One might think it is simple to say “thank you” in Japanese, but in reality, it isn’t so easy. I can’t tell which Japanese phrase I use more often on a daily basis: “sumimasen” or “arigatou,” the former meaning “I’m sorry” and the latter “thank you”. In Japanese,...
There are thousands of kanji characters, with about 2000 in common use. Hiragana and katakana were derived from these characters. The same 46 sounds that are used to pronounce hiragana and katakana are also used to pronounce kanji.[4] The Latin alphabet is used in Japanese to write acronyms...
Learning how to greet people properly is one of the first steps to speaking any language. Following are some common ways to say "hello" and "goodbye" in Japanese. Look up the sounds that correspond to the characters to make sure you pronounce them correctly: はじめまして ("Nice to mee...
Boost your Japanese vocabulary with this essential wordYou want to say "Japan" (日本 or にほん) in Japanese. Pronounce it as "Nippon" or "Nihon." There is no single "correct" pronunciation, so try to take your cues from those around you. Read...
There are thousands of kanji characters, with about 2000 in common use. Hiragana and katakana were derived from these characters. The same 46 sounds that are used to pronounce hiragana and katakana are also used to pronounce kanji.[4] The Latin alphabet is used in Japanese to write acronyms...
Sumimasen is pronounced “soo-mee-mah-sehn.” Some Japanese speakers may pronounce the word in slightly different ways (like elongating or emphasizing the “en” sound at the end of the word, but generally, the above pronunciation is standard. “Sumimasen” is written as: すみません in Japa...
Pronounce it (yor-OH-she-koo oh-nay-guy-ee-shee-mass). This translates roughly to "Please be nice to me." It may not be common to say something like this in English, but it is a very important phrase to remember when introducing yourself to native Japanese speakers. This is usually ...