50+ Simple Japanese Words To Read: Start Your Language Journey!

simple Japanese words to read japanese flag

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 ling app

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.

EnglishJapanesePronunciationSound
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]
WaterMizu[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!

EnglishJapanesePronunciationSound
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 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!

Simple Japanese Words To Read ling app

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!

EnglishJapanesePronunciationSound
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?

Simple Japanese Words To Read ling app

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!

EnglishJapanesePronunciationSound
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]
Simple Japanese Words To Read ling app

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!

EnglishJapanesePronunciationSound
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]
Simple Japanese Words To Read ling app

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!

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