羊	こひつじ	kohitsuji
“goat”	山羊	やぎ	yagi
“donkey”	ー	ロバ	roba
“chicken”	鶏	にわとり	niwatori*literally “garden bird” in Japanese.
“chick”	ー	ひよこ	hiyoko
“duck”	鴨	かも	kamo
“goose”	ー	ガチョウ	gachō
“swan”	白鳥	はくちょう	hakuchō* literally: “white bird” in Japanese

You can also hear the pronunciation of these words on our Animal Names vocabulary list.

Sheep farms are famous in Hokkaido.

3. Wild Animals

Now that we’ve looked at a few domesticated creatures, it’s time to learn the names of different wild animals in Japanese. Below, you’ll also find some interesting facts about indigenous animals in Japan and how mythology influenced our naming of the giraffe! 

A- In the Forest

Did you know that Japan is actually a country of forests, despite the image foreigners often have of a sushi-eating island country surrounded by the sea? Around 73% of the land in Japan is mountainous, 66% of which is forested.

This means there are a lot of forest animals! Some of you might have seen pictures of Japanese monkeys enjoying natural hot springs (温泉 Onsen) in the snowy weather, for example. 

Forest animals often appear in Japanese folktales, idioms, and proverbs. Monkeys are considered clever and are thought to be the closest animal to humans. Raccoon dogs and foxes are often seen as animals that have mysterious powers and the ability to play tricks on humans.

Since many of the following forest animals are indigenous to Japan, they have original names in Japanese (including their own Kanji). 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“deer”	鹿	しか	shika
“bear”	熊	くま	kuma
“monkey”	猿	さる	saru
“wild boar”	猪	いのしし	inoshishi
“raccoon dog”	狸	たぬき	tanuki
“fox”	狐	きつね	kitsune
“squirrel”	栗鼠 *	りす	risu
“wolf”	狼	おおかみ	ōkami

* The Kanji for “squirrel” (栗鼠) is difficult and uncommon. We normally use Hiragana or Katakana instead.

Japanese monkeys love Onsen hot springs.

B- Safari Animals (and Others)

There is no Kanji for animals that originate from places that are very far away from Japan, such as safari animals or those from Oceania. They’re typically expressed in Katakana as loanwords or named in Japanese after their characteristics.

Some animals—such as elephants, tigers, and leopards—have Kanji because they’re indigenous to Asian countries (China, India, etc.), and they became known to Japan through trading. Such Kanji were directly imported from the Chinese language, but the names (phonetic readings) are original to Japanese.

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“elephant”	象	ゾウ	zō
“giraffe”	ー	キリン	kirin
“lion”	ー	ライオン	raion
“tiger”	虎	トラ	tora
“panda bear”	ー	パンダ	panda
“zebra”	ー	シマウマ	shimauma*literally “striped horse” in Japanese.
“hippopotamus”	ー	カバ	kaba
“rhinoceros”	ー	サイ	sai
“ostrich”	ー	ダチョウ	dachō*It means “camel bird” in Japanese.
“baboon”	ー	ヒヒ	hihi
“hyena”	ー	ハイエナ	haiena
“cheetah”	ー	チーター	chītā
“leopard”	豹	ヒョウ	hyō
“koala bear”	ー	コアラ	koara
“kangaroo”	ー	カンガルー	kangarū
“camel”	ー	ラクダ	rakuda

The キリン (kirin), or “giraffe,” was named after the Chinese dragon-like mythical animal called 麒麟 (qílín).　

4. Sea Animals

A recent study revealed that there are about 34,000 species of sea animals living in the oceans near Japan, including everything from plankton to mammals. This means that about 13.5% of all confirmed marine life abound in less than 1% of the world’s ocean. 

As a country blessed with lots of ocean, Japan has an abundance of words related to fish, called 魚 さかな (sakan), and sea animals. However, most of their Kanji are difficult, so Hiragana and Katakana are more commonly used to express their names.

Again, loanwords are used for sea animals that are not indigenous to Japan, such as ペンギン (pengin), or “penguin.”

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“whale”	鯨	くじら	kujira
“dolphin”	海豚	イルカ	iruka
“shark”	鮫	サメ	same
“seal”	海豹	アザラシ	azarashi
“sealion”	海馬	トド	todo
“penguin”	ー	ペンギン	pengin
“sea turtle”	海亀	うみがめ	umigame *literally “sea turtle” in Japanese
“jellyfish”	海月	くらげ	kurage
“pufferfish”	河豚	ふぐ	fugu
“octopus”	蛸	たこ	tako
“squid”	烏賊	いか	ika
“crab”	蟹	かに	kani
“shrimp” / “prawn”	海老	えび	ebi
“shell”	貝	かい	kai
“starfish”	人手	ヒトデ	hitode * literally “human hand” in Japanese

You can also hear the pronunciation of these words (and more) in our vocabulary list Marine Animals & Fish.

鮫 サメ (same) – “shark”

5. Bugs and Insects

As with sea animals, there is a lot of vocabulary related to bugs and insects in Japan. Most of their Kanji are very difficult, so Hiragana and Katakana are more commonly used to express their names. 

Considering the abundance of mountains and forests in Japan, it’s said that there could be as many as 100,000 insect species in the country. It’s possible that only about 10,000 of these species have been published in books.

Below are the names of some well-known bugs and insects that are commonly seen in Japan.

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“bugs” / “insects”	虫	むし	mushi
“bee”	蜂	ハチ	hachi
“fly”	蠅	ハエ	hae
“mosquito”	蚊	カ	ka
“butterfly”	蝶	チョウ	chō
“moth”	蛾	ガ	ga
“cicada”	蝉	セミ	semi
“dragonfly”	蜻蛉	トンボ	tonbo
“ant”	蟻	アリ	ari
“spider”	蜘蛛	クモ	kumo
“ladybug”	天道虫	てんとうむし	tentōmushi
“beetle”	甲虫	かぶとむし	kabutomushi
“grasshopper”	飛蝗	バッタ	batta
“mantis”	蟷螂	カマキリ	kamakiri

てんとう虫 (tentōmushi) – “ladybug”

6. Birds 

Thanks to the wealth of nature in Japan, the country is home to a diverse range of birds. There are 658 species of birds here, 22 of which are foreign.

Despite the rich variety of birds in Japan, the ones we see most often are pigeons, crows, sparrows, and swallows. In Japan, swallows are said to be “summer birds.” This is because seeing them is a sign that summer is coming, as swallows spend winter in the warmer southern areas (such as Taiwan, the Philippines, and Malaysia) before flying back to Japan in spring to raise their chicks.

There are also Japanese superstitions related to birds. For example, it’s believed that sparrows bring good luck and that crows bring bad luck. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“bird”	鳥	とり	tori
“small (baby) bird”	小鳥	ことり	kotori
“pigeon”	鳩	はと	hato
“crow”	烏	からす	karasu
“sparrow”	雀	すずめ	suzume
“swallow”	燕	つばめ	tsubame
“seagull”	ー	かもめ	kamome
“eagle”	鷲	わし	washi
“crane”	鶴	つる	tsuru
“owl”	梟	ふくろう	fukurō

The フクロウ (fukurō), or “owl,” is considered an animal of good omen.

7. Reptiles

In Japanese, reptiles are called 爬虫類 はちゅうるい (hachūrui). 

There are 142 reptile species in Japan (19 species of newt, 39 species of frog, 10 species of turtle, 32 species of lizard, and 42 species of snake). Some reptiles, such as turtles and snakes, are popular as pets in Japan. 

Reptiles are normally expressed in Katakana, even though most of them have Kanji. 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“turtle”	亀	カメ	kame
“crocodile” / “alligator”	鰐	ワニ	wani
“snake”	蛇	ヘビ	hebi
“frog”	蛙	カエル	kaeru
“lizard”	蜥蜴	トカゲ	tokage
“chameleon”	ー	カメレオン	kamereon

ワニ (wani) – “crocodile” / “alligator”

8. Animal Body Parts  

Now that you’ve learned the names of several different animals in Japanese, you should take some time to study the words for animal body parts. Keep in mind that many of the basic body parts listed below are the same for humans and animals. You can learn even more useful words, along with their pronunciation, on our vocabulary list Body Parts in Japanese! 

English	Kanji	Hiragana / Katakana	Reading
“horn”	角	つの	tsuno
“beak”	口ばし	くちばし	kuchibashi
“wing” (birds)	翼	つばさ	tsubasa
“wing” (insects) / “feather”	羽	はね	hane
“tusk”	牙	きば	kiba
“mane”	立て髪	たてがみ	tategami
“fur”	毛皮	けがわ	kegawa
“claw”	鉤爪	かぎつめ	kagitsume
“tail”	尾　/ 尻尾	お / しっぽ	o / shippo
“hoof”	蹄	ひづめ	hizume
“fin”	鰭	ひれ	hire
“gill”	鰓	えら	era
“scale”	鱗	うろこ	uroko

角 つの (tsuno) – “horn”

9. Animal Sounds

The Japanese language has a wide range of onomatopoeia, and animal sounds are one of the most common 擬声語 (gisei-go), or “animate phonomimes” we use. 

Here are the sounds animals make in Japanese:

Animal	Katakana	Reading
dog	ワンワン	wanwan
cat	ニャーニャー	nyānyā
mouse	チューチュー	chūchū
pig	ブーブー	būbū
sheep	メーメー	mēmē
cow	モーモー	mōmō
horse	ヒヒーン	hihīn
small bird	チュンチュン	chunchun
crow	カーカー	kākā
chicken	コケコッコー	kokekokkō
pigeon	ポッポー	poppō
owl	ホーホー	hōhō
lion	ガオー	gaō
elephant	パオーン	paōn
cicada	ミーンミーン	mīnmīn

Lions say ガオー (Gaō) in Japanese.

10. Animal-Related Proverbs

There are many Japanese proverbs and sayings that mention animals. Here are some of the most common ones: 

•  猿も木から落ちる。  
  Saru mo ki kara ochiru.
  “Even monkeys fall off trees.”
  
  Meaning: Even Homer sometimes nods. / Even someone who is the best at what they do can make mistakes.
  
  Example:
  
  気にすることないよ。猿も木から落ちると言うし、誰でも失敗することがあるよ。
  Ki ni suru koto nai yo. Saru mo ki kara ochiru to iu shi, dare de mo shippai suru koto ga aru yo.
  “Don’t worry. It says ‘Even monkeys fall off trees,’ and anyone can make mistakes.”

• 飼い犬に手を噛まれる
  Kaiinu ni te o kamareru
  “To have one’s hand bitten by one’s own dog”
  
  Meaning: To be betrayed by one’s trusted follower
  
  Example: 
  
  ずっと面倒をみていた部下に裏切られて、飼い犬に手を噛まれた気分だ！
  Zutto mendō o mite ita buka ni uragirarete, kaiinu ni te o kamareta kibun da!
  “I feel like I got my hand bitten by my dog, as my subordinate, whom I have been taking care of, betrayed me!”

• 猫の手も借りたい  
  Neko no te mo karitai
  “Wanting even the help of a cat”
  
  Meaning: Being extremely busy, so that you need every little bit of help you can get
  
  Example:
  
  昨日は猫の手も借りたいほど、とても忙しかったです。
  Kinō wa neko no te mo karitai hodo, totemo isogashikatta desu.
  “Yesterday was so busy that I even wanted to get help from a cat.”

• 捕らぬ狸の皮算用  
  Toranu tanuki no kawazanyō
  “Counting fur of raccoon dogs which you haven’t caught yet”
  
  Meaning: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. / Do not count on something that has not yet happened. / Do not expect all your hopes to come true.
  
  Example:
  
  昇給とボーナスを期待して家を買うのは、捕らぬ狸の皮算用だよ。
  Shōkyū to bōnasu o kitai shite ie o kau no wa, toranu tanuki no kawazanyō da yo.
  “Buying a house because you expect a pay-raise and a bonus is like counting the fur of raccoon dogs which you haven’t caught yet.”

To learn more Japanese proverbs, please visit our blog post Japanese Proverbs – Gain Japanese Wisdom and Insight.

捕らぬ狸の皮算用
Toranu tanuki no kawazanyō 
“counting fur of raccoon dogs which you haven’t caught yet” = “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

11. Conclusion

In this article, we introduced Japanese animal words for a number of categories: 

• Pets
• Farm animals
• Wild animals
• Sea animals
• Birds
• Insects
• Reptiles

In addition, we covered the most important animal body parts, Japanese animal sounds, and proverbs related to animals. If you happen to know of any other animal words, sounds, or idioms we didn’t include, please share them in the comments! 

Do you want to continue learning about the Japanese language and culture? Then create your free lifetime account on JapanesePod101.com today! We provide a variety of free lessons designed to help improve your Japanese language skills. Also, with our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, you’ll have personal 1-on-1 coaching with your own private teacher.

If you want to increase your Japanese vocabulary even further, you’ll find the following articles quite useful:  

• Guide to the Top 100+ Japanese Nouns
• Learn the Top 100 Essential Japanese Adjectives
• The 100+ Most Common Japanese Verbs

And there’s so much more! Learn Japanese faster (and enjoy every second of it) at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any topics or situations you’d like to learn Japanese words for! We’d be glad to help, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Have you ever tried to use a newly learned Japanese phrase, only to panic when you couldn’t understand your interlocutor’s reply? 

Whether you’re making new Japanese friends or traveling in Japan, knowing how to give questions and answers in Japanese will allow for smoother communication. Learning how to ask Japanese questions will also help you better understand Japanese, and improve your speaking and listening skills. The keys to mastering these skills early on are to speak a lot and practice!  

In this article, we’ll introduce the ten most useful Japanese question & answer patterns. Even if you’re just getting started, you can start having basic conversations with these phrases! Learn how to speak Japanese here at JapanesePod101.com!

First things first, though: How do you form questions in Japanese?

Japanese questions are easy to recognize because the question particle か (ka) always appears at the end (formal / polite form), and questions are asked with a rising tone.

Table of Contents

1. What’s your name?
2. Where are you from?
3. Do you speak Japanese?
4. How long have you been studying Japanese?
5. Have you been to [location]?
6. How is ___?
7. Do you like [country’s] food?
8. What are you doing?
9. What’s wrong?
10. How much is this?
11. How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

1. What’s your name?

Question:

• Japanese: (あなたの)名前は何ですか。
• Reading: (Anata no) namae wa nan desu ka.  
• English: “What is (your) name?”

This is one of the most common phrases that’s used when meeting someone new. The Japanese possessive case あなたの (anata no), meaning “your,” can be omitted when the context makes it clear whose name you’re talking about. Especially in casual conversations, the subject and possessive case (noun + possessive particle の) are often omitted; this sounds more natural.

Answer:

(1) Polite

• Japanese: 私の名前は___です。
• Reading: Watashi no namae wa ___ desu. 
• English: “My name is ___.”

This is the most common way to give someone your name. 

(2) Casually Polite

• Japanese: (私は)___です。
• Reading: (Watashi wa) ___ desu. 
• English: “(I) am ___.”

This is another common phrase for giving someone your name. In a casual conversation, you can omit the subject 私は (Watashi wa), meaning “I.”

(3) Very Polite

• Japanese: ___と申します。
• Reading: ___ to mōshimasu. 
• English: “I am ___.” (honorific language – humble expression) 

Japanese uses honorific language, called 敬語 (Keigo), which has various expressions that connote different levels of politeness and respect. 

This phrase is a humble expression that’s used in official occasions where you should speak very politely, or when you’re talking to someone who is very honorable.

Example:

Q: 名前は何ですか。  
Namae wa nan desu ka.
“What is your name?”

A: 私の名前はかおりです。
Watashi no namae wa Kaori desu.
“My name is Kaori.”

Q: あなたの名前は何ですか。(What is your name?) 

A: はじめまして、私はゆりです。(Nice to meet you. I’m Yuri.)

2. Where are you from?

Question:

• Japanese: (あなたの)出身はどこですか。
• Reading: (Anata no) shusshin wa doko desu ka.
• English: “Where are you from?”

This is one of the most popular Japanese questions that foreigners may be asked. あなたの出身はどこですか。literally translates as “Where is your hometown?”

The possessive case あなたの (anata no), meaning “your,” can be omitted in casual situations. In order to ask more politely, use the word どちら (dochira) instead of どこ (doko).

Answer:

(1)

• Japanese: (私は)___出身です。 
• Reading: (Watashi wa) ___ shusshin desu. 
• English: “(I) am from (my origin is) ___.”

This is a typical way to answer the question.

The word 出身 (shusshin) refers to a person’s origin, such as his or her hometown, city, or country. If you’re a foreigner in Japan, you can put your country name in the blank.

The subject 私は (Watashi wa), or “I,” can be omitted in casual situations.

(2)

• Japanese: (私は)___から来ました。 
• Reading: (Watashi wa) ___ kara kimashita. 
• English: “(I) come from ___.”

This is another common way to answer, and once again, the subject can be omitted in casual situations.

Example:

Q: あなたの出身はどこですか。 
Anata no shusshin wa doko desu ka.
“Where are you from?”

A: 私は東京出身です。
Watashi wa Tōkyō shusshin desu.
“I’m from Tokyo.”

3. Do you speak Japanese?

These basic questions and answers in Japanese will be extremely helpful for you while in Japan. 

Question:

(1)

• Japanese: (あなたは) ___を話しますか。
• Reading: (Anata wa) ___ o hanashimasu ka.
• English: “Do you speak ___?”

The subject あなたは (Anata wa), meaning “you,” can be omitted in casual situations.

(2)

• Japanese: (あなたは) ___を話せますか。
• Reading: (Anata wa) o hanasemasu ka.
• English: “Can you speak ___?”

This question sounds similar to the one above, but it indicates “speaking ability” by changing 話します (hanashimasu) into 話せます (hanasemasu).

The subject can be omitted in casual situations.

Language Vocabulary

In Japanese, the name of a language is expressed with the word 語 (-go), meaning “language,” attached after the name of a language or country.

English	Japanese	Reading
English	英語	Eigo
Japanese	日本語	Nihon-go
French	フランス語	Furansu-go
Italian	イタリア語	Itaria-go
German	ドイツ語	Doitsu-go
Spanish	スペイン語	Supein-go
Russian	ロシア語	Roshia-go
Chinese	中国語	Chūgoku-go
Korean	韓国語	Kankoku-go
Thai	タイ語	Tai-go
Vietnamese	ベトナム語	Betonamu-go

Answer:

(1)

• Japanese: 私は___を話します。
• Reading: Watashi wa ___ o hanashimasu.
• English: “I speak ___.”

(2)

• Japanese: 私は___を話せます。 
• Reading: Watashi wa ___ o hanasemasu. 
• English: “I can speak ___.”

(3)

• Japanese: 私は___を話せません。 
• Reading: Watashi wa ___ o hanasemasen. 
• English: “I can’t speak ___.”

This is a negative form you can use to say that you can’t speak the language.

Example:

Q: あなたは日本語を話しますか。  
Anata wa Nihon-go o hanashimasu ka.
“Do you speak Japanese?”

A: はい、私は少し日本語を話します。
Hai, watashi wa sukoshi Nihon-go o hanashimasu.
“Yes, I speak Japanese a little.”

Q: 日本語を話せますか。(Can you speak Japanese?)

A: 私は日本語を話せます。(I can speak Japanese.)

4. How long have you been studying Japanese?

Question:

• Japanese: どのくらい___を勉強していますか。
• Reading: Dono kurai ___ o benkyō shite imasu ka.
• English: “How long have you been studying ___?”

どのくらい (Dono kurai) literally translates as “to what extent,” but in this case, it refers to “how long.”

If you come from abroad and speak a bit of Japanese while in Japan, Japanese people will be very curious and ask you this question.

Answer:

(1)

• Japanese: ___か月です。 
• Reading: ___-kagetsu desu. 
• English: “For ___ month(s).”

If you’ve been learning Japanese for a few months, you can use this phrase to answer. Put the number of months in the blank.

___-kagetsu desu literally means “It’s ___ month(s).”

There’s no difference in expression for singular and plural in Japanese. So whether you’ve been learning for one month or several, the phrase remains the same.

(2)

• Japanese: ___年です。 
• Reading: ___-nen desu. 
• English: “For ___ year(s).”

Use this phrase if you’ve been studying for one or more years.

___-nen desu literally means “It’s ___ year(s).”

Example:

Q: どのくらい日本語を勉強していますか。   
Dono kurai Nihon-go o benkyō shite imasu ka.
“How long have you been studying Japanese?”

A: 1年5か月です。
Ichi-nen go-kagetsu desu.
“For a year and five months.”

5. Have you been to [location]?

Question:

• Japanese: ___に行ったことがありますか。
• Reading: ___ ni itta koto ga arimasu ka.
• English: “Have you been to ___?”

-ことがあります (-koto ga arimasu) is an expression meaning “to have done (something),” and it’s used after the past tense form of a verb. In this case, that would be 行った (itta), meaning “went.” It’s translated as “Have you been to ___?”

You can put the name of any place in the blank.

Answer:

(1)

• Japanese: はい、行ったことがあります。
• Reading: Hai, itta koto ga arimasu.
• English: “Yes, I have been.”

(2)

• Japanese: いいえ、行ったことがありません。 
• Reading: Iie, itta koto ga arimasen.
• English: “No, I have never been.”

This is a negative sentence for answering “no.”

Example:

Q: 皇居に行ったことがありますか。   
Kōkyo ni itta koto ga arimasu ka.
“Have you been to the Imperial Palace?”

A: いいえ、行ったことがありません。
Iie, itta koto ga arimasen.
“No, I have never been.”

Q: 皇居に行ったことがありますか。  (Have you been to the Imperial Palace?)

A: はい、行ったことがあります。  (Yes, I have been.)

6. How is ___?

Question:

• Japanese: ___ はどうですか。 
• Reading: ___ wa dō desu ka.
• English: “How is ___?”

This is a common phrase to ask about the condition, situation, or status of something.

What Can You Ask About?

➢ 調子はどうですか。 (Chōshi wa dō desu ka.) – “How is the condition?”
調子 means “condition,” and in this case, it means “How are you doing?” or “How is it going?”

➢ 勉強はどうですか。 (Benkyō wa dō desu ka.) – “How is studying?”

➢ 仕事の進み具合はどうですか。(Shigoto no susumiguai wa dō desu ka.) – “How is the progress of work?”

Answer:

(1)

• Japanese: 良いです。
• Reading: Ii desu. 
• English: “It’s good.”

うまく行っています (umaku itte imasu), meaning “It’s going good,” is another common expression you can use to say that something’s going well.

(2)

• Japanese: まあまあです。 
• Reading: Mā-mā desu. 
• English: “So-so.”

This phrase is very common, and it’s used to say that something is relatively good.

(3)

• Japanese: あまり良くないです。 
• Reading: Amari yokunai desu.
• English: “It’s not so good.”

You can use this phrase when things aren’t going very well. Japanese people tend to avoid straightforward words like “bad,” even if something is bad; they prefer to use euphemistic expressions.

Example:

Q: 体調はどうですか。 
Taichō wa dō desu ka.
“How is your body condition?” / “How are you feeling?”

A: まあまあです。 
Mā-mā desu.
“So-so.”

Q: 勉強はどうですか。 (How is studying?)

A: うまく行っています。(It’s going good.)

7. Do you like [country’s] food?

Question:

• Japanese: ___ 料理は好きですか。
• Reading: ___ ryōri wa suki desu ka.
• English: “Do you like ___ food?”

To express a country’s food, put the name of the country in the blank and add 料理 (ryōri) after it. 料理 (ryōri) means “cuisine” or “cooking.”

Cuisine Vocabulary:

English	Japanese	Reading
Japanese food	日本料理	Nihon ryōri
Chinese food	中華料理	Chūka ryōri
Korean food	韓国料理	Kankoku ryōri
French food	フランス料理	Furansu ryōri
Italian food	イタリア料理	Itaria ryōri
Spanish food	スペイン料理	Supein ryōri
Indian food	インド料理	Indo ryōri
Thai food	タイ料理	Tai ryōri

Answer:

(1)

• Japanese: はい、好きです。
• Reading: Hai, suki desu. 
• English: “Yes, I like it.”

(2)

• Japanese: まあまあ好きです。 
• Reading: Mā-mā suki desu. 
• English: “I somewhat like it.”

This phrase is a very common way to say that you relatively like something. 

(3)

• Japanese: いいえ、好きではありません。 
• Reading: Iie, suki de wa arimasen.
• English: “No, I don’t like it.”

This is a simple phrase to answer that you don’t like something. However, some Japanese people tend to use more euphemistic expressions to avoid saying “no.”

In such cases, you can also say ___料理は苦手です (___ ryōri wa nigate desu), which means “I’m not good with ___.”

Example:

Q: フランス料理は好きですか。 
Furansu ryōri wa suki desu ka.
“Do you like French food?”

A: はい、好きです。 
Hai, suki desu.
“Yes, I like it.”

8. What are you doing?

Question:

• Japanese: 何をしていますか。
• Reading: Nani o shite imasu ka.
• English: “What (are you) doing?”

There’s also a shorter version you can say: 何してますか。(Nani shite masu ka.) It’s still polite, but it sounds more casual.

This Japanese expression doesn’t have a particular subject. Therefore, if you add a subject, such as 彼女は (kanojo wa) meaning “she” or 彼は (kare wa) meaning “he,” to the beginning of the sentence, it becomes “What is she / he doing?”

Answer:

Answers can vary, but here are some general answers to the question.

(1)

• Japanese: ___ をしています。
• Reading: ___ o shite imasu. 
• English: “(I’m) doing ___.”

To answer the question, put a suitable noun in the blank. Some Japanese nouns belong to a group that allows the noun to turn into a verb when attached with the verb する (suru), meaning “do.“ For example:

演技する (engi suru) = 演技 (engi), meaning “acting” + する (suru), meaning “do” —–> “to act”

This phrase works well with this kind of noun.

This Japanese expression doesn’t have a particular subject, so if you add a subject, such as 彼女は (kanojo wa) meaning “she” or 彼は (kare wa) meaning “he,” to the beginning of the sentence, it becomes: “She / he is doing ___.”

How to Use:

➢ 仕事をしています。(Shigoto o shite imasu.) – “I’m doing work.” = “I’m working.”
➢ 勉強をしています。(Benkyō o shite imasu.) – “I’m doing study.” = “I’m studying.”
➢ 食事をしています。(Shokuji o shite imasu.) – “I’m doing meal.” = “I’m having a meal.”

(2)

• Japanese: ___ています。 
• Reading: ___-te imasu.  
• English: “(I’m) ___ing.”

This is another common phrase for telling someone what you’re doing. You can put any Japanese verb in the blank. The verb must be conjugated in a form that -ている(-te iru) can follow.

How to Use:

➢ 見ています。(Mite imasu.) – “I’m watching/looking.”
➢ 歩いています。(Aruite imasu.) – “I’m walking.”
➢ 食べています。(Tabete imasu.) – “I’m eating.”

Example:

Q: 何をしていますか。  
Nani o shite imasu ka.
“What are you doing?”

A: 映画を見ています。 
Eiga o mite imasu.
“I’m watching a movie.”

Q:何をしていますか。 (What are you doing?)

A: 本を読んでいます。 (I’m reading a book.)

9. What’s wrong?

Question:

• Japanese: どうしましたか。 
• Reading: Dō shimashita ka.
• English: “What’s wrong?” / “What’s the matter?”

A similar phrase is どうかしましたか。(Dō ka shimashita ka.) which means the same thing.

Answer:

Answers can vary, but here are some examples.

(1)

• Japanese: 何でもないです。
• Reading: Nan demo nai desu.
• English: “It’s nothing.” / “There’s nothing wrong.”

何でもない (Nan demo nai) means “nothing.”

(2)

• Japanese: 疲れています。 
• Reading: Tsukarete imasu. 
• English: “I’m tired.”

(3)

• Japanese: 気分が悪いです。 
• Reading: Kibun ga warui desu.
• English: “I don’t feel good.”

This literally translates as “feeling is bad,” but in this case, it means “I don’t feel good/well.”

Example:

Q: どうしましたか。 顔色が悪いですよ。 
Dō shimashita ka. Kaoiro ga warui desu yo.
“What’s wrong? You look pale.”

A: 少し疲れています。 
Sukoshi tsukarete imasu.
“I’m a bit tired.”

10. How much is this?

Question:

• Japanese: これはいくらですか。
• Reading: Kore wa ikura desu ka.
• English: “How much is this?”

This is a must-know phrase if you plan on shopping during your trip to Japan.

Answer:

• Japanese: これは___円です。
• Reading: Kore wa ___-en desu. 
• English: “It’s ¥___.”

The Japanese currency is 円, which is actually pronounced as えん (en). The currency symbol is ¥.

Example:

Q: この本はいくらですか。  
Kono hon wa ikura desu ka.
Kono hon wa ikura desu ka.

A: この本は1000円です。 
Kono hon wa sen-en desu.
“This book is ¥1000.”

For more useful shopping phrases with audio, please check out this lesson on 15 Shopping Phrases: Exchanges, Refunds, and Complaints!

11. How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

In this article, we introduced the ten most useful Japanese question & answer patterns. After learning these, you’ll have strong survival Japanese communication skills! 

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language, you’ll find even more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons that will help you improve your Japanese language skills. 

Here are some more lessons with audio about the basics of Japanese:

• Most Common Adjectives
• Most Useful Pronouns
• Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations

For beginners, our lesson on the Top 25 Must-Know Phrases is a must-read! 

And there’s so much more! Learn faster and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any Japanese questions and answers you still want to know! We’d be glad to help, and look forward to hearing from you!

Learning a new language is fun, but it requires a lot of effort—studying the complicated grammar rules and memorizing thousands of words. But we have a tip for you! The fastest and easiest way to learn Japanese is to just focus on the most useful and common Japanese sentence patterns and start speaking them!

The most frequently used Japanese sentence patterns are useful for survival communication and day-to-day interactions. When you know the essential sentence patterns in Japanese, you can arrange and create more sentences to express yourself and have conversations. 

In this article, we’ll introduce the ten most useful Japanese sentence patterns, which cover the most basic statements and questions. Boost your Japanese conversation skills here at JapanesePod101.com!

Table of Contents

1. A is B – AはBです
2. Asking Simple Questions: Is A B?　AはBですか。
3. I Want (to)… 　…が欲しいです/…たいです　
4. I Need (to)… 　…が必要です/…(する)必要があります　
5. I like … 　…が好きです
6. Please (do) … ….(して)ください
7. May I / Can I (Do) …? ….(しても）いいですか。/a>
8. What is …? ….は何ですか？　
9. When is …? ….はいつですか？　
10. Where is …? ….はどこですか？　
11. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101.com Can Help You Learn More Japanese

With the top 10 Japanese sentence patterns, you can easily have simple conversations!

1. A is B – AはBです

“A is B“ = A (wa) B (desu) or  A は B です

This is the simplest Japanese sentence construction for describing something. A is usually a noun and B can be a noun or an adjective.

です (desu) is the basic predicate that represents politeness; it’s placed at the end of a Japanese sentence. 

The Japanese sentence structure is SOV (Subject + Object + Verb), while English has an SVO structure (Subject + Verb + Object).

Examples:

• 私は学生です。(Watashi wa gakusei desu.) — “I am a student.”

• 彼は私の友達です。(Kare wa watashi no tomodachi desu.) — “He is my friend.”

• このご飯は美味しいです。(Kono gohan wa oishii desu.) — “This meal is delicious.”

• あのレストランは海鮮料理で有名です。(Ano resutoran wa kaisen ryōri de yūmei desu.) — “That restaurant is famous for seafood.”

• 今年の夏は去年より暑いです。 (Kotoshi no natsu wa kyonen yori atsui desu.) — “This summer is hotter than the one last year.”

For more about Japanese nouns and adjectives, please check out our pages on the 50 Most Common Nouns and 50 Most Common Adjectives.

2. Asking Simple Questions:  Is A B?　AはBですか。

“Is A B ?“ = A (wa) B (desu ka) or  A は B ですか。

Here’s the most common question sentence pattern in Japanese. 

To make a Japanese interrogative sentence, simply add the question marker か (ka) to the end of an affirmative sentence and pronounce it with a rising intonation. 

Examples:

• あなたは学生ですか。(Anata wa gakusei desu ka.) — “Are you a student?”

• 彼らはあなたの友達ですか。(Kare-ra wa anata no tomodachi desu ka.) — “Are they your friends?”

• その本は難しいですか。(Sono hon wa muzukashii desu ka.) — “Is that book difficult?”

• 今日の天気は雨のち曇りですか。(Kyō no tenki wa ame nochi kumori desu ka.) — “Is the weather today cloudy after rain?”

• 駅の隣のビルは銀行ですか。(Eki no tonari no biru wa ginkō desu ka.) — “Is the building next to the station a bank?”

Ashita wa hare desu ka. = “Is tomorrow sunny?”

3. I Want (to)… 　…が欲しいです/…たいです　

“I want  …“ = [noun] …が欲しい です  (ga hoshii desu)

“I want to …“ =  [verb] …たい です  (-tai desu)

These are the simplest Japanese sentence patterns for expressing “want.”

These Japanese phrases differ depending on whether you want something [noun] or want to do something [verb], as indicated above.

Keep in mind that the subject can be omitted from a Japanese sentence when it’s clear from the context who the subject is.

Japanese verb conjugation is NOT affected by the person (I, you, he, she, we, they), number (singular/plural), or gender (female/male) of the subject.

Examples using a noun:

• （私は）水が欲しいです。([Watashi wa] mizu ga hoshii desu.) — “I want water.”

• （私は）新しい車が欲しいです。([Watashi wa] atarashii kuruma ga hoshii desu.) —  “I want a new car.”

• 誕生日にダイヤの指輪が欲しいです。(Tanjōbi ni daiya no yubiwa ga hoshii desu.) — “I want a diamond ring for (my) birthday.”

Examples using a verb:

• （私は）今日は和食が食べたいです。([Watashi wa] kyō wa washoku ga tabetai desu.) — “I want to eat Japanese food today.”

• 来年は沖縄に行きたいです。(Rainen wa Okinawa ni ikitai desu.) — “I want to go to Okinawa next year.”

• 太ったので運動をしたいです。(Futotta node undō o shitai desu.) — “I want to do exercises because I got fat.”

For more information about Japanese verbs, please check out our Japanese Verbs and 50 Most Common Verbs pages.

4. I Need (to)… 　…が必要です/…(する)必要があります　

“I need …“ = [noun] …が必要です (ga hitsuyō desu)

“I need to …“ = [verb] …(する)必要があります (hitsuyō ga arimasu)

These are the simplest Japanese sentence patterns for expressing “need.”

As you can see above, the Japanese sentence structure changes depending on whether you need something [noun] or need to do something [verb].

Examples using a noun:

• （私は）あなたが必要です。([Watashi wa] anata ga hitsuyō desu.) — “I need you.”

• その車は電気の充電が必要です。(Sono kuruma wa denki no jūden ga hitsuyō desu.) — “That car needs to charge with electricity.”

• この店での支払いはクレジットカードが必要です。(Kono mise de no shiharai wa kurejitto kādo ga hitsuyō desu.) — “You need a credit card to pay at this store.”

Examples using a verb:

•  週末に働く必要があります。(Shūmatsu ni hataraku hitsuyō ga arimasu.) — “I need to work on the weekend.”

• あなたは病院に行く必要があります。(Anata wa byōin ni iku hitsuyō ga arimasu.) — “You need to go to a hospital.”

• 学生は卒業試験に合格する必要があります。(Gakusei wa sotsugyō shiken ni gōkaku suru hitsuyō ga arimasu.) — “The students need to pass the graduation exam.”

Watashi wa shiken ni gōkaku suru hitsuyō ga arimasu. = “I need to pass the exam.”

5. I like … 　…が好きです　

“I like …“ = [noun] …が好きです (ga suki desu)

This is one of the easiest and most useful sentences in Japanese. You can use it the same way you would in English when you’re fond of something or someone.

Examples:

• 私は動物が好きです。(Watashi wa dōbutsu ga suki desu.) — “I like animals.”

• 彼は食べることが好きです。(Kare wa taberu koto ga suki desu.) — “He likes eating.”

• 私の猫は昼寝が好きです。(Watashi no neko wa hirune ga suki desu.) — “My cat likes taking a nap.”

• かおりは背が高い男性が好きです。(Kaori wa se ga takai dansei ga suki desu.) — “Kaori likes tall guys.”

• 私は山より海が好きです。(Watashi wa yama yori umi ga suki desu.) — “I like the sea more than the mountains.”

6. Please (do) …   ….(して)ください　

“Please (do) …” = … [verb]  …ください (kudasai)

This is a simple sentence pattern in Japanese for asking someone to do something; here, the word ください(Kusadai) is used with a verb. 

Also note that when a noun and the postpositional particle を (o) come before kudasai, it becomes a polite way of saying “Please give (me) [noun].”  For example: りんごを一つください (ringo o hitotsu kudasai), meaning “Please give me one apple.”

Examples:

•  静かにしてください。(Shizuka ni shite kudasai.) — “Please be quiet.”

• お座りください。(O-suwari kudasai.) — “Please be seated/sit down.”

• そのペンを取ってください。(Sono pen o totte kudasai.) — “Please take the pen.”

• 食事の前に手を洗ってください。(Shokuji no mae ni te o aratte kudasai.) — “Please wash your hands before the meal.”

• 次の電車が来るまでしばらくお待ちください。(Tsugi no densha ga kuru made shibaraku o-machi kudasai.) — “Please wait some time until the next train comes.”

7. May I / Can I (Do) …?   ….(しても）いいですか。

“May I / Can I (do) …?”  = … [verb] …(しても）いいですか。(mo ii desu ka.)  

This is a very common Japanese language sentence structure to ask for permission in a polite way. It literally means: “(Is it/Am I) good to (do)…?”

Examples:

• 今から行ってもいいですか。(Ima kara itte mo ii desu ka.) — “Can I go now?”

• 水を飲んでもいいですか。(Mizu o nonde mo ii desu ka.) — “Can I drink water?”

• 明日提出してもいいですか。(Ashita teishutsu shite mo ii desu ka.) — “May I submit it tomorrow?”

• ここで楽器を演奏してもいいですか。(Koko de gakki o ensō shite mo ii desu ka.) — “Can I play instruments here?”

• この切符でこの電車に乗ってもいいですか。(Kono kippu de kono densha ni notte mo ii desu ka.) — “Can I take this train with this ticket?”

Kono kippu de kono densha ni notte mo ii desu ka. = “Can I take this train with this ticket?”

8. What is …?   ….は何ですか？　

“What is …?” = … [noun] ….は何ですか？(wa nan desu ka?) 

This is a very simple phrase to ask for information in a polite way.  

Examples:

• これは何ですか。(Kore wa nan desu ka.) — “What is this?”

• あなたの名前は何ですか。(Anata no namae wa nan desu ka.) — “What is your name?”

• 今年の和暦は何ですか。(Kotoshi no wareki wa nan desu ka.) — “What is the year of the Japanese era this year?”

• この下着の素材は何ですか。(Kono shitagi no sozai wa nan desu ka.) — “What is the material of this underwear?”

• あなたの一番好きな映画は何ですか。(Anata no ichi-ban suki na eiga wa nan desu ka.) — “What is your favorite movie?”

Anata no ichi-ban suki na eiga wa nan desu ka. = “What is your favorite movie?”

9. When is …?   ….はいつですか？　

“When is …?” = … [noun] ….はいつですか。(wa itsu desu ka.)

This is a common Japanese sentence pattern to ask about time in a polite way.  

Examples:

• 次の会議はいつですか。(Tsugi no kaigi wa itsu desu ka.) — “When is the next meeting?”

• あなたの誕生日はいつですか。(Anata no tanjōbi wa itsu desu ka.) — “When is your birthday?”

• 桜の満開時期はいつですか。(Sakura no mankai jiki wa itsu desu ka.) — “When is the best season of full-bloom cherry blossoms?”

• 初めて海外旅行したのはいつですか。(Hajimete kaigai ryokō shita no wa itsu desu ka.) — “When was the first time you traveled overseas?”

• 大学の卒業式はいつですか。(Daigaku no sotsugyōshiki wa itsu desu ka.) — “When is the graduation ceremony of the university?”

Sotsugyōshiki wa itsu desu ka. = “When is the graduation ceremony?”

10. Where is …?   ….はどこですか？　

“Where is …?” = … [noun] ….はどこですか。(wa doko desu ka.)

This is a common Japanese sentence pattern for asking about location in a polite way.  

Examples:

• 明日の会議はどこですか。(Ashita no kaigi wa doko desu ka.) — “Where is the meeting tomorrow?”

•  あなたの地元はどこですか。(Anata no jimoto wa doko desu ka.) — “Where is your hometown?”

• 渋谷駅はどこですか。(Shibuya Eki wa doko desu ka.) — “Where is Shibuya Station?”

• ここから一番近いトイレはどこですか。(Koko kara ichi-ban chikai toire wa doko desu ka.) — “Where is the nearest toilet from here?”

• 東海道新幹線の乗り場はどこですか。(Tōkaidō Shinkansen no noriba wa doko desu ka.) — “Where is the platform of Tōkaidō Shinkansen?”

For more information (with audio) about the most useful Japanese sentence patterns, please check out the Top 10 Sentence Patterns for Beginners lesson on our website.

11. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101.com Can Help You Learn More Japanese

In this article, we introduced the ten most useful sentence patterns in Japanese. Once you learn these Japanese sentence patterns, you can create many more variations for better communication! The good thing about Japanese is that verbs don’t conjugate in terms of the number (singular/plural), person (I, you, he, she, we, they, it), or gender of the subject/object! So don’t hesitate to practice speaking today!

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language, you’ll find much more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons to help you improve your Japanese language skills. Here’s some more information about Japanese basics, with audio to enrich your conversations:

• Most Common Adjectives
• Most Useful Pronouns
• Must-Know Adverbs and Phrases for Connecting Thoughts
• Learn the Top 25 Must-Know Phrases! (For Beginners)

And there’s so much more! Learn faster and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any Japanese sentence patterns you still want to know! We’d be glad to help, and look forward to hearing from you!

Posted by JapanesePod101.com in Japanese Grammar, Japanese Language, Japanese Lessons, Japanese Online, Japanese Phrases, Japanese Words, Learn Japanese, Learn Japanese, Speak Japanese, Team JapanesePod101, Team JapanesePod101 | Comment

October 16, 2020

Japanese Keyboard: How to Install and Type in Japanese

You asked, so we provided—easy-to-follow instructions on how to set up your electronic devices to write in Japanese! We’ll also give you a few excellent tips on how to use this keyboard, as well as some online and app alternatives if you prefer not to set up a Japanese keyboard.

Table of Contents

1. Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Japanese
2. Setting up Your Computer and Mobile Devices for Japanese
3. How to Activate an Onscreen Keyboard on Your Computer
4. How to Change the Language Settings to Japanese on Your Computer
5. Activating the Japanese Keyboard on Your Mobile Phone and Tablet
6. Japanese Keyboard Typing Tips
7. How to Practice Typing Japanese

1. Why it’s Important to Learn to Type in Japanese

Learning a new language is made so much easier when you’re able to read and write/type it. This way, you will:

• Get the most out of any dictionary and Japanese language apps on your devices
• Expand your ability to find Japanese websites and use the various search engines
• Be able to communicate much better online with your Japanese teachers and friends, and look super cool in the process! 

2. Setting up Your Computer and Mobile Devices for Japanese

It takes only a few steps to set up any of your devices to read and type in Japanese. It’s super-easy on your mobile phone and tablet, and a simple process on your computer.

On your computer, you’ll first activate the onscreen keyboard to work with. You’ll only be using your mouse or touchpad/pointer for this keyboard. Then, you’ll need to change the language setting to Japanese, so all text will appear in Japanese. You could also opt to use online keyboards instead. Read on for the links!

On your mobile devices, it’s even easier—you only have to change the keyboard. We also provide a few alternatives in the form of online keyboards and downloadable apps.

3. How to Activate an Onscreen Keyboard on Your Computer

1- Mac

1. Go to System Preferences > Keyboard.

2. Check the option “Show Keyboard & Character Viewers in Menu Bar.”

3. You’ll see a new icon on the right side of the main bar; click on it and select “Show Keyboard Viewer.”

2- Windows

1. Go to Start > Settings > Easy Access > Keyboard.

2. Turn on the option for “Onscreen Keyboard.”

3- Online Keyboards

If you don’t want to activate your computer’s onscreen keyboard, you also have the option to use online keyboards. Here are some good options:

• Gate2Home
• Branah Japanese
• vkBoard

4- Add-ons of Extensions for Browsers

Instead of an online keyboard, you could also choose to download a Google extension to your browser for a language input tool. The Google Input Tools extension allows users to use input tools in Chrome web pages, for example.

4. How to Change the Language Settings to Japanese on Your Computer

Now that you’re all set to work with an onscreen keyboard on your computer, it’s time to download the Japanese language pack for your operating system of choice:

• Windows 8 (and higher)
• Windows 7
• Mac (OS X and higher)

1- Windows 8 (and higher)

1. Go to Settings > Change PC Settings > Time & Language > Region & Language.

2. Click on “Add a Language” and select “Japanese.” This will add it to your list of languages. It will appear as 日本語 with the note “language pack available.”

3. Click on 日本語 > “Options” > “Download.” It will take a few minutes to download and install the language pack.

4. As a keyboard layout, you’ll only need the one marked as “Japanese – 日本語.” You can ignore other keyboard layouts.

2- Windows 7

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > Clock, Language, and Region.

2. On the “Region and Language” option, click on “Change Keyboards or Other Input Methods.”

3. On the “Keyboards and Languages” tab, click on “Change Keyboards” > “Add” > “Japanese.”

4. Expand the option of “Japanese” and then expand the option “Keyboard.” Select the keyboard layout marked as “Japanese.” You can ignore other keyboard layouts. Click “OK” and then “Apply.”

3- Mac (OS X and higher)

If you can’t see the language listed, please make sure to select the right option from System Preferences > Language and Region

1. From the Apple Menu (top left corner of the screen) go to System Preferences > Keyboard.

2. Click the Input Sources tab and a list of available keyboards and input methods will appear.

3. Click on the plus button, select “Japanese,” and add the “Japanese” keyboard.

5. Activating the Japanese Keyboard on Your Mobile Phone and Tablet

Texting and searching in Japanese will greatly help you master the language! Adding a Japanese keyboard on your mobile phone and/or tablet is super-easy.

You could also opt to download an app instead of adding a keyboard. Read on for our suggestions.

Below are the instructions for both iOS and Android mobile phones and tablets.

1- iOS

1. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard.

2. Tap “Keyboards” and then “Add New Keyboard.”

3. Select “Japanese” from the list.

4. When typing, you can switch between languages by tapping and holding on the icon to reveal the keyboard language menu.

2- Android

1. Go to Settings > General Management > Language and Input > On-screen Keyboard (or “Virtual Keyboard” on some devices) > Samsung Keyboard.

2. Tap “Language and Types” or “ + Select Input Languages” depending on the device and then “MANAGE INPUT LANGUAGES” if available.

3. Select 日本語 from the list.

4. When typing, you can switch between languages by swiping the space bar.

3- Applications for Mobile Phones

If you don’t want to add a keyboard on your mobile phone or tablet, these are a few good apps to consider:

• ATOK Japanese Input Keyboard
• Google Japanese Input
• Japanese Keyboard – Romaji to Japanese
• FlickKeyboard

6. Japanese Keyboard Typing Tips

Typing in Japanese can be very challenging at first! Therefore, we added here a few useful tips to make it easier to use your Japanese keyboard.

1- Computer

1. To toggle your IME on/off, you just need to hit “Alt + Tilde (~).” 

2. You can just type in Japanese words on your keyboard, if you know how they’re spelled in Romanization. (Like “a” = あ, “ko” = こ, and “re” = れ）But there are some points to be noticed:

 – To type ん, you need to type “nn” (double “n”). When you hit just “n,” you may have the chance to hit vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and it will make な, に, ぬ, ね, の. So you need that extra “n” to type ん.

 – To type small-sized vowel characters, as in ねぇ or あぁ, you need to hit “l” or “x + vowel.” For example, to type ぁ, you hit “la” or “xa.”

 – To get っ, the small “tsu.” However, you don’t have to type “ltsu” or “xtsu.” You just type it using a double consonant. For example, to type きっと, you hit “kitto.”

3. If you want to use Katakana instead of Hiragana, in most cases all you need to do is hit “spacebar” after you’ve typed the word in Hiragana. Then, your IME will most likely recommend that word in Katakana. But if this isn’t the case for you, or if you instead want a Katakana input mode, just hit “Ctrl + Caps Lock” to find it.

4. To convert to Kanji, you need to use the “spacebar” just like you do with Katakana words. Your IME will suggest a candidate Kanji list for the word. So hit the “spacebar” until you find the one you’re looking for, and then hit the “Enter” to determine the conversion candidate.

2- Mobile Phones

1. You can type Japanese words on a Kana-style keyboard as well as a Romanization-style keyboard. As for the Romanization-style typing, it’s almost the same as it is on the PC.

2. You’ll have only ten Hiragana letter keys, plus a punctuation key and a text face key to input with a Kana-style keyboard. The letter keys are arranged by consonant and each of them has three or more letters inside it. To select a letter, quickly tap the key to go through the different letters. Alternatively, you can simply hold down the key, which will bring up the options visually, and then slide your finger to the intended letter. 

3. The 改行 key is the equivalent to the Enter key, and the 空白 key is the equivalent to the space key.

7. How to Practice Typing Japanese

As you probably know by now, learning Japanese is all about practice, practice, and more practice! Strengthen your Japanese typing skills by writing comments on any of our lesson pages, and our teacher will answer.
If you’re a JapanesePod101 Premium PLUS member, you can directly text our teacher via the My Teacher app—use your Japanese keyboard to do this!

Posted by JapanesePod101.com in Japanese Language, Japanese Online, Japanese Translation, Learn Japanese, Learn Japanese, Team JapanesePod101, Tips & Techniques, Uncategorized | Comment

October 5, 2020

Ultimate Japanese Verb Conjugation Guide

How many verbs do you think you use everyday? Verbs are the second-most frequently used part of speech in Japanese (after nouns), making it crucial to know and understand Japanese verb conjugation.

Compared to English, Japanese verb conjugation has distinct rules which might be difficult to understand at first. However, the good news is that Japanese verbs do not conjugate according to the speaker. Instead, the Japanese verb conjugation rules are the same for every grammatical person, or 人称 (ninshō), and any number of subjects (singular or plural). Therefore, you won’t be easily confused on how to conjugate Japanese verbs in this respect. In addition, there are very few irregular verb conjugations!

In this article, we’ll introduce the basics of Japanese verbs and Japanese verb conjugation, including verb groups and conjugation patterns. We’ll also provide examples for you.
Once you learn the conjugation patterns, you only have to apply the rules to any new verbs you learn! Let’s get started here at JapanesePod101.com!

Table of Contents

1. What is Conjugation?
2. Japanese Verb Conjugation Groups
3. Conjugation Patterns
4. Conjugation Patterns for Irregular Verbs
5. Let’s Practice!
6. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

1. What is Conjugation?

1 – What Does Conjugation Mean?

Conjugation in Japanese is described as the variation of the form of a certain part of speech—such as verbs—which is influenced by certain elements. These include: voice, mood, tense, and politeness level.

In Japanese, there are four parts of speech which have conjugation: 

• 動詞 (dōshi) — Verb
• 助動詞 (jodōshi) — Auxiliary Verb 
• 形容詞 (keiyōshi) — Adjective 
• 形容動詞 (keiyōdōshi) — Adjective Verb 

In this article, we’ll just be focusing on Japanese verb conjugations so we can explain in better detail. 

2 – What Affects Conjugation? 

As we mentioned above, the voice, mood, tense, and politeness level are identified by the form of Japanese verb conjugation used.

• Voice

There are two types of voice: 能動態 (nōdōtai), or “active voice,” and 受動態 (judōtai), or “passive voice.”

• The basic form of a verb is usually the active voice, where the subject performs the action.
  
  私は日記を書く。
  Watashi wa nikki o kaku.
  “I write a journal.”

• In Japanese, the passive voice is mainly used when the action is performed on the subject, or 受け身 (ukemi). However, it’s also used for other cases, such as:
  
  可能 (kanō) — to denote ability
  自発 (jihatsu) — spontaneous
  使役 (shieki) — causative
  尊敬 (sonkei) — respectful language

The Japanese passive voice is expressed in either れる (reru) or られる (rareru), which are auxiliary verbs used together with other verbs.

-Passive action: 
先生によく叱-られる。
Sensei ni yoku shika-rareru.
“I’m often scolded by the teacher.”

-Ability:              
たくさん食べ-られる
Takusan tabe-rareru.
“I can eat a lot.”

-Spontaneous:  
毎年あの災害が思い出さ-れる。
Maitoshi ano saigai ga omoidasa-reru.
“That disaster is remembered every year.”

-Respectful:      
講師が話さ-れる。
Kōshi ga hanasa-reru.
“A lecturer is talking.” [In a respectful manner]

Active: Watashi wa nikki o kaku. (“I write a journal.”)

Passive: Nikki wa watashi ni yori kakareru. (“The journal is written by me.”)

• Mood 

There are different types of moods that are identified in the conjugation forms. Grammatical mood  refers to the attitude of the speaker toward the action of the verb. For example, it indicates whether  that person is giving an order, making an assumption, giving a suggestion, etc.

Example:

Dictionary form : 食べる (taberu) “to eat”

Verb stem: 食べ- (tabe-)  

Mood / Usage	Conjugation	Kanji
Negative Form	tabenai	食べない
Attributive Form	taberu(toki)	食べる（とき）
Conditional Form	tabereba	食べれば
Imperative Form	tabero	食べろ
Volitional Form ( “Let’s-“)	tabeyō	食べよう

• Tense  

Japanese verb conjugation by tense is actually very simple when compared to English and romance languages such as French, Spanish, and Italian.

There are just two main tenses for the Japanese verb forms: present and past tense. The form of the present tense is used for future and habitual action, and therefore there is no particular future tense. 

The past tense always ends with た。 (–ta).  

• Japanese verb conjugation (Present Tense):
  
  私は今出かける。
  Watashi wa ima dekakeru.
  “I go out now.”
  
  私は来週出かける。
  Watashi wa raishū dekakeru.
  Literal translation: “I go out next week,” or “I will go out next week.”

• Japanese verb conjugation (Past Tense):
  
  私は出かけた。
  Watashi wa dekaketa.
  “I went out.”

• Level of Politeness   

In Japanese conjugation, politeness level is another factor to consider. Verbs in the dictionary form are casual and informal, while verbs in the formal form end with ます (-masu), as do verbs in the ordinary polite form 丁寧語 (Teineigo).

In addition to verb conjugation, the Japanese language (especially verbs) has three types of 敬語 (keigo), or “honorific language,” which affect the Japanese conjugation forms. They also show different levels of respect: 

丁寧語 (teineigo) — polite

尊敬語 (sonkeigo) — respectful

謙譲語 (kenjōgo) — humble / modest

They’re used to express social distance and intimacy, as well as disparity or similarity in rank. For more details on Japanese 敬語 (keigo), please visit Japanese Honorifics.

It’s necessary for adults to be able to use 敬語 (keigo) properly in formal situations in Japan. However, you can use at least the formal/polite form without being rude.

Here’s a Japanese conjugation table for 言う (iu), or “to say,” by politeness level.

Form	Reading	Kanji
Dictionary / Informal	i-u	言-う
Formal / Teineigo / Polite	ii-masu	言い-ます
Sonkeigo / Respectful	ossharu	おっしゃる
Kenjōgo / Humble	mōsu	申す

Appropriate use of 敬語 (keigo) is a must in the Japanese business world.

2. Japanese Verb Conjugation Groups

Japanese verbs always end with u or ru, and verbs are categorized into three groups: 

Class 1: U-verb

Class 2 : Ru-verb

Class 3: Irregular verb

Japanese verbs consist of two parts: a verb base (“stem”) and a suffix.  

A stem doesn’t change and a suffix conjugates according to the voice, mood, tense, and forms (casual vs. polite, and plain vs. negative).

1 – Class 1: U-verbs

U-verbs always end with –u. However, please note that this refers to the last vowel being u when it’s written in reading form. Therefore, U-verbs can end with Hiragana う(u), く (ku), す(su), つ（tsu), ぬ (nu), む (mu), and sometimes る (ru). 

Examples of U-verbs

English	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
“listen” / “hear”	kiku	聞く	きく
“wait”	matsu	待つ	まつ
“write”	kaku	書く	かく
“go”	iku	行く	いく

2 – Class 2: Ru-Verbs

Ru-verbs always end with –ru which is Hiragana る. Some verbs that end with る (ru) are categorized as U-verbs, such as 取る (toru), meaning “take,” but they’re just a few exceptions that you’ll easily start to recognize.

Examples of Ru-verbs

English	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
“eat”	taberu	食べる	食べる
“wake up” / “get up”	okiru	起きる	おきる
“sleep”	neru	寝る	ねる
“teach”	oshieru	教える	おしえる

3 – Class 3: Irregular Verbs

Surprise! There are only two irregular Japanese verbs, which are 来る (kuru), meaning “come,” and する (suru), meaning “do.”

Unlike U-verbs and Ru-verbs, the stem of the irregular verbs change according to the conjugation forms. 

The Japanese verb する (suru), meaning “do,” is one of the most frequently used verbs. It’s also very handy because it can often turn a noun into a verb when it’s added after a noun. Here’s how Japanese irregular verb conjugation works for this word:

• 回転 (kaiten) 　＋　する (suru) 　= “to rotate” / “to spin around”
  [“rotation” / “spin”]             [“do”]  

• 出席 (shusseki) 　＋　する (suru) 　= “to attend”
  [“attendance”]                    [“do”]

•  謝罪 (shazai)　＋　 する (suru) 　= “to apologize”
              [“apology”]                         [“do”]

For more Japanese verb vocabulary, please visit our article on The 100+ Most Common Japanese Verbs.

運動 (undō) “exercise” +  する (suru) “to do” = Undō-suru (“to exercise”)

3. Conjugation Patterns

In the Japanese verb conjugation system, a suffix (which is often an auxiliary verb) plays an important role in conjugation, together with the main verb.

1 – Class 1: U-verb Conjugation

U-verbs conjugate as in this example:

• Dictionary form: はなす・話す (hanasu) “to talk” / “to speak”
• Verb stem: はな- (hana-)  

The verb 話す (hanasu), which means “to talk” or “to speak,” has the stem はな (hana) and the suffix す (su). 

In Japanese conjugation, suffixes conjugate and change like in the example below, according to the forms.

Form	Informal	Formal
Present	はな-す　 hana-su	はな-します hana-shimasu
Negative-present	はな-さない hana-sanai	はな-しません hana-shimasen
Past	はな-した hana-shita	はな-しました hana-shimashita
Negative-past	はな-さなかった hana-sanakatta	はな-しませんでした hana-shimasen deshita
Volitional	はな-そう hana-sō	はな-しましょう hana-shimashō
Passive	はな-される hana-sareru	はな-されます hana-saremasu
Causative	はな-させる haha-saseru	はな-させます haha-sasemasu
Conditional	はな-せば hana-seba
Imperative	はな-せ hana-se	はな-しなさい haha-shinasai

Example Sentences

• 私は彼と話しませんでした。
  Watashi wa kare to hana-shimasen deshita. 
  “I didn’t talk with him.” [past / formal / polite]

• 彼らと一緒に話そう。
  Kare-ra to issho ni hana-sō.   
  “Let’s talk with them.” [volitional / informal]

• 本当のことを話せ！
  Hontō no koto o hana-se!　　
  “Tell the truth!” [imperative / informal]

2 – Class 2: Ru-verb Conjugation

Ru-verb conjugation is similar to U-verb conjugation, but slightly different. Please pay attention to the suffix after the stem. 

• Dictionary form:  たべる・食べる (taberu) “to eat”
• Verb stem: たべ- (tabe-)  

The verb 食べる (taberu), meaning “to eat,” has the stem たべ (tabe) and the suffix る (ru). 

The suffix conjugates and changes as follows:

Form	Informal	Formal
Present	たべ-る tabe-ru	たべ-ます tabe-masu
Negative-present	たべ-ない tabe-nai	たべ-ません tabe-masen
Past	たべ-た tabe-ta	たべ-ました tabe-mashita
Negative-past	たべ-なかった tabe-nakatta	たべ-ませんでした tabe-masen deshita
Volitional	たべ-よう tabe-yō	たべ-ましょう tabe-mashō
Passive	たべ-られる tabe-rareru	たべ-られます tabe-raremasu
Causative	たべ-させる tabe-saseru	たべ-させます tabe-sasemasu
Conditional	たべ-れば tabe-reba
Imperative	たべ-ろ tabe-ro	たべ-なさい tabe-nasai

Example Sentences

• 彼女は肉を食べません。
  Kanojo wa niku o tabe-masen. 　
  “She does not eat meat.” [present / formal / polite]

• 私は子供達に野菜を食べさせます。
  Watashi wa kodomo-tachi ni yasai o tabe-sasemasu.   
  “I make my children eat vegetables.” [causative / formal]

• これを食べれば良くなるよ！
  Kore o tabe-reba yoku naru yo!　　
  “If you eat this, you’ll get better!” [conditional]

Watashi wa niku o tabe-masen. = “I don’t eat meat.”

4. Conjugation Patterns for Irregular Verbs 

Contrary to U-verbs and Ru-verbs, the two irregular verbs 来る (kuru), meaning “come,” and する (suru), meaning “do,” conjugate even the stems. These two irregular verbs are frequently used, so let’s simply memorize them!

1. 来る

• Dictionary form: くる・来る (kuru) “to come”
• Verb stem: く (ku-) /  こ (ko-) / き (ki-) 

Form	Informal	Formal
Present	く-る ku-ru	き-ます ki-masu
Negative-present	こ-ない ko-nai	き-ません ki-masen
Past	き-た ki-ta	き-ました ki-mashita
Negative-past	こ-なかった ko-nakatta	き-ませんでした ki-masen deshita
Volitional	こ-よう ko-yō	き-ましょう ki-mashō
Passive	こ-られる ko-rareru	こ-られます ko-raremasu
Causative	こ-させる ko-saseru	こ-させます ko-sasemasu
Conditional	く-れば ku-reba
Imperative	こ-い ko-i	き-なさい ki-nasai

Example Sentences

• 彼女は昨日学校に来なかった。
  Kanojo wa kinō gakkō ni ko-nakatta.
  “She did not come to school yesterday.” [past / informal]

• こちらへ来れば安全です。
  Kochira e ku-reba anzen desu. 
  “You will be safe if you come here.” [conditional]

• 今すぐここへ来なさい！
  Ima sugu koko e ki-nasai!　　
  “Come here right now!” [imperative / formal / polite]

2. する

• Dictionary form: する (suru) “to do”
• Verb stem: す (su-)  / し (shi-) / さ (sa-)

Form	Informal	Formal
Present	す-る su-ru	し-ます shi-masu
Negative-present	し-ない shi-nai	し-ません shi-masen
Past	し-た shi-ta	し-ました shi-mashita
Negative-past	し-なかった shi-nakatta	し-ませんでした shi-masen deshita
Volitional	し-よう shi-yō	し-ましょう shi-mashō
Passive	さ-れる sa-reru	さ-れます sa-remasu
Causative	さ-せる sa-seru	さ-せます sa-semasu
Conditional	す-れば su-reba
Imperative	し-ろ shi-ro	し-なさい shi-nasai

Example Sentences

• 彼はそんなことしません。
  Kare wa sonna koto shi-masen.
  “He does not do such things.” [present / formal / polite]

• 一緒に勉強しよう。
  Issho ni benkyō shi-yō.    
  “Let’s study together.” [volitional / informal]
    * benkyō + suru (studying + do = to study)

• 早くしなさい！
  Hayaku shi-nasai!　　
  “Do it quickly!” [imperative / formal / polite]

5. Let’s Practice! 

Now it’s time for a Japanese conjugation quiz to practice! 

Try to conjugate each verb in the ( ), following the instructions, and write your answer in the blank. Even if you don’t know, try to guess and check the answers below!

1. Write the verb in the past tense and informal form:
   
   Watashi wa kinō ringo o (taberu) ______ .
   (“I ate an apple yesterday.”)
   
   

2. Write the verb in the volitional and formal form:
   
   Watashi-tachi to issho ni  (hanasu) ______ .
   (“Let’s talk with us.”)
   
   

3. Write the verb in the negative-present and formal form:
   
   Kyō wa shiken no hi desu ga, dare mo (kuru) ______ .
   (“Although today is the exam day, nobody comes.”)
   
   

4. Write the verb in the imperative and formal form:
   
   Kanojo ni (shazai suru) ______!
   (“Apologize to her!”)
   
   

5. Write the verb in the volitional and formal/polite form: 
   
   Issho ni (iku) ______.
   (“Let’s go together.”)

Sushi o tabeyō! = “Let’s eat Sushi!”

Let’s check the answers!

1. The past tense and informal form of taberu is tabemashita.
   It’s the conjugation pattern of Class 2: Ru-verbs.
   
   Watashi wa kinō ringo o tabemashita.
   (“I ate an apple yesterday.”)
   
   

2. The volitional and formal form of hanasu is hanashimashō.
   It’s the conjugation pattern of Class 1: U-verbs.
   
   Watashi-tachi to issho ni hanashimashō.
   (“Let’s talk with us.”)
   
   

3. The negative-present and formal form of kuru is kimasen.
   It’s the conjugation pattern of the Class 3 irregular verb 来る (kuru), meaning “to come.”
   
   Kyō wa shiken no hi desu ga, dare mo kimasen.
   (“Although today is the exam day, nobody comes.”)
   
   

4. The imperative and formal form of shazai suru is shazai shinasai.
   It’s the conjugation pattern of the Class 3 irregular verb する (suru), meaning “to do.”
   * shazai (“apology”) + suru (“to do”) = “to apologize”
   
   Kanojo ni shazai shinasai!
   (“Apologize to her!”)
   
   

5. The volitional and formal/polite form of iku is ikimashō.
   It’s the conjugation pattern of Class 1: U-verbs.
   
   Issho ni ikimashō.
   (“Let’s go together.”)

6. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

In this article, we introduced you to Japanese verbs conjugation. Japanese verb conjugation has unique rules, but it’s simpler than you think. For example, you don’t have to worry about conjugating for person or number.

Once you master the conjugation patterns, you’ll be able to increase your verb vocabulary much easier!

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and other useful Japanese phrases by situation, you’ll find a lot more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons for you to help improve your Japanese language skills. To start, here’s some more information about the basics of Japanese with audio: 

• 50 Most Common Nouns
• 50 Most Common Verbs
• 50 Most Common Adjectives

To learn more about Japanese verbs and other grammar-related topics, check out Basic Kanji for Verbs and The 50 Most Common Japanese Verbs You’ll Find in Textbooks. How to Improve Your Speaking Skills and Must-Know Adverbs and Phrases for Connecting Thoughts are also useful if you want to brush up on your Japanese conversation skills.

And there’s so much more! Be a faster learner and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any Japanese verbs you still want to know! We’d be glad to help, and look forward to hearing from you! 

How many Japanese verbs do you know? When you know the 100 most common Japanese verbs and understand basic Japanese verb conjugation, you can express and understand Japanese much better!

Verbs are one of the most important parts of speech, and it’s said that verbs are the second most frequently used words (26%, next to nouns at 42%) among all other categories of words in daily Japanese conversations. 

It’s always a bit tiring to learn grammatical rules, such as the conjugation patterns of verbs. However, it’s easier than you think! Once you have the rules down and become used to using them, all you have to do is apply those rules to new Japanese verbs you learn.

Japanese verb conjugation has unique rules from those in English. But don’t worry! Some features are simpler—there’s no verb conjugation based on the speaker, such as singular vs. plural, gender, or the category of that person grammatically, called 人称 (ninshō). This means that in English, verbs change based on who’s speaking:

• I am
• She is
• You are

• I go
• He goes

However, Japanese verbs remain the same regardless of who the speaker is.
In this article, we’ll introduce the top 100 Japanese verbs for beginners, which are most frequently used. We’ll also give you some tips about Japanese verb conjugation, though we’ll have a more in-depth article on this topic later on. Let’s master Japanese verbs here at JapanesePod101!

Table of Contents

1. Verb Groups: Different Types of Japanese Verbs
2. Action Verbs: Physical
3. Action Verbs: Mental
4. Other Verbs
5. Japanese Auxiliary Verbs: 助動詞 (Jodōshi)
6. Verb Usage: How Japanese Verbs Work
7. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

1. Verb Groups: Different Types of Japanese Verbs

Japanese verbs always end with u or ru, and verbs are categorized into three groups: 

• Class 1: U-verb
• Class 2: Ru-verb
• Class 3: Irregular verb

As the conjugation system itself is very simple, memorizing the patterns and rules will help you learn how to use Japanese verbs properly.

Japanese verbs consist of two parts: a verb base (“stem”) and a suffix. A stem doesn’t change, and a suffix conjugates according to the forms. These forms include casual vs. polite and plain vs. negative.

Class 1: U-Verbs

書く (kaku)：write	Casual	Polite
Stem	kak
Basic Form	書-く kak-u	書-きます kak-imasu
Negative Form	書-かない kak-anai	書-きません kak-imasen

The verb 書く (kaku), meaning “write,” has the stem kak and the suffix u. As you can see from the Japanese verbs chart above, the suffix conjugates and changes according to the forms. 

However, you have to keep in mind that if a verb ends with u, it means that the last vowel is u. Therefore,  u-verbs can end with Hiragana:

• う(u)
• く (ku)
• す(su)
• つ (tsu)
• ぬ (nu)
• む (mu)
• る (ru) 

U-verb Examples

English	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
meet	au	会う	あう
learn	manabu	学ぶ	まなぶ
push	osu	押す	おす
pull	hiku	引く	ひく

Class 2: Ru-Verbs

出る (deru) ：come out	Casual	Polite
Stem	de
Basic Form	出-る de-ru	出-ます de-masu
Negative Form	出-ない de-nai	出-ません de-masen

The verb 出る (deru), meaning “come out,” has the stem de and the suffix ru. The suffix conjugates and changes as it did above. It’s similar to u-verbs, but slightly different.

Ru-verb Examples

English	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
teach	oshieru	教える	おしえる
exist (living things)	iru	いる	いる
sleep	neru	寝る	ねる
answer	kotaeru	答える	こたえる

Class 3: Irregular Verbs

Don’t worry too much! There are only two Japanese irregular verbs.

The stems of the verbs change according to the conjugating forms. There are only two verbs, so let’s memorize them!

• 来る (kuru)：come

来る (kuru) ：come	Casual	Polite
Stem	ku / ko / ki
Basic Form	来-る く-る ku-ru	来-ます き-ます ki-masu
Negative Form	来-ない こ-ない ko-nai	来-ません き-ません ki-masen

• する (suru)：do

する (suru) ：do	Casual	Polite
Stem	su / shi
Basic Form	す-る su-ru	し-ます shi-masu
Negative Form	し-ない shi-nai	し-ません shi-masen

The Japanese verb する (suru), meaning “do,” is a very handy word which can often turn a noun into a verb when it’s added next to the noun. 

For example:

• 勉強 (benkyō)   ＋　する (suru) 　= to study

studying                (do)  

• 参加 (sanka) 　＋　する (suru) 　= to participate

participation           (do)  

• 感謝 (kansha)   ＋　する (suru) 　= to thank/appreciate

  appreciation/gratitude      (do)  

Now that you have a better idea of how to conjugate different types of verbs, let’s move on to our Japanese verbs list! 

2. Action Verbs: Physical 

To start, here are the most common Japanese verbs of motion.

English	Japanese Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
see / look / watch	miru	見る	みる
hear / listen	kiku	聞く	きく
say	iu	言う	いう
walk	aruku	歩く	あるく
run	hashiru	走る	はしる
eat	taberu	食べる	たべる
drink	nomu	飲む	のむ
take	toru	取る	とる
use	tsukau	使う	つかう
move	ugoku	動く	うごく
hold / grab	tsukamu	掴む	つかむ
sit	suwaru	座る	すわる
stand	tatsu	立つ	たつ
wear	kiru	着る	きる
take off (clothes/shoes)	nugu	脱ぐ	ぬぐ
work	hataraku	働く	はたらく
wake up	okiru	起きる	おきる
go	iku	行く	いく
come	kuru	来る	くる
bend	mageru	曲げる	まげる
search	sagasu	探す	さがす
read	yomu	読む	よむ
play	asobu	遊ぶ	あそぶ
get on (vehicle)	noru	乗る	のる
get off (vehicle)	oriru	降りる	おりる
start	hajimeru	始める	はじめる
finish	oeru	終える	おえる
open	akeru	開ける	あける
close	shimeru	閉める	しめる
stop	tomeru	止める	とめる
put	oku	置く	おく
wait	matsu	待つ	まつ
rest	yasumu	休む	やすむ
learn	manabu	学ぶ	まなぶ
give	ataeru	与える	あたえる
visit	otozureru	訪れる	おとずれる
leave	saru	去る	さる
depart	shuppatsu suru	出発する	しゅっぱつする
arrive	tōchaku suru	到着する	とうちゃくする
sell	uru	売る	うる
buy	kau	買う	かう
live	ikiru	生きる	いきる
die	shinu	死ぬ	しぬ

3. Action Verbs: Mental 

These everyday Japanese verbs are essential for expressing actions that aren’t physical or immediately tangible. Take a look!

know	Japanese Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
know	shiru	知る	しる
think	kangaeru	考える	かんがえる
imagine	sōzō suru	想像する	そうぞうする
feel	kanjiru	感じる	かんじる
like	konomu	好む	このむ
dislike	kirau	嫌う	きらう
love	aisuru	愛する	あいする
hate	nikumu	憎む	にくむ
believe	shinjiru	信じる	しんじる
expect	kitai suru	期待する	きたいする
understand	rikai suru	理解する	りかいする
remember	omoidasu	思い出す	おもいだす
agree	dōi suru	同意する	どういする
laugh	warau	笑う	わらう
cry	naku	泣く	なく
get angry	okoru	怒る	おこる
feel sad	kanashimu	悲しむ	かなしむ
wish / hope	negau	願う	ねがう
get surprised	odoroku	驚く	おどろく
forget	wasureru	忘れる	わすれる
satisfy	manzoku suru	満足する	まんぞくする
doubt	utagau	疑う	うたがう
decide	kimeru	決める	きめる
notice	kizuku	気づく	きづく

To check your pronunciation of Japanese verbs with audio, see our page about the 25 Most Commonly Used Verbs.

4. Other Verbs 

You’re almost done! There are just a few more Japanese language verbs you should know.

English	Japanese Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
appear	arawareru	現れる	あらわれる
remain	kieru	消える	きえる
remain	nokoru	残る	のこる
return	kaeru	帰る	かえる
check	kakunin suru	確認する	かくにんする
increase	fueru	増える	ふえる
decrease	heru	減る	へる
carry	hakobu	運ぶ	はこぶ
get dry	kawaku	乾く	かわく
get wet	nureru	濡れる	ぬれる
wash	arau	洗う	あらう
get dirty	yogoreru	汚れる	よごれる
indicate	shimesu	示す	しめす
enjoy	tanoshimu	楽しむ	たのしむ
fall	ochiru	落ちる	おちる
win	katsu	勝つ	かつ
lose	makeru	負ける	まける
break	kowasu	壊す	こわす
fix	naosu	直す	なおす
cross	wataru	渡る	わたる
change	kawaru	変わる	かわる
send	okuru	送る	おくる
receive	uketoru	受け取る	うけとる

5. Japanese Auxiliary Verbs: 助動詞 (Jodōshi)

The Japanese 助動詞 (Jodōshi), which translates as “auxiliary verb,” is a functional type of word with some variations. By adding an auxiliary verb, the meaning of the preceding word will be modified. 

For example:

• 感じる (kanjiru) : “feel”   +   させる (saseru) [causative verb]

           = 感じさせる (kanjisaseru) : “make (you) feel”

• 食べる (taberu) : “eat”   +   られる (rareru) [ability]

           = 食べられる (taberareru) : edible

Here are some of the Japanese auxiliary verbs:

Japanese Reading	Hiragana	Usage / Meaning / Example
(sa)seru	(ら)れる	Causation 食べさせる  tabesaseru to make (one) eat
(ra) reru	(ら)れる	Passive / Ability, etc. 食べられる taberareru   edible / being eaten
nai / nu / n	(よ)う	Negation 食べない tabenai 　 (I do) not eat
yō	(よ)う	Volition 食べよう tabeyō 　 I will eat / Let’s eat
tai / tagaru	たい / たがる	Desire 食べたい tabetai  I want to eat
yō da	ようだ	Similarity 食べるようだ taberu yō da 　 it looks like (she/he) eats
sō da	そうだ	Hearsay 食べるそうだ taberu sō da  they say that (she/he) eats
rashii	らしい	Hearsay / Behavior 食べるらしい taberu rashii they say that (she/he) may eat
da / desu・masu	だ / です・ます	Predication / Politeness (copula) 食べます tabemasu　 (I) eat

6. Verb Usage: How Japanese Verbs Work

Japanese language verb conjugation patterns differ for u-verbs, ru-verbs, and irregular verbs. 

Because many frequently used Japanese words are in this category, let’s take a look at an example for u-verbs.

The conjugation pattern for the verb 書く (kaku), meaning “write,” is as follows:

Conjugation	Kanji	Usage / Meaning
kakAnai	書かない	Negative Form
kakImasu	書きます	Polite Form
kaIta	書いた	Ta- Form
kakU	書く	Dictionary Form
kakU toki	書くとき	Attributive Form
kakEba	書けば	Conditional Form
kakE	書け	Imperative Form
kakO	書こう	Suggestion Form (“Let’s-“)

For more detail on the grammar of Japanese verbs and other conjugation patterns, please visit Verb Conjugation.

We also have other articles you may like to check out: Top 100 Japanese Adjectives, Top 100 Japanese Nouns, and Japanese Pronouns.

7. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

In this article, we introduced the most common Japanese verbs and explained the basics of Japanese verb conjugation. Once you know the conjugation patterns, you’ll be able to more quickly expand your Japanese verbs vocabulary and take better command of the language.

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and other useful Japanese phrases for a variety of situations, you’ll find a lot of helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide an array of free lessons for you to improve your Japanese language skills. To get you started, here’s some more information on Japanese basics with audio: 

• 50 Most Common Nouns
• 50 Most Common Verbs
• 50 Most Common Adjectives

To learn how to converse with others in Japanese, check out Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations and Top 10 Conversational Phrases. If you want to learn Japanese kanji, you’ll also enjoy Basic Kanji for Verbs and Basic Kanji for Adjectives.

And there’s so much more! Learn faster and enjoy studying Japanese at JapanesePod101.com!

Before you go, let us know in the comments if there are any Japanese verbs you still want to know! We’d be glad to help, and look forward to hearing from you!

Pronouns are used to substitute nouns, such as people or things, in a sentence. Using pronouns allows you to avoid repetitive usage of a particular word in a sentence, which would sound awkward. Japanese pronouns are very different from those in English because Japanese pronouns can be omitted from a sentence when they’re implied through the context.

Unlike in English, there are many different variations of Japanese personal pronouns that translate as “I/me” and “you,” although only a few are commonly used. This expression of Japanese pronouns comes from Japanese culture, which puts importance on respect, seniority, and social order. 

Each Japanese pronoun variation denotes the different characteristics of the speaker. These include gender, age, social status, level of respect, and their relationship with the person they’re speaking to.
Ready to learn Japanese pronouns? In this Japanese pronoun guide, we introduce Japanese pronouns that will boost your language skills, and teach you how to use them. JapanesePod101 makes it simple and easy to understand!

Table of Contents

1. Japanese Personal Pronouns
2. Japanese Demonstrative Pronouns
3. Japanese Interrogative Pronouns
4. Japanese Indefinite Pronouns
5. Examples
6. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

1. Japanese Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Japanese are rich in expression, and there are dozens of first- and second-person pronouns. However, most of them aren’t commonly used so we’ll introduce frequently used Japanese personal pronouns here.

1. 1st, 2nd, 3rd Person Singular

1. How to Say “I”

Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	Level of Formality	Gender	Characteristics
watakushi	私	わたくし	very formal	both	Very formal and polite personal pronoun often used in very official occasions.
watashi	私	わたし	formal / informal	both	Used by both genders in formal occasions, such as at the workplace. This is the most commonly used word for “I,” but it’s often omitted in a sentence. In informal situations, this is typically used by women.
atashi	ー	あたし	informal	female	This is the casual version of watashi and it’s used by younger females in conversations. However, it can sound a bit childish and unsophisticated.
boku	僕	ぼく	informal	male	Used by males of all ages, but very often by kids and younger men. It gives an impression of  humbleness. This can also be used as a second-person pronoun toward little boys (English equivalent: “kid”).
ore	俺	おれ	very informal	male	Frequently used by men in informal settings, such as among family and friends. It sounds very masculine. This can be very rude when it’s used in formal occasions or in front of respectable/senior people.

2. How to Say “You”

Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	Level of Formality	Gender	Characteristics
anata	貴方	あなた	formal / informal	both	This is almost equivalent to the English word “you.” However, it’s not often used as the subject in a sentence, and it’s often omitted. It’s more common to use a person’s name with a Japanese honorific, such as 様 (sama) or さん (san), to express “you” in formal contexts. In addition, wives often call their husbands by this Japanese pronoun. When used this way, it’s comparable to the English words “dear” or “darling.” Kanji is rarely used.
kimi	君	きみ	informal	both	Often used to call subordinates and peers in informal settings. It can also be affectionate and polite when used by a boyfriend/husband to call his girlfriend/wife. It’s impolite and inappropriate when used with respectable/senior people or strangers. The Kanji 君 can also be read as kun when it’s added next to a male’s name as a casual and affectionate honorific word.
omae	お前	おまえ	very informal	both / male	Often used by men. It expresses that the speaker has a superior status or age, and it’s very rude to use this toward senior people and in formal settings. It’s also used among close friends to call peers. In addition, husbands frequently call their wives by this pronoun, which is comparable to the female use of anata.
anta	ー	あんた	very informal	both	It’s a short version of anata, but it sounds very impolite and implies a sense of contempt. It can also be used between people in a very close relationship. It’s very rude and inappropriate to use toward  senior people and in formal settings.
kisama	貴様	きさま	very rude and hostile	both	The historical origin of this word was very formal, but it’s used today as a very rude way to call another person. It has a sense of extreme hostility from the speaker. You’ll often hear this in  時代劇 (jidaigeki) (samurai warrior) drama shows.

3. How to Say “He” and “She”

Does Japanese have gendered pronouns? Sort of. Here’s what we mean:

Reading	Kanji	Hiragana	Level of Formality
kare	彼	かれ	formal / informal
kanojo	彼女	かのじょ	formal / informal

The Japanese pronouns for the third person are above. However, they’re not used like they are in English.

Native Japanese people prefer to use the person’s name, or to describe them as あの人 (ano hito), meaning “that person,” which makes it unnecessary to indicate gender.

In informal settings, 彼 (kare) means “boyfriend” and 彼女 (kanojo) means “girlfriend.”

2. 1st, 2nd, 3rd Person Plural

In order to make Japanese personal pronouns plural, a suffix is added to them.
The suffix can be ～達 (-tachi ), ～方 (-gata), or ～ら (-ra), depending on which word comes in front.

Meaning	Suffix	Reading	Level of Formality
We	-tachi	watashi-tachi	neutral / formal
You [plural]	-tachi	anata-tachi	neutral / formal
You [plural]	-gata	anata-gata	formal
They [he, plural]	-ra	kare-ra	neutral / formal
They [she, plural]	-ra	kanojo-ra	neutral / formal

The suffix 達 (-tachi) can be added to most of the nouns that refer to people and animals. For example, 動物達(dōbutsu-tachi) means “animals.”

3. Possessive Forms

To make Japanese possessive pronouns, add the suffix の (〜no) to the pronouns.

Meaning	Reading
mine	watashi no
yours	anata no
his	kare no
hers	kanojo no
ours	watashi-tachi no
theirs	kare-ra no

4. Reflective or Intensive Forms

To make Japanese reflexive pronouns or intensive forms, add the suffix 自身 (〜jishin) to the pronouns.

Meaning	Reading
myself	watashi jishin
yourself	anata jishin
himself	kare jishin
herself	kanojo jishin
ourselves	watashi-tachi jishin
themselves	kare-ra jishin

To hear how to pronounce Japanese pronouns, visit Most Useful Pronouns.

2. Japanese Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Japanese are typically written in Hiragana. Further, Japanese demonstrative pronouns are easy to remember as they’re categorized in groups depending on their degree of distance from the speaker or listener.

Words that:

• begin with こ (ko-) indicate something close to the speaker. 
• begin with そ (so-) indicate some distance from the speaker or something close to the listener.
• begin with あ (a-) indicate far distance.

Meaning	Reading	Hiragana	Notes
this	kore	これ	near speaker
it	sore	それ	near listener
that	are	あれ	distant from both speaker and listener
these	kore-ra	これら	near speaker
those	sore-ra / are-ra	それら/ あれら	near listener / distant from both speaker and listener
here	koko	ここ	near speaker
there	soko	そこ	near listener
over there	asoko	あそこ	distant from both speaker and listener

3. Japanese Interrogative Pronouns

Similar to demonstrative pronouns, most of the Japanese interrogative pronouns begin with ど (do-) or だ (da-).

Meaning	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
what	nani	何	なに
which	dono / dore	ー	どの/どれ
who	dare	誰	だれ
whom	dare ni	誰に	誰に
whose	dare no	誰の	だれの
when	itsu	ー	いつ
why	naze	ー	なぜ

Keep in mind that “whose” is a possessive form of “who,” and the rules of the Japanese possessive forms also apply:

誰 (dare) meaning “who” + の (〜no) = 誰の (dare no) meaning “whose.”

4. Japanese Indefinite Pronouns

In the Japanese language, “everyone/everybody” and “anyone/anybody” are both translated as 誰でも (dare demo) in some contexts.

In a negative sentence using indefinite pronouns such as “no one/nobody,” “nowhere,” and “nothing,” a negative form is typically: も…ない (...mo…nai …).

Meaning	Reading	Kanji	Hiragana
everyone / everybody	minna / dare demo	皆/誰でも	みんな/だれでも
everywhere	doko demo / doko ni mo	ー	どこでも/どこにも
everything	subete / zenbu	全て/全部	すべて/ぜんぶ
someone / somebody	dare ka	誰か	だれか
somewhere	doko ka	ー	どこか
something	nani ka	何か	なにか
no one / nobody	dare mo…nai	誰も…ない	だれも…ない
nowhere	doko ni mo…nai	ー	どこにも…ない
nothing	nani mo…nai	何も…ない	なにも…ない
anyone / anybody	dare demo	誰でも	だれでも
anywhere	doko demo / doko ni mo	ー	どこでも/どこにも
anything	nan demo	何でも	なんでも

5. Examples

Now that we’ve come to the end of this Japanese pronouns list, here are some example sentences using Japanese pronouns.

1. Personal Pronouns

• あなたと私は東京出身で、彼と彼女は大阪出身です。

Anata to watashi wa Tōkyō shusshin de, kare to kanojo wa Ōsaka shusshin desu. 

You and I are from Tokyo, and he and she are from Osaka.

• 年上の人に向かって「お前」や「貴様」と呼ぶことはとても失礼です。

Toshiue no hito ni mukatte “omae” ya “kisama” to yobu koto wa totemo shitsurei desu.

It is very rude to call an elder person omae and kisama.

• 私達は明日、君の誕生日会へ行きます。

Watashi-tachi wa ashita, kimi no tanjōbi kai e ikimasu.

We will go to your birthday party tomorrow.

2. Demonstrative Pronouns

• それをここに持ってきてください。

Sore o koko ni motte kite kudasai. 

Please bring it here.

• これらの本はあそこの棚へ戻してください。

Kore-ra no hon wa asoko no tana e modoshite kudasai. 

Please put these books back on the shelf over there.

• 彼らはここからあなたの家へ出発しました。

Kare-ra wa koko kara anata no ie e shuppatsu shimashita.

They departed to your home from here.

3. Interrogative Pronouns

• 私はなぜあそこに行かなければならないか分かりません。

Watashi wa naze aoko ni ikanakereba naranai ka wakarimasen. 

I don’t understand why I have to go there.

• 誰に向かって話しているのですか。

Dare ni mukatte hanashite iru no desu ka.

To whom are you talking?

• あそこのあの靴は誰のですか。

Asoko no ano kutsu wa dare no desu ka.

Whose shoes are those there?

4. Indefinite Pronouns

• 彼女はどこかに全てを置いてきました。

Kanojo wa doko ka ni subete o oite kimashita. 

She left everything somewhere.

• 誰もあのような変な服を持っていないでしょう。

Dare mo ano yō na hen na fuku o motte inai deshō.

No one would have strange clothes like that.

• 誰かが彼にここで何でも食べていいと伝えました。

Dare ka ga kare ni koko de nan demo tabete ii to tsutaemashita.

Somebody told him that he could eat anything here.

 To learn more useful Japanese vocabulary, check out our 100 Adjectives and 100 Nouns articles.

6. Conclusion: How JapanesePod101 Can Help You Learn More Japanese

In this article, we introduced you to a variety of common pronouns in Japanese. By now, you should have an enhanced vocabulary and have a better idea of how to use Japanese pronouns. This is something that will definitely improve your overall Japanese language skills! 

Did you learn something new from this article? Do you want to know more about Japanese grammar? Let us know in the comments section below!

If you would like to learn more about the Japanese language and other useful Japanese phrases for any situation, you’ll find more helpful content on JapanesePod101.com. We provide a variety of free lessons to help you improve your Japanese language skills. 

To get you started, here’s some more information about the basics of Japanese, with audio:

• 50 Most Common Nouns,
• 50 Most Common Verbs
• 50 Most Common Adjectives

To learn how to converse in Japanese, check out Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations and Top 10 Conversational Phrases. Basic Kanji for Verbs and Basic Kanji for Adjectives are also useful if you want to learn Japanese kanji.

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