🙋 Greetings & Numbers
Before learning grammar, you need the social building blocks of Japanese. These fixed phrases and the number system are used every single day.
Greetings (挨拶 — Aisatsu)
Japanese greetings change depending on time of day and level of formality. Using the wrong greeting level is a social faux pas.
Daily Greetings
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | Ohayou gozaimasu | Good morning | Polite — use with teachers, strangers, at work |
| おはよう | Ohayou | Morning! | Casual — friends and family only |
| こんにちは | Konnichiwa | Good afternoon / Hello | General daytime greeting |
| こんばんは | Konbanwa | Good evening | Used after sunset |
Parting Phrases
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| さようなら | Sayounara | Goodbye | Formal — implies long separation |
| じゃ、また | Jaa, mata | See you later | Casual — most common among friends |
| またね | Mata ne | See ya | Very casual |
| お先に失礼します | Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu | Excuse me for leaving first | Used when leaving work before others |
Gratitude & Apology
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| ありがとうございます | Arigatou gozaimasu | Thank you | Polite |
| ありがとう | Arigatou | Thanks | Casual |
| すみません | Sumimasen | Excuse me / I’m sorry | Very versatile — apology or attention-getting |
| ごめんなさい | Gomen nasai | I’m sorry | Sincere apology |
Home Phrases
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| いってきます | Ittekimasu | I’ll go and come back (said when leaving home) |
| いってらっしゃい | Itterasshai | Please go and come back (said to the one leaving) |
| ただいま | Tadaima | I’m home (said when returning) |
| おかえりなさい | Okaeri nasai | Welcome home (said to the returnee) |
Cultural Note: These home phrases are used daily in Japanese households. They reflect the value of acknowledging the people around you.
Self-Introduction (自己紹介 — Jikoshoukai)
A structured self-introduction is important in Japanese culture. Follow this pattern:
- はじめまして。 (Hajimemashite.) — Nice to meet you. (Opening)
- [Name] です。 ([Name] desu.) — I am [Name].
- [Origin/Occupation] です。 — State your background.
- どうぞよろしくおねがいします。 (Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) — Please take care of me. (Closing — roughly “pleased to meet you”)
Example:
はじめまして。マリアです。ブラジルじんです。だいがくせいです。どうぞよろしくおねがいします。
Hajimemashite. Maria desu. Burajiru-jin desu. Daigakusei desu. Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
“Nice to meet you. I am Maria. I am Brazilian. I am a university student. Pleased to meet you.”
Numbers (数字 — Suuji)
Japanese numbers are highly logical. Once you know 1–10, you can build any number up to 99.
Basic Numbers (0–10)
| Number | Japanese | Romaji | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | ゼロ / れい | zero / rei | ゼロ is more common in speech |
| 1 | いち | ichi | |
| 2 | に | ni | |
| 3 | さん | san | |
| 4 | よん / し | yon / shi | よん is preferred (し = “death”) |
| 5 | ご | go | |
| 6 | ろく | roku | |
| 7 | なな / しち | nana / shichi | なな is preferred in most contexts |
| 8 | はち | hachi | |
| 9 | きゅう / く | kyuu / ku | きゅう is preferred |
| 10 | じゅう | juu |
Building Larger Numbers
The system is simple addition and multiplication:
11–19: 10 + Number
- 11 = じゅういち (juu-ichi) — 10 + 1
- 15 = じゅうご (juu-go) — 10 + 5
20–90: Number × 10
- 20 = にじゅう (ni-juu) — 2 × 10
- 50 = ごじゅう (go-juu) — 5 × 10
Compound:
- 42 = よんじゅうに (yon-juu ni) — 4 × 10 + 2
- 99 = きゅうじゅうきゅう (kyuu-juu kyuu) — 9 × 10 + 9
Telling Time (時間 — Jikan)
Add じ (ji — o’clock) after the number. Watch for pronunciation exceptions!
| Time | Japanese | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | いちじ | |
| 2:00 | にじ | |
| 3:00 | さんじ | |
| 4:00 | よじ | ⚠️ NOT yonji |
| 5:00 | ごじ | |
| 6:00 | ろくじ | |
| 7:00 | しちじ | ⚠️ NOT nanaji |
| 8:00 | はちじ | |
| 9:00 | くじ | ⚠️ NOT kyuuji |
| 10:00 | じゅうじ | |
| 11:00 | じゅういちじ | |
| 12:00 | じゅうにじ |
Half-past: Add はん (han — half) → じゅうにじはん = 12:30
Asking the time:
いま、なんじですか。(Ima, nanji desu ka.) — What time is it now?
Practice Exercises
- Introduce yourself in Japanese following the 4-step pattern
- Count from 1 to 30 out loud in Japanese
- Say the time for: 3:00, 7:30, 9:00, 12:30
- Practice greetings — What would you say at 8 AM? At 7 PM? When leaving home?