Important words and phrases:

______ + kudasai = give me this please
(Noun)

Hito tsu (一つ) = one set
Hito tsu kudasai (一つ ください) = give me one set please

Bīru kudasai (ビールください) = beer please
Mizu kudasai (水 ください) = water please
O mizu kudasai (お 水 ください) = water please (polite)

Onegaishimasu (お願いします) = please (begging) polite. Sometimes in praying.
This will take more of your time. Giving a ticket to be checked. Giving credit card for paying. Expecting them to do something

Okini (オキニ) – Thank you in Osaka dialect. Friendly.

Arigato (ありがと) – thank you (casual)
Arigato gozaimasu (ありがと ございます) – thank you (formal)

Itadakimasu (いただきます) – before a meal, when you get a gift. I receive.
Gochisousama (ごちそうさま) – after a meal, thanks for making the food, thanks for paying for the meal.

Oishi (美味し) – delicious
Tsurai (辛い) – spicy

Ano (あの) – “um” or “that thing” A Korean friend of Seika’s said that this is the most important word to know in Japanese, because it is so versatile. As long as you point to what you want and go “um,” you will be understood.

English words in the Japanese way

Japanese contains some loan words from English, especially modern words. They sound very similar to English but perhaps with an additional vowel or two. Here are some examples.

• Skirt – Sukāto (スカート)
• Shirt – Shatsu (シャツ)
• Ice cream – Aisu kurīmu (アイスクリーム)
• Juice – Jūsu (ジュース)
• Taxi – Takushī (タクシー)
• Kentucky Fried Chicken – Kentakkī furaido chikin (ケンタッキー フライド チキン)
• McDonald’s – Makudonarudo (マクドナルド)

The alphabet

Written Japanese utilizes Chinese characters for efficiency, so the written language is a combination of Chinese and Japanese characters.

Here’s examples of using Chinese characters vs Japanese characters

Word	Japanese characters	Chinese characters
Betsubara (dessert stomach)	べつばら	別腹
Seika Yanagita	やなぎたせいか	柳田清香

The direction of the alphabet

In hand written notes, and other printed things like books and signs, the words are written top to bottom from right to left. Digitally, the language adapts to be written left to right.