Arriving in Tokyo without much Japanese can feel daunting, but you genuinely don't need much to get through your first week. Tokyo is set up for people who are still learning: station signs are bilingual, many ticket machines switch to English, and a small handful of polite phrases will carry you a surprisingly long way. The goal here isn't fluency, it's confidence. Learn the dozen-or-so phrases below and you'll be able to greet people, get attention politely, shop, order food, and find your train.
Each phrase below is written three ways: the English meaning, the romaji (how to say it using the Latin alphabet), and the kana (how it's written in Japanese, which is handy if you ever need to show it on a screen). Don't worry about perfect pronunciation. Japanese is read fairly evenly, syllable by syllable, and people will understand your effort and appreciate it.
Greetings and the polite basics
- Hello / Good afternoon — Konnichiwa (こんにちは)
- Good morning — Ohayou gozaimasu (おはようございます)
- Good evening — Konbanwa (こんばんは)
- Thank you — Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます)
- Yes — Hai (はい) / No — Iie (いいえ)
- Please (when offering or requesting) — Onegaishimasu (おねがいします)
The one word that does everything: sumimasen
- Excuse me / Sorry / Thank you (for help) — Sumimasen (すみません)
- Use it to get a server's or clerk's attention, to squeeze past someone, or to apologise for a small bump. It's the most useful word you'll learn.
- Do you speak English? — Eigo o hanasemasu ka? (えいごを はなせますか?)
- I don't understand / I don't speak Japanese — Wakarimasen (わかりません) / Nihongo ga wakarimasen (にほんごが わかりません)
- Could you say that once more? — Mou ichido onegaishimasu (もういちど おねがいします)
Numbers, shops, restaurants, and stations
- Numbers 1–5 — ichi, ni, san, yon, go (いち・に・さん・よん・ご)
- How much is it? — Ikura desu ka? (いくらですか?)
- Can I pay by card? — Kaado de ii desu ka? (カードで いいですか?)
- This one, please (while pointing) — Kore o kudasai (これを ください)
- Where is ___ ? — ___ wa doko desu ka? (___は どこですか?)
- Where is the station / toilet? — Eki / Toire wa doko desu ka? (えき/トイレは どこですか?)
- Check, please (restaurant) — O-kaikei onegaishimasu (おかいけい おねがいします)
If you only memorise two things this week, make them sumimasen (すみません) and arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます). One opens almost any interaction politely, the other closes it warmly — together they cover the vast majority of everyday moments in Tokyo.
- Don't worry about pitch or accent — speaking slowly and clearly matters far more than sounding native.
- When stuck, point and add kudasai (ください, 'please') or sumimasen — pointing at a menu or sign is completely normal here.
- Saying 'arigatou' alone can sound a little blunt; the fuller arigatou gozaimasu is safer with staff and strangers.
- A translation app is your friend for anything complex. Show the Japanese text on screen rather than trying to pronounce a long sentence.
- Convenience-store and station staff hear these phrases all day — they won't expect perfection, so just go for it.
- Do I really need any Japanese to live in Tokyo?
- Not to survive your first week. Signs and machines often have English, and the phrases above cover shops, food, and trains. But even a little Japanese makes daily life smoother and is warmly received, so it's worth picking up more over time.
- Is it rude to ask if someone speaks English?
- Not at all, as long as you open politely. Lead with 'Sumimasen' to get attention, then 'Eigo o hanasemasu ka?' Many people in central Tokyo understand some English, and asking nicely is always fine.
- How should I pronounce these — is it hard?
- Japanese is pronounced quite evenly, one syllable at a time, with no heavy stress. Read the romaji slowly and you'll be understood. Listening apps and the official resources below let you hear native audio to copy.
