100 Essential Japanese Words Every Beginner Needs
If you're starting from zero, the best move is to front-load the words that show up everywhere. These 100 words cover greetings, numbers, food, time, directions, and everyday objects. Learn these and you'll be able to get around, order food, understand basic conversations, and build from a solid foundation. We've grouped them by category so they're easier to study.
Greetings and Basic Expressions
These are words you'll use every single day. Start here.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| はい | はい | hai | Yes |
| いいえ | いいえ | iie | No |
| ありがとう | ありがとう | arigatou | Thank you |
| すみません | すみません | sumimasen | Excuse me / Sorry |
| ごめんなさい | ごめんなさい | gomen nasai | I'm sorry |
| はじめまして | はじめまして | hajimemashite | Nice to meet you |
| よろしくお願いします | よろしくおねがいします | yoroshiku onegaishimasu | Please (treat me well) / Nice to meet you |
| わかりました | わかりました | wakarimashita | I understand / Got it |
| わかりません | わかりません | wakarimasen | I don't understand |
| もう一度 | もういちど | mou ichido | Once more / Again |
Numbers 1-10
Japanese actually has two number systems: the Sino-Japanese (ichi, ni, san) and native Japanese (hitotsu, futatsu, mittsu). The Sino-Japanese system is what you'll use most for counting and math.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一 | いち | ichi | One |
| 二 | に | ni | Two |
| 三 | さん | san | Three |
| 四 | よん / し | yon / shi | Four |
| 五 | ご | go | Five |
| 六 | ろく | roku | Six |
| 七 | なな / しち | nana / shichi | Seven |
| 八 | はち | hachi | Eight |
| 九 | きゅう / く | kyuu / ku | Nine |
| 十 | じゅう | juu | Ten |
Time and Days
Talking about when things happen requires these basics. The day words are particularly useful for scheduling.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 今日 | きょう | kyou | Today |
| 明日 | あした | ashita | Tomorrow |
| 昨日 | きのう | kinou | Yesterday |
| 今 | いま | ima | Now |
| 後で | あとで | ato de | Later |
| 朝 | あさ | asa | Morning |
| 昼 | ひる | hiru | Noon / Daytime |
| 夜 | よる | yoru | Night / Evening |
| 週 | しゅう | shuu | Week |
| 月 | つき / げつ | tsuki / getsu | Month / Moon |
Food and Drink
Japan has one of the world's great food cultures, and these words will help you navigate menus, convenience stores, and izakayas.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ごはん | ごはん | gohan | Rice / Meal |
| みず | みず | mizu | Water |
| おちゃ | おちゃ | ocha | Tea (green tea) |
| ラーメン | らーめん | raamen | Ramen |
| すし | すし | sushi | Sushi |
| パン | ぱん | pan | Bread |
| 肉 | にく | niku | Meat |
| 魚 | さかな | sakana | Fish |
| 野菜 | やさい | yasai | Vegetables |
| おいしい | おいしい | oishii | Delicious / Tasty |
Places and Directions
Essential vocabulary for getting around, whether you're navigating a city or asking where the bathroom is.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| どこ | どこ | doko | Where |
| 駅 | えき | eki | Station (train) |
| トイレ | といれ | toire | Toilet / Restroom |
| 右 | みぎ | migi | Right |
| 左 | ひだり | hidari | Left |
| まっすぐ | まっすぐ | massugu | Straight ahead |
| 近く | ちかく | chikaku | Nearby / Close |
| 遠い | とおい | tooi | Far |
| ホテル | ほてる | hoteru | Hotel |
| 病院 | びょういん | byouin | Hospital |
People and Pronouns
Japanese rarely uses pronouns in the way English does, but these words for people are very common.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 私 | わたし | watashi | I / Me (neutral) |
| あなた | あなた | anata | You (avoid overusing; sounds direct) |
| 彼 | かれ | kare | He / Him / Boyfriend |
| 彼女 | かのじょ | kanojo | She / Her / Girlfriend |
| 友達 | ともだち | tomodachi | Friend |
| 家族 | かぞく | kazoku | Family |
| 先生 | せんせい | sensei | Teacher |
| 学生 | がくせい | gakusei | Student |
| 人 | ひと | hito | Person / People |
| 子供 | こども | kodomo | Child |
Adjectives and Describing Things
These adjectives are incredibly versatile and show up in tons of contexts.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大きい | おおきい | ookii | Big / Large |
| 小さい | ちいさい | chiisai | Small / Little |
| いい / よい | いい / よい | ii / yoi | Good |
| 悪い | わるい | warui | Bad |
| 新しい | あたらしい | atarashii | New |
| 古い | ふるい | furui | Old (for things, not people) |
| 高い | たかい | takai | Expensive / Tall |
| 安い | やすい | yasui | Cheap / Inexpensive |
| 難しい | むずかしい | muzukashii | Difficult |
| 簡単 | かんたん | kantan | Easy / Simple |
Common Verbs
Verbs are the engine of Japanese sentences. These ten show up constantly in basic conversation.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 食べる | たべる | taberu | To eat |
| 飲む | のむ | nomu | To drink |
| 行く | いく | iku | To go |
| 来る | くる | kuru | To come |
| 見る | みる | miru | To see / To watch |
| 聞く | きく | kiku | To listen / To ask |
| 話す | はなす | hanasu | To speak / To talk |
| 買う | かう | kau | To buy |
| する | する | suru | To do |
| ある / いる | ある / いる | aru / iru | To exist / To be (things / living beings) |
Question Words
These interrogatives let you ask about almost anything. Combine them with basic verbs and you can form real questions.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 何 | なに / なん | nani / nan | What |
| 誰 | だれ | dare | Who |
| いつ | いつ | itsu | When |
| どこ | どこ | doko | Where |
| なぜ / どうして | なぜ / どうして | naze / doushite | Why |
| どう | どう | dou | How |
| どれ | どれ | dore | Which one |
| いくら | いくら | ikura | How much (price) |
| いくつ | いくつ | ikutsu | How many |
| どのくらい | どのくらい | dono kurai | How long / How much (approximately) |
Shopping and Money
Japan is a wonderful place to shop, and these words make that experience much smoother.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| いくらですか | いくらですか | ikura desu ka | How much is it? |
| 円 | えん | en | Yen (Japanese currency) |
| 買い物 | かいもの | kaimono | Shopping |
| レシート | れしーと | reshiito | Receipt |
| カード | かーど | kaado | Card (credit/debit) |
| 現金 | げんきん | genkin | Cash |
| 袋 | ふくろ | fukuro | Bag |
| セール | せーる | seeru | Sale |
| おつり | おつり | otsuri | Change (money returned) |
| ください | ください | kudasai | Please give me / I would like |
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