Japanese Phrases That Express Want Or Wanting To Do
I Want SomethingWhen you are expressing something that you wish to have in Japanese,; ;you can use the word . is an i-adjective. It follows the grammar rules of i-adjectives in the Japanese Language. An easy sentence pattern that you can use is: Objects +
want a car.In English When expressing that you dont want something, Change the word to its negative form .For example:I dont want a boyfriend.
Mata Ashita See You Tomorrow
If you have concrete plans to see each other again or when you know you are going to see your friend again tomorrow you should use Mata ashita which means See you tomorrow.
Ashita is the Japanese word for tomorrow and you can easily change to phrase to similar ones. See you again next week is Mata raishuu and See you next year is Mata rainen , for example. You should definitely try Mata rainen before the New Years holidays.
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The English Loan Word
Sometimes in anime you will hear this phrase, which is simply the English phrase for thank you, but as a loan word in Japanese.
Honestly, I feel like theres a 50/50 chance that any English word you know has been assimilated into Japanese!
- Thank you!sanky!
Keep in mind that since this is a loan word for thank you, it is very informal and should only be used with people close to you.
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Choosing The Best Way To Say Hello In Japanese
How do you know which of these fourteen expressions you should use? Depending on the context and formality of the situation, certain Japanese greetings will be more appropriate than others.Â;
With friends and family, simply greeting someone with their name or ya- would work. But in more formal situations, like work, school, or when talking to strangers, you may prefer to us konnichiwa.Â;
Oyasumi Nasai Good Night

While a lot of other websites include Oyasumi Nasai in their posts about Japanese greetings, I didnt mention it in my list of 26 ways to say hello in Japanese, since it is always used as a goodbye. It is the formal phrase to wish somebody a good night in Japanese.
When you meet someone in the evening or later at night greet them with Konbanwa and use Oyasumi nasai to say goodbye to them.
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Mata Kondo Till Next Time See You Then
When you dont have any concrete plans to meet again or when you dont know when you will see the other person again you can use the phrase Mata kondo . It means till next time or see you then.
Personally, I dont like using the phrase with my friends, because it is also used when declining an invitation. You can use Mata kondo na to say Maybe next time!. So in my opinion it feels a bit cold. I would rather use it as a polite goodbye for someone I actually dont intend to meet again.
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A Few More Family Words
The next couple words are not usually used to refer to members of ones;own family, but I feel that they wouldnt be out of place in this article.
Ojou-sama
Ojou-sama or ojou-san is often translated as little miss or young lady. It is mostly used as a respectful way to refer to another persons daughter. However, it can sometimes refer to a young lady from a very distinguished family. In a later article, lets look at ojou-sama Japanese !
Botchan
Botchan ;and;variants like botchama are used to address another persons son ). Like ojou-sama , though, it can be used more specifically to address young boys from distinguished families. The word has been immortalised in English thanks to the famous novel Botchan by the legendary author Soseki Natsume.
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How Do I Tell My Girlfriend That Shes Beautiful
When I asked my Japanese friends which of these words is best for compliments, they warned that using words like or too early in a relationship can cause discomfort.
They recommended instead.
While is translated as cute in English, it is used in Japan to mean pretty. comes across more casually than or , so its probably the best word to use if youre on a first date.; Although Im sure any girl would love hearing that they are at any time.
How To Say Hello In Japanese
Greetings arenât just words you memorize. When you say hello, depending on where you are, you may hug or kiss the cheeks of the person youâre greeting. In Japan, youâll often bow. And if you know the other person has a higher social or work ranking than you, make sure you bow lower, otherwise it may be considered rude.Â;
When you are on familiar terms with someone, you can use their first name. But as a sign of respect, you can address someone by their title and last name or -san.Â;
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Mata Ne See You Again See You Around
Mata ne is the goodbye I most commonly hear from my friends when they expect to see me later on the same day. The word Mata means again among all kinds of other things. So if you translate the phrase into English you will get phrases like see you later, see you again, and see you around.
While you can always respond with the same goodbye phrase, my Japanese friends usually reply with a slightly different one. So for example when I say Mata ne to say goodbye they reply with Jaa ne, but when I use Mata ne they reply with Jaa ne or one of the casual phrases I will introduce next.
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Osaki Ni Shitsurei Shimasu
Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu is another polite goodbye or a polite excuse that can be used with your boss and coworkers when you are leaving the office earlier. It is often translated as the apologetic Excuse me for leaving first, however, it can also just mean Im finished for the day.
If you compare Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu and Otsukaresama desu/deshita, the former one is definitely more apologetic. You acknowledge that your coworkers are still working hard. So I would suggest using it when you have to leave way earlier than the rest and especially when you leave work before your boss.
However, this phrase is not used when you are leaving for lunch or for an errand. There is another phrase Im going to introduce further down below.
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Expressing Feelings In And Outside Of School
Shoujoanime, the kind usually intended for a female audience, focuses a lot on feelings, and in particularly those of teenagers at school. Its likely youll have seen all the Valentines Day and Christmas episodes, unrequited loves, declarations of love, theyre not to be missed.
Here are the most common phrases and words that are used in these situations!
Kiritsu! Rei! Chakuseki! : Stand up! Bow! Sit down! are the words the teacher speaks before starting a lesson, asking the students to stand up and greet the professor with a bow.
Suki :;I like you or I like it , although I think everyone knows this word. It can also be heard as suki desu! or daisuki!, which means I like you /like you a lot!.
Kokuhaku;: confession.
Tsukiatte kudasai: go out with me, please! To use to declare your love to someone and ask them for a date.
Ganbatte!: Give it your all!, Do your best and so on. Theres a lot behind this statement and you can learn more by reading our article on ganbaru.
Urayamashii: Envy!.
Giri Giri Safe: giri giri sefu and translates as just made it!. The favourite phrase of late-comers who manage to arrive just in time for classes.
Kuuki Yomeru;: literally, read the air. It means to understand the situation and read the air in the room to act accordingly, for example during a very tense situation. The negative phrase, kuuki yomenai , indicates someone unable to read between the lines.
How To Say Sister In Japanese

wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 9 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 215,101 times.
Japanese is a complicated language that can be difficult for English speakers to learn. Pronunciation is difficult, but, if it is broken down, it is easier to tackle. This article will break down pronunciation for each Japanese form of “sister.”
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How To Say Who Are You In Japanese
There are many questions that people ask each and every day. Who am I? What am I doing with my life? Is peanut butter even real? But one thing that you might want to learn is how to say who are you in Japanese.
There are a few different ways to phrase this question, and Im going to cover the four most common ones and talk about some best practices on when to use them.
Something thats important is the tone of voice that you use with these questions, so be sure to keep a smile on your face when using them to avoid causing offense.
How To Talk About Feelings In Japanese
So weâve talked about how you shouldnât be very open about expressing strong feelings in Japanese. But how would you start making a move?
Here are a few phrases to level up your relationship:
- ä»åº¦ä¸ç·ã«ãã¼ãããªãï¼ Would you like to go on a date sometime?
- ä»ãåã£ã¦ãã;ãã Will you be my girlfriend/boyfriend? me.â)
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Wait A Moment Or Please Wait For A Moment
You can use this phrase when you want someone to wait for you awhile. is a more casual form as compared to ;which is more polite.For example, When your friend is walking too fast, you can say; ORIn English, one second means wait a moment but, in Japanese, one second means which might not be understood. This is one example of the dangers of direct translation.;
A Polite Way To Say It
There is a polite way to ask people for their identity and we will go over it now. This time the word for who is going to change to which means the same thing as , but is just a more polite version of the word.
- donata desu ka?
- Who are you ?
I tend to encounter this word in situations where the person who is asking the question cant physically see whomever they are conversing with.
If you answer the phone from a number that you dont recognize, or if someone buzzes your houses intercom and you answer it to see who is visiting you, then this phrase is a perfect one to use.
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I Want To Do Something
When expressing an action which you want to do, change the verb into its masu-form and change ;to .For example: will be changed to Example of how to express in a sentence/ Gyuunyuu o/ga nomitai want to drink milk.*When the verb is a transitive verb, both and are correct for highlightingt the subject. want to play games at home.Tomodachi to kaimono ni ikitai I want to go shopping with my friends.Similar to you can also use the negative form of to express something that you dont want to do.For example: I dont want to go to a hospital.
Listen Practice And Interact
It can be confusing with so many ways to say whats up?. Figuring out which phrase to use is difficult when there is also a cultural difference.
Be sure to listen to how Japanese native speakers talk with each other to understand how the phrases work in real-life contexts.
Also, dont forget to practice and interact in Japanese as much as you can!
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Part 3 Of 6: Oneechan & Neechan
How To Talk About Your Friends And Family In Japanese

So when talking about your friends and family, how do you express affection?
Well, just like in romantic relationships, you would express your feelings through actions and loyalty. But, you can tell your family 大好ã to say you love them. Just donât overuse it it isnât said every day, if at all. Itâs most often said between young children and their parents, and then it isnât said anymore after they grow older. But it depends on the family and their personalities, too.
In general, itâs more common to express gratitude instead of love to family and friends for all they do. ããããã¨ãã¹ã¦ã«æè¬ãã¾ã ga suru koto subete ni kansha shimasu, âI appreciate all you do.â) will work just replace anata with the personâs name.
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An Introduction To Keigo
Anime can even be useful in the workplace if you watch the right variety.
If youve started studying Japanese then you may be familiar with the difficulties of keigo. Aside from honorifics, theres an entire honorary language. The best place to start tackling this tricky part of Japanese is with some commonly used phrases that youll hear a lot
Irasshaimase!:Whenever you walk into a shop or restaurant, and youll see this a lot in anime too, youll hear this shouted loudly to every customer. It essentially translates as Welcome!.
to moushimasu : This is used when youre introducing yourself and telling someone your name.
Moushiwake gozaimasen : This is an incredibly formal way to apologize.
Kashikomarimashita;: Use this when confirming to your superior that you are taking up an order or task. Waiters commonly use this once youve placed your order.
Well stop here as we could go on forever with so many different types of anime that can help you on your way.
If you already knew them from your favourite anime, why not share which ones you found the most useful to help others on their way to learn Japanese with anime.
If you like to read more about Japanese culture, make sure to follow our blog where we cover everything you need to know about Japan!
Hello In Japanese: 13 Ways To Say Hi In Japanese
Interested in learning Japanese? Start by learning how to greet native speakers with these ways of saying âhelloâ in Japanese.Â;
Get the conversation rolling with the following phrases and words for âhiâ in Japanese as well as many other Japanese greetings.
And if you want to learn more words and phrases in Japanese, try Drops!
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Jaa Mata See You Soon See You Again
This phrase is a combination of the two phrases we just learned. In English Jaa mata means something along the lines of see you soon, see you again, or see you then. Generally speaking, it is just another casual or see you, though.
You will also often hear Jaa mata ne which means exactly the same. The sentence ending particle ne only makes the sentence sound a little bit softer and maybe slightly more feminine.
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Why Is Whats Up Difficult To Translate
Ohe of the main reasons why its so hard to translate this phrase is because it can be used in a wide variety of contexts.;
Whats up? can be a rhetorical question, where the person asking isnt looking for a real answer.
Its common to answer, nothing much or just chilling, instead of going through everything thats literally going on with your life.
This can be a difficult concept for non-English speakers to grasp.;
Other than a somewhat rhetorical question, it can be used as a way to find out what the other person is up to, or to check how they are feeling.;
Unfortunately, in Japanese there isnt just one phrase that could capture the meaning of whats up?. Instead, its important to use a variety of phrases for different situations.
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How To Talk About Your Girlfriend In Japanese
âGirlfriendâ in Japanese is either 彼女 or ã¬ã¼ã«ãã¬ã³ã . And ex-girlfriend is åã«ã .
And to say you have a girlfriend, itâs 彼女ããã¾ã .
Unlike when girls talk about their boyfriends, guys wonât usually call their girlfriends by a cute name or add a suffix. Instead, to show affection and intimacy, theyâll just call them by their first name without honorifics. So if your girlfriendâs name is Minako, you might call her just âMinakoâ or shorten it to âMina.â Men donât want to add cuteness when theyâre speaking, so this is the best way to show affection. Women can call their significant others by their first names, too, but itâs far less common. It seems to be heard more often among the younger generation now.
When talking about your wife, you can call her 妻 or 奥ãã when talking to others. When talking to her, you can be sweet and say å« or call her ãã¼ãªã³ .