Please wait a second.
はい。
Hai.
OK.
————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————
In casual circumstances, only “chotto matte
“Hai はい” means many things and is used quite liberally. It means “yes,” “I understand,” “OK,” or simply acknowledges that the listener is listening to the speaker, like we might nod “uh huh,” “yeah,” etc. when listening to someone.
すみません。
Sumimasen.
ごめんなさい。
Gomennasai.
I’m sorry.
Daijōbu desu.
It’s OK.
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. A Japanese expression signifying that it’s best not to stand out.
Daijōbu desu ka?
Are you OK? (Is everything OK?)
Daijōbu desu.
Mondai arimasen.
No problem. (Everything is fine.)
————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————
“Arimasen ありません” is a polite way to negate a sentence. In this case, “mondai 問 題” means “problem,” and “arimasen ありません” means “there isn’t any.”
In casual speech, “ja nai じゃない” negates the sentence.
ありがとう（ございます）。
Arigatō (gozaimasu).
Thank you (very much).
Iie, daijōbu desu.
Don’t mention it.
いいですよ。
Ii desu yo.
Don’t worry about it.
いいえ。
Iie.
Never mind.
————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————
Adding “gozaimasu ございます” to the end of a sentence makes it more polite.
The direct translation for “You’re welcome” is “Dō itashimashite どういたしまして,” but in Japan, it is more common to answer with one of the above phrases. You’re not expected to say this to people in the service industry, such as at a restaurant.
もうどのくらいここにいるんですか。
Mō dono kurai koko ni irun desu ka?
How long have you been here?
Is-shūkan desu.
I’ve been here one week.
————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————
The subject pronoun, for example “you,” “he,” “she,” “I,” is regularly left out of sentences if it is understood.
The “n-desu んです” ending generally is added to imply that an explanation is being made, or asked for.
これからどのくらいここにいるんですか。
Kore kara dono kurai koko ni irun desu ka?
How long will you be here?
Ni-ka-getsu desu.
I’ll be here two months.
————————— LANGUAGE NOTE —————————
“Dono kurai どのくらい” means “how long?”
“Kore これ” means “this.”
“Kara から” means “from.”
“Koko ここ” means “here.”
“Ni に” means “in/at.”
“Iru(n) いるん” means “to be.”
“Desu です” means “is.”
“Ka か” means “?”
すごいですね。
Sugoi desu ne.
That’s great!
すばらしい。
Subarashii.
Excellent!
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
The informal term for foreigner is “gaijin” (“outside person”). Sometimes, foreigners take offense when Japanese use this term (in particular if they laugh at the same time). Another, more polite term is “gaikokujin” or “international person.”
○○ ni wa, ryokō / oshigoto desu ka?
Are you in [place name] for pleasure / business?
Ryokō / Shigoto desu.
I’m traveling / working.
————————— CULTURAL NOTE —————————
It would sound a little odd to a Japanese to ask: “What are you doing here?” Instead, they will almost always ask if you’re on business or traveling. The first part of the sentence would be the city, the country or “here.” “Ryokō
