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A Knack for Nihongo – The Japanese Language

March 25, 2008

A Knack for Nihongo – The Japanese Language

My Japanese skills are very limited but it I have always found that a smile, a few words, pointing and a lot of patience get me through most situations.  A few phrases will really come in handy should you ever visit Japan so with that that in mind I here are some basic greetings:

Japanese (English phonetic pronunciation) – Translation
Ohayou gozaimasu (OH-HI-O GO-ZI-MAS) – Good morning Kon’nichiwa (KO-NI-CHI-WA) – Good afternoon Kon’banwa  (KONE-BAN-WA) – Good evening Oyasumi nasai (O-YA-SU-MI NA-SIGH) – Good night

Sayounara (SIGH-O-NA-RA) – Good-bye

Lastly, here’s one that isn’t included on the top of many lists but one that I think is very important:

Toire-wa doko-desu-ka (TOY-RAY DO-KO-DE-SU-KA) – Where is the toilet/bathroom?