Japanese Phrases for Travelers: What to Say in Tokyo

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Practical guide

You can travel around Tokyo without speaking Japanese, but a few words go a long way. People appreciate the effort, and the right phrase makes restaurants, shops and taxis much easier. Each phrase below is written in Japanese too, so if you are not sure how to say it, just show the screen.

How to pronounce Japanese

• Japanese has five vowels, always said the same way: a as in father, i as in see, u as in food, e as in bed, o as in go.
• A line over a vowel (ō, ū) means you hold the sound a little longer.
• The u at the end of desu and masu is barely said: it sounds like “des” and “mas”.
• There is no strong stress. Say each syllable evenly.

The essentials

If you learn only one word, make it sumimasen. It means “excuse me”, “sorry” and even “thank you for your trouble”, and it is how you call staff in a restaurant.

English	Japanese	Say it
Excuse me / Sorry	すみません	Sumimasen
Thank you	ありがとうございます	Arigatō gozaimasu
Hello	こんにちは	Konnichiwa
Good morning	おはようございます	Ohayō gozaimasu
Good evening	こんばんは	Konbanwa
Yes	はい	Hai
No, thank you / I’m OK	大丈夫です	Daijōbu desu
Please (when asking for something)	お願いします	Onegaishimasu
I don’t understand Japanese	日本語がわかりません	Nihongo ga wakarimasen
Do you speak English?	英語を話せますか？	Eigo o hanasemasu ka?

Japanese people rarely say a direct “no” (iie). To politely turn something down, daijōbu desu works in almost every situation.

At a restaurant

English	Japanese	Say it
Two people, please	二人です	Futari desu
Do you have an English menu?	英語のメニューはありますか？	Eigo no menyū wa arimasu ka?
This one, please	これをください	Kore o kudasai
Water, please	お水をください	Omizu o kudasai
It’s delicious	おいしいです	Oishii desu
The bill, please	お会計お願いします	Okaikei onegaishimasu
Can I pay by card?	カードで払えますか？	Kādo de haraemasu ka?

For one person say hitori desu, for three sannin desu. You can also just hold up your fingers. For how ordering and paying work, see how to eat out in Tokyo and our izakaya guide.

Food allergies and diets

English	Japanese	Say it
I have a ___ allergy	___アレルギーがあります	___ arerugī ga arimasu
I can’t eat meat or fish	肉と魚を食べられません	Niku to sakana o taberaremasen
Does this contain ___?	これに___は入っていますか？	Kore ni ___ wa haitte imasu ka?

Useful words to fill the gap: peanuts ピーナッツ (pīnattsu), wheat 小麦 (komugi), egg 卵 (tamago), milk 乳 (nyū), shrimp えび (ebi), pork 豚肉 (butaniku). For a serious allergy, carry a card written in Japanese as well. Vegetarian, vegan or halal? See vegetarian, vegan and halal food in Tokyo.

Words you will hear from staff

English	Japanese	Say it
Welcome! (no reply needed)	いらっしゃいませ	Irasshaimase
Please wait a moment	少々お待ちください	Shōshō omachi kudasai
Here you are / Go ahead	どうぞ	Dōzo
Eating here?	店内でお召し上がりですか？	Tennai de omeshiagari desu ka?
Do you need a bag?	袋はご利用ですか？	Fukuro wa goriyō desu ka?
Shall I heat it up?	温めますか？	Atatamemasu ka?

To answer: for take-out say mochikaeri de (持ち帰りで), and for eating in say tennai de (店内で). For yes, say hai, onegaishimasu. For no, say daijōbu desu. You will hear “shall I heat it up?” a lot at convenience stores.

Shopping

English	Japanese	Say it
How much is this?	これはいくらですか？	Kore wa ikura desu ka?
Can I try this on?	試着してもいいですか？	Shichaku shite mo ii desu ka?
Is tax-free shopping available?	免税できますか？	Menzei dekimasu ka?
I’m just looking	見ているだけです	Mite iru dake desu

Before you ask about tax-free, read how it works in our tax-free shopping guide.

Getting around

English	Japanese	Say it
Where is ___?	___はどこですか？	___ wa doko desu ka?
Station	駅	Eki
Toilet	トイレ	Toire
Exit	出口	Deguchi
Does this train go to ___?	この電車は___に行きますか？	Kono densha wa ___ ni ikimasu ka?
To ___, please (in a taxi)	___までお願いします	___ made onegaishimasu
Here is fine (to stop a taxi)	ここでいいです	Koko de ii desu

In a taxi, showing the address or the map on your phone is often easier than saying the name. See taxis in Tokyo. Arriving by plane? See our guide to getting from Haneda Airport to central Tokyo.

At your hotel

English	Japanese	Say it
I have a reservation	予約しています	Yoyaku shite imasu
Can I leave my luggage?	荷物を預けてもいいですか？	Nimotsu o azukete mo ii desu ka?
What is the Wi-Fi password?	Wi-Fiのパスワードは何ですか？	Waifai no pasuwādo wa nan desu ka?

In an emergency

In Japan, call 110 for the police and 119 for an ambulance or fire. The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) runs the Japan Visitor Hotline at 050-3816-2787 (from outside Japan, +81-50-3816-2787), open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, in English, Chinese and Korean.

English	Japanese	Say it
Help!	助けて！	Tasukete!
Please call an ambulance	救急車を呼んでください	Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai
Police	警察	Keisatsu
I feel sick	気分が悪いです	Kibun ga warui desu
Where is the hospital?	病院はどこですか？	Byōin wa doko desu ka?
I’m lost	道に迷いました	Michi ni mayoimashita
Earthquake	地震	Jishin
Evacuation shelter	避難所	Hinanjo

More help: seeing a doctor in Tokyo and earthquake safety in Tokyo.

Tips

• Say sumimasen with a small bow to get attention. Waving or calling out loudly is unusual.
• Pointing at the menu or a photo and saying kore o kudasai works almost everywhere.
• A translation app with a camera mode helps with menus and signs.
• Speaking slowly in simple English is often easier to understand than complicated sentences.

FAQ