C1-1 Information > In Japan > General Infomation > Language

The official language of Japan is Japanese (日本語). English services can often be found in major cities and tourist sites. Some major infrastructure services, such as hospitals, etc. in major cities also hire English-certified staff.

Common Greetings, Phrases & Questions

See below for a table of common basic greetings, phrases and questions.

日本語	ローマ字	Meaning
おはようございます	ohayou gozaimas	good morning
こんにちは	kon'nichiwa	good afternoon
こんばんは	konbanwa	good evening
おやすみなさい	oyasumi nasai	good night
さようなら	sayounara	goodbye
すみません	sumimasen	excuse me; sorry
ごめんなさい	gomen'nasai	sorry
わかりません	wakarimasen	I don't understand
ありがとうございます	arigatou gozaimas	thank you
はい	hai	yes
いいえ	iie	no
（Ａ）はどこですか？	(A) wa doko deska?	where is (A)?
（Ａ）はいくらですか？	(A) wa ikura deska?	how much is (A)?
おいしいです	oishii des	it's delicious
たのしいです	tanoshii des	it's fun

Useful Resources

• The Tourist's Japanese Language Handbook
• 日本語のリソースの表 (Japanese Language Learning Resources Spreadsheet)