English for Japanese Beginners: 50 Essential Phrases
These 50 essential English phrases cover greetings, courtesy, introductions, clarification, time, and plans. The Japanese meanings help you establish the situation, but your goal is to connect the English directly to a person and purpose. Practice each phrase as part of a two-line exchange, not as an isolated translation.
50 essential phrases
| English | Japanese / use |
|---|---|
| Hello. | こんにちは。 |
| Hi, how are you? | こんにちは、元気ですか。 |
| Good morning. | おはようございます。 |
| Good afternoon. | こんにちは。 |
| Good evening. | こんばんは。 |
| Nice to meet you. | はじめまして。 |
| How have you been? | 最近どうしていましたか。 |
| See you later. | また後で。 |
| Have a good day. | 良い一日を。 |
| Take care. | 元気でね。 |
| Please. | お願いします。 |
| Thank you. | ありがとうございます。 |
| You're welcome. | どういたしまして。 |
| Excuse me. | すみません。 |
| I'm sorry. | ごめんなさい。 |
| No problem. | 大丈夫です。 |
| That's okay. | それで大丈夫です。 |
| Of course. | もちろんです。 |
| Maybe. | たぶん。 |
| I don't know. | 分かりません。 |
| I understand. | 分かります。 |
| I don't understand. | 分かりません。 |
| Could you say that again? | もう一度言っていただけますか。 |
| Could you speak more slowly? | もう少しゆっくり話していただけますか。 |
| What does that mean? | それはどういう意味ですか。 |
| How do you spell that? | スペルはどう書きますか。 |
| Did you mean …? | …という意味ですか。 |
| Let me check. | 確認させてください。 |
| Give me a moment. | 少し待ってください。 |
| That makes sense. | なるほど。 |
| My name is … | 私の名前は…です。 |
| What should I call you? | 何とお呼びすればいいですか。 |
| I'm from Japan. | 日本出身です。 |
| I live in … | …に住んでいます。 |
| What do you do? | お仕事は何ですか。 |
| I'm learning English. | 英語を勉強しています。 |
| I'm here on vacation. | 休暇で来ています。 |
| I'm here for work. | 仕事で来ています。 |
| This is my first time here. | ここに来るのは初めてです。 |
| What about you? | あなたはどうですか。 |
| What time is it? | 何時ですか。 |
| What time works for you? | 何時が都合いいですか。 |
| Does Saturday work? | 土曜日は都合いいですか。 |
| Let's meet at three. | 3時に会いましょう。 |
| I'll be a little late. | 少し遅れます。 |
| I'm on my way. | 今向かっています。 |
| See you tomorrow. | また明日。 |
| Where should we meet? | どこで会いましょうか。 |
| Can we reschedule? | 予定を変更できますか。 |
| That works for me. | 私はそれで大丈夫です。 |
How to make the phrases usable
- Choose five lines with one purpose.
- Listen and mark the strongest word in each line.
- Repeat without adding vowels after final consonants.
- Place every line after a likely prompt.
- Cover the English and respond from the situation, not just the Japanese.
A short introduction
Ava: Hi, I'm Ava. What should I call you?
Haruto: I'm Haruto. Nice to meet you.
Ava: Nice to meet you too. Are you here for work?
Haruto: Yes. I'm here for a conference. What about you?
Ava: I live here. Let me know if you need any help.
Common mistakes
- Using How are you? as a literal request for a detailed health report.
- Pronouncing every written vowel separately.
- Saying only yes or no when a short follow-up would continue the exchange.
- Reading repeatedly without testing spoken recall.
Practice
Create five mini-scenes: meet a colleague, ask for repetition, arrange coffee, find a station, and say goodbye. Record each scene twice, changing one detail the second time.
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