Looking to dip your toes into the world of language? Get ready to unravel the charm of “simple Japanese words to read”! Imagine the thrill of effortlessly saying “Hello” with a confident “Konnichiwa” or adding a touch of magic with “Arigatou” (thank you). Join us as we embark on a playful journey to master these delightful and uncomplicated Japanese staple words and phrases. Let’s dive in and discover the joy of language in its simplest form!
Why Start With Basics?
Just like building a house, language learning starts with a strong foundation. Think of these basic Japanese words as the cornerstone of your linguistic adventure. By mastering these simple gems, you’ll not only make communication a breeze but also set the stage for more advanced language exploration.
Hello, Simplicity!
Picture yourself confidently uttering “Konnichiwa” (hello) to a friendly passerby, or thanking a local vendor with a heartfelt “Arigatou” (thank you). These small acts of connection not only bridge cultural gaps but also create lasting memories that enrich your travel experiences.
Are you ready to infuse your travels with a touch of magic and connect with the heart of Japan? Let’s begin!

Simple Japanese Words To Read
Let us begin by tackling the very basic Japanese words that we can read and use with a tone that is gleaming with politeness! Here it is—refer to the words in the table below.
English | Japanese | Pronunciation | Sound |
Goodbye | さようなら | Sayonara | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]さようなら[/Speechword] |
Thank you | ありがとう | Arigatou | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]ありがとう[/Speechword] |
Yes | はい | Hai | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]はい[/Speechword] |
No | いいえ | Iie | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]いいえ[/Speechword] |
Please | お願いします | Onegaishimasu | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]お願いします[/Speechword] |
Excuse me | すみません | Sumimasen | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]すみません[/Speechword] |
Sorry | ごめんなさい | Gomen nasai | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]ごめんなさい[/Speechword] |
My name is | 私の名前は | Watashi no namae wa | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]私の名前は[/Speechword] |
How much? | いくらですか | Ikuradesuka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]いくらですか[/Speechword] |
Food | 食べ物 | Tabemono | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]食べ物[/Speechword] |
Water | 水 | Mizu | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]水[/Speechword] |
Bathroom | トイレ | Toire | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]トイレ[/Speechword] |
Help | 助けて | Tasukete | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]助けて[/Speechword] |
I don’t understand | わかりません | Wakarimasen | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]わかりません[/Speechword] |
In itself, you can use these words for some situations. Still, we will delve into more fun and common Japanese phrases!
Basic Japanese Words
Speak Japanese with these common phrases that can be heard on a daily basis! Memorizing these would expand your Japanese vocabulary a lot!
English | Japanese | Pronunciation | Sound |
Good night | おやすみなさい | Oyasuminasai | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]おやすみなさい[/Speechword] |
Excuse me | すみません | Sumimasen | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]すみません[/Speechword] |
Good | 良い | Yoi | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]良い[/Speechword] |
Bad | 悪い | Warui | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]悪い[/Speechword] |
Delicious | おいしい | Oishii | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]おいしい[/Speechword] |
Water | 水 | Mizu | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]水[/Speechword] |
Food | 食べ物 | Tabemono | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]食べ物[/Speechword] |
Money | お金 | Okane | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]お金[/Speechword] |
Time | 時間 | Jikan | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]時間[/Speechword] |
Today | 今日 | Kyou | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]今日[/Speechword] |
Tomorrow | 明日 | Ashita | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]明日[/Speechword] |
Friend | 友達 | Tomodachi | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]友達[/Speechword] |
Differing Meaning Of Japanese Words
Some of these words have different appropriate situations in which to be said. For example, the word ‘delicious’ can be spoken in different forms, each having its own level of formality and degree of meaning. “おいしい” (oishii) is the most used Japanese word to express delicious. However, as we can often hear, especially in anime, the word “うまい” (umai) has the same meaning but is mainly spoken around friends and family, giving it a more casual tone. You can learn more about this here on Ling!

Basic Japanese Greetings
How about greetings—the first thing we can say with confidence to a Japanese native! These words are widely accepted and would not sound rude in any way. Here is the list of common Japanese phrases for greeting!
English | Japanese | Pronunciation | Sound |
Hello | こんにちは | Konnichiwa | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]こんにちは[/Speechword] |
How are you? | お元気ですか | Ogenki desu ka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]お元気ですか[/Speechword] |
Good morning | おはよう | Ohayou | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]おはよう[/Speechword] |
Good night | おやすみなさい | Oyasuminasai | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]おやすみなさい[/Speechword] |
Good evening | こんばんは | Konbanwa | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]こんばんは[/Speechword] |
Nice to meet you | 初めまして | Hajimemashite | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]初めまして[/Speechword] |
Good luck | がんばって | Ganbatte | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]がんばって[/Speechword] |
Have a good day | 良い一日を | Ii ichinichi o | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]良い一日を[/Speechword] |
Have a good trip | いってらっしゃい | Itterasshai | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]いってらっしゃい[/Speechword] |
Take care | お大事に | Daiji ni | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]お大事に[/Speechword] |
Bless you | いいねえ | Iinee | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]いいねえ[/Speechword] |
These are the phrases that you can speak to express your greetings. Don’t forget to partner them with your beautiful smile, okay?

More Basic Japanese Phrases
How about the most basic phrases that we can say without breaking a sweat? Try these phrases with your Japanese peeps or whenever you explore Japan!
English | Japanese | Pronunciation | Sound |
What’s your name? | お名前は何ですか | Onamae wa nan desu ka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]お名前は何ですか[/Speechword] |
How much is this? | これはいくらですか | Kore wa ikura desu ka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]これはいくらですか[/Speechword] |
I don’t understand. | わかりません | Wakarimasen | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]わかりません[/Speechword] |
Where is…? | …はどこですか | … wa doko desu ka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]はどこですか[/Speechword] |
Can you help me? | 手伝ってもらえますか | Tetsudatte moraemasu ka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]手伝ってもらえますか[/Speechword] |
Exciting! | ワクワク! | Wakuwaku! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]ワクワク[/Speechword] |
I’m hungry. | お腹がすきました | Onaka ga sukimashita | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]お腹がすきました[/Speechword] |
I’m tired. | 疲れました | Tsukaremashita | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]疲れました[/Speechword] |
What time is it? | 今何時ですか | Ima nanji desu ka | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]今何時ですか[/Speechword] |
I’m from… | …から来ました | … kara kimashita | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]から来ました[/Speechword] |
I like… | …が好きです | … ga suki desu | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]が好きです[/Speechword] |
I don’t like… | …が嫌いです | … ga kirai desu | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]が嫌いです[/Speechword] |
Can you speak English? | 英語を話せますか | Eigo o hanasemasu ka? | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]英語を話せますか[/Speechword] |

Bonus: Cool Japanese Phrases
Learning Japanese should not sound boring. So, increase your Japanese vocabulary using these cool phrases while sounding like a hippy Japanese high schooler at the same time!
English | Japanese | Pronunciation | Sound |
Awesome! | すごい! | Sugoi! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]すごい[/Speechword] |
Cool! | カッコいい! | Kakkoii! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]カッコいい[/Speechword] |
No problem! | 問題ない! | Mondai nai! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]問題ない[/Speechword] |
I got this! | 任せて! | Makasete! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]任せて[/Speechword] |
Let’s do it! | やろうぜ! | Yarouze! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]やろうぜ[/Speechword] |
It’s all good! | 大丈夫だよ! | Daijoubu da yo! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]大丈夫だよ[/Speechword] |
Chill out! | リラックスしろ! | Rirakkusu shiro! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]リラックスしろ[/Speechword] |
That’s rad! | それは素晴らしい! | Sore wa subarashii! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]それは素晴らしい[/Speechword] |
Rock on! | 頑張って! | Ganbatte! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]頑張って[/Speechword] |
Mind-blowing! | 驚きだ! | Odoroki da! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]驚きだ[/Speechword] |
You’re the best! | 君は最高だ! | Kimi wa saikou da! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]君は最高だ[/Speechword] |
Let’s roll! | 行こうぜ! | Ikouze! | [Speechword voice=”Japanese Female” isinline]行こうぜ[/Speechword] |

Learn Japanese With These Tips!
The Japanese language is filled with many wondrous things! The Japanese culture is riddled with art and complexity. These tips will definitely help kick-start your journey of speaking Japanese!
Anime All The Way
Embrace your inner otaku and watch anime in Japanese! Subtitles will be your trusty sidekick, helping you associate spoken words with their meanings. It’s like language learning and entertainment rolled into one awesome package!
Karaoke Confidence
Grab a mic and sing your heart out at Japanese karaoke joints. You’ll learn new words, improve your pronunciation, and might even discover your hidden rockstar identity. Don’t worry if you hit a few wrong notes—language learning is all about the journey, after all!
Enhance Your Japanese With Ling!
Start an enchanting linguistic adventure with Ling and master the art of Japanese effortlessly. Ling’s interactive lessons, real-life scenarios, and personalized progress tracking transform learning into a joyful exploration. Whether you’re drawn to the allure of Japanese culture or planning a visit to Tokyo, let Ling be your guide to unlocking the beauty and intricacies of the Japanese language. Begin your journey today and watch your language skills blossom like cherry blossoms in spring by downloading Ling on Play Store or App Store!