Japanese conversation – NIHONGO ICHIBAN

Survival Japanese – using the taxi

Although trains are the most convenient way to travel in Japan, it sometimes is better or faster to use the taxi. Taxi drivers in Japan generally do not speak any English, so that it is useful if you now a few words and phrases to communicate with the driver. You can also print this page and show the sentences to the driver.

Giving directions

Kanji	「東京駅」お願いします。
Furigana	「とうきょうえき」おねがいします。
Romaji	[toukyou eki] onegai shimasu.
English	To [Tokyo station], please.

Kanji	地図を持っています。
Furigana	ちずをもっています。
Romaji	chizu o motte imasu.
English	I have a map.

It is most useful to have a map IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE of the place you want to go. Since the system of Japanese addresses is complicated almost every place has a map on how to get there. Ask someone in your hotel or the person whom you visit to get you a map for the taxi driver.

Kanji	「右」お願いします。
Furigana	「みぎ」おねがいします。
Romaji	[migi] onegai shimasu.
English	Turn [right].

左 – ひだり – hidari – left
真直ぐ – まっすぐ – massugu – straight ahead

Kanji	ここです。
Furigana	ここです。
Romaji	koko desu.
English	Stop here.

Money / taxi fare

Kanji	いくらですか？
Furigana	いくらですか？
Romaji	ikura desu ka?
English	How much is the fare?

Kanji	レシートお願いします。
Furigana	レシートおねがいします。
Romaji	reshiito onegai shimasu.
English	A receipt, please.

Kanji	カードで良いですか？
Furigana	カードでいいですか？
Romaji	kaado de ii desu ka?
English	Can I pay by credit card?

Please be aware that it is not common to tip the taxi driver – they will decline it in most cases. If you want to pay by credit card, you should ask the driver in any case before using the taxi. Many taxis accept Japanese but no foreign cards, so that the stickers with the logos of the credit cards on the windows of the taxi can be misleading.

Survival Japanese – self introduction

When you come to Japan you will probably meet many people. Even if you don’t speak the language, using a little bit of Japanese to introduce yourself will bring you a lot of sympathy for making the effort. This is a collection of useful phrases that can be used to introduce yourself in Japanese.

Simple:

This is a simple but polite self introduction that can be used in any situation. It also can be used in a business situation without being regarded as rude or too casual.

Kanji	初めまして。Michaelです。よろしくお願いします。
Furigana	はじめまして。Michaelです。よろしくおねがいします。
Romaji	hajimemashite.Michael desu.Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
English	Nice to meet you.My name is Michael.It’s a pleasure to meet you.

Business:

The Japanese language used in business is more formal and more polite than the day to day language. If you represent your company it also is common to mention your company name and eventually your department when you introduce yourself. Please also be aware that in Japanese usually the last name is mentioned before the first name.

Kanji	初めまして。Coca Colaの営業のMichael Smithと申します。どうぞよろしくお願いします。
Furigana	はじめまして。Coca ColaのえいぎょうのMichael Smithともうします。どうぞよろしくお願いします。
Romaji	hajimemashite.Coca Cola no eigyou no Michael Smith to moushimasu.Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
English	Nice to meet you.My name is Michael Smith from Coca Cola sales.It is a pleasure to meet you.

When you handover your business cards, make sure to hand it over holding it with two hands and also receive your business partner’s card with two hand. It is polite to have a short look at the card in order to check the position and title of the other person. When you return to the meeting table you should line up the business cards in front of you and arrange them in the same order as the people are sitting (This can be difficult sometimes). Do not write on a business you received in front of the people since this is regarded as un-polite.