0.1.1 Common Greetings

Question 1

Translate to Japanese:

Hello!

Answer 1

こんにちは

konnichiwa

hello / good afternoon = konnichiwa (こんにちは)

The “hello” we use changes depending on the time of day.

This greeting is usually used from around lunch time to dusk.

Question 2

Translate to Japanese:

Goodbye

Answer 2

さようなら

sayounara

sayounara (さようなら) is often used when you won’t see someone for awhile.

Question 3

Translate to Japanese:

Bye! / See ya!

(casual)

Answer 3

またね

matane

[See you] again, right/yeah? = matane (またね)

again = mata (また)

ne (ね) is used to request agreement at the end of a sentence.

Question 4

Translate to Japanese:

Good morning

(casual)

Answer 4

おはよう

ohayou

good morning / hello = ohayou (おはよう)

It is used from the early morning hours until lunchtime.

Question 5

Translate to Japanese:

Good morning

(formal)

Answer 5

おはようございます

Ohayou gozaimasu

to be (honorific) = gozaimasu (ございます)

gozaimasu (ございます) is used to make some greetings, like this one, more formal.

Question 6

Translate to Japanese:

Good evening

Answer 6

こんばんは

konbanwa

This greeting replaces konnichiwa (こんにちは) when the sun begins to set.

Question 7

Translate to Japanese:

Yes

Answer 7

はい

hai

hai (はい) is also used for many other purposes.

While it’s often used as “yes”, it can also mean “OK” or “I understand”, or is used simply to express agreement or interest.

Question 8

Translate to Japanese:

No

Answer 8

いいえ

iie

Question 9

Translate to Japanese:

Japanese

Answer 9

にほんご

nihongo

To talk about most languages in Japanese, you typically use the country’s name + go (ご), meaning “language”.

nihongo (にほんご) simply means “Japan language”.

Question 10

Translate to Japanese:

English

Answer 10

えいご

eigo

The ei (えい) that is used here indicates “the U.K. / Great Britain”.

Question 11

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 11

こんばんは

konbanwa

Translation:

“Good evening!”

Question 12

Translate to Japanese:

I speak English.

Answer 12

えいごをはなします。

Eigo o hanashimasu.

to speak = hanashimasu (はなします)

Note that in Japanese, we don’t need to mention the subject/pronoun “I”, since it is usually understood in context.

Rather, we use the grammar particle wo (を) (pronounced and read as o) to mark the object in the sentence, which in this case is “English”.

Japanese uses a subject-object-verb (S-O-V) sentence structure.

Therefore, a literal translation of this sentence is “(I) English speak.”

Question 13

Translate to Japanese:

Do you speak English?

Answer 13

えいごをはなしますか。

Eigo o hanashimasu ka

A sentence ending with ka (か) creates a question in polite Japanese.

A question mark (?), as seen in English, can also be used when asking questions in casual conversation, and is typically accompanied with rising voice intonation.

Word order stays the same in statements and questions.

Question 14

Translate to Japanese:

I don’t speak Japanese.

Answer 14

にほんごをはなしません。

Nihongo o hanashimasen.

A formal verb ending with -masen (ません) creates the negative form of the verb.

Question 15

Translate to Japanese:

Thanks.

(casual)

Answer 15

ありがとう

arigatou

Question 16

Translate to Japanese:

Thank you!

(formal)

Answer 16

ありがとうございます。

Arigatou gozaimasu.

This is an instance where gozaimasu (ございます) can add formality and make your “thank you” more polite.

Question 17

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 17

• Man: えいごをはなしますか。(Eigo o hanashimasu ka.)
• Woman: いいえ、えいごをはなしません。(Iie, eigo o hanashimasen.)

Translation:

Man: Do you speak English?

Woman: No, I don’t speak English.

Question 18

Translate to Japanese:

Good night!

(casual)

Answer 18

おやすみ

oyasumi

Question 19

Translate to Japanese:

Good night!

(formal)

Answer 19

おやすみなさい

oyasumi nasai

The -nasai (なさい) ending indicates a gentle request or command.

This phrase comes from combining the honorific o (お), yasumi (やすみ), the polite way to say “rest”, and a gentle instruction with nasai (なさい).

Question 20

Translate to Japanese:

See you later!

(casual)

Answer 20

じゃあ、また！

Jaa, mata!

well… / so… = jaa (じゃあ)

again = mata (また)

jaa, mata (じゃあ、また) means “well, (let’s see each other) again”.

Question 21

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 21

• Man: じゃあ、また！(Jaa, mata!)
• Woman: またね！(Matane!)

Translation:

Man: Well, see you!

Woman: See you!

Question 22

Translate to Japanese:

What’s your name?

(casual)

Answer 22

おなまえは？

Onamae wa?

name = namae (なまえ)

Even in casual conversation, the honorific o (お) is added before namae (なまえ) for a touch of politeness.

This casual question leaves out all vocabulary words other than a grammar particle, the topic marker wa (は). The speaker’s rising intonation will indicate a question without the need for ka (か).

Question 23

Translate to Japanese:

I’m Sam.

(casual)

Answer 23

サムです。

Samu desu.

to be = desu (です)

In Japanese, verbs are not conjugated based on the subject. Therefore, desu (です) serves as “am”, “are”, and “is”.

Note: desu (です) is a verb and therefore always comes at the end of a sentence.

Question 24

Translate to Japanese:

What’s your name?

(formal)

Answer 24

おなまえはなんですか。

Onamae wa nan desu ka.

what = nan (なん)

Because of the Subject-Object-Verb (S-O-V) sentence structure of Japanese, a direct translation would read as “Your name what is?”.

Note the honorific o (お) at the beginning of namae (なまえ), which adds politeness when referring to someone else’s name.

Question 25

# Translate to Japanese: Hello, _my name is_ Sam. | (formal)

Answer 25

こんにちは、サムと申します。 Samu _to moushimasu_. | Konnichiwa, ## Footnote to be called (a name) = *moushimasu* (もうします) Note: *moushimasu* (もうします) is a polite/humble verb, used in business contexts or when speaking to someone higher in social status. *to* (と) has many grammatical functions in Japanese. In this context, it is used before verbs such as "to be called" to mark the name or words being said.

Question 26

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 26

- **Man**: おなまえはなんですか。(Onamae wa nan desu ka.) - **Woman**: ようこです。(Youko desu.) ## Footnote _Translation:_ Man: What's your name? Woman: I'm Yoko. / My name is Yoko.

Question 27

# Translate to Japanese: How are you?

Answer 27

おげんきですか。 | _Ogenki_ desu ka. ## Footnote healthy / well = *genki* (げんき) The first sound here, *o* (お), is used with some nouns to add politeness when addressing someone else. It is added to the beginning of the word. *genki* (げんき) can also mean "lively" or "energetic".

Question 28

# Translate to Japanese: _[I'm] well_, thank you!

Answer 28

ありがとうございます！ | _Genki desu_. Arigatou gozaimasu! ## Footnote Note: The *o* (お) is dropped because it's generally considered rude to use honorifics when talking about yourself.

Question 29

# Translate to Japanese: And you?

Answer 29

**(Polite)**: そちらは？ - *Sochira wa?* **(Casual)**: そっちは？ - *Socchi wa?* ## Footnote Generally, the pronoun for "you" is not common in Japanese. A person's name, if known, should always be used. The polite version *sochira wa?* (そちらは？) avoids using "you" altogether and can be translated as "your side?". The casual version *socchi wa?* (そっちは？) does use one of the many words for "you" or "your side", *socchi* (そっち).

Question 30

# Translate to Japanese: Nice to meet you!

Answer 30

よろしくおねがいします。 | Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. ## Footnote This expression consists of two parts: well / properly = *yoroshiku* (よろしく) to request = *onegaishimasu* (おねがいします) While it does not directly translate to "nice to meet you", it is commonly used when meeting someone for the first time and roughly means "please treat me well". Note: *onegaishimasu* (おねがいします) is handy, as it is a key verb for ordering food, expressing wants, and so on.

Question 31

# Translate to Japanese: Same to you! ## Footnote (e.g. When someone says "Nice to meet you")

Answer 31

こちらこそ…！ | Kochirakoso...! ## Footnote Same to you = *kochirakoso* (こちらこそ) This phrase typically precedes the phrase you are responding to or can be said by itself. e.g. *kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu* (こちらこそよろしくおねがいします) - "It was likewise nice to meet you too."

Question 32

[What is being said in the audio recording?]

Answer 32

- **Man**: ありがとうございます。(Arigatou gozaimasu) - **Woman**: こちらこそありがとうございます！(Kochirakoso arigatou gozaimasu!) ## Footnote _Translation_: **Man**: Thank you. **Woman**: Likewise, thank you! Another way to interpret what the woman says in this dialogue could be "No, it's **me** that should be thanking you!"