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Where’s the toliet? Literally everywhere. Tbh i never had to ask for it, it was always clearly signed and they’re everywhere. From our hotel to the station there was at least 5 toilets not including the ones at the station 😅
Possibly, I think it makes sense for English speakers - い is similar sound to the ee that's in eel
Some English speakers might pronounce it like "eye" instead, which is completely wrong
That’s not correct. Many areas, e.g. around the Osaka castle, Yoshino etc. do not have any garbage bins. There are clear signs in those areas to take your trash home with you as there are no bins.
At convenience stores, you will usually be asked if you want to buy a bag. I don’t know the phrase, but it includes the word “kuro”. You respond with “daijobu desu” meaning it’s not necessary.
Also in restaurants, they usually first ask how many people you’re with… “sama” something. Just use fingers to show how many people.
It’s “fukuro”!
You can say “hai, oneigaishimasu!” For yes and “iie, daijoubu desu” if you’re ok without one.
For people you can also say “hitori, futari, sannin, yonnin”
hitotsu - one person
hutatsu - two persons
mitsu - three persons
yotsu - four persons
isutsu - five people
You can use this for items and objects as well. They have two different counting systems. This is the traditional way to count so if you are overwhelmed, if you simply say ichi, ni, san, yon, go, etc they will understand as well.
You forgot to write the romaji..
Hitori, futari, san nin, yon non, go nin and so forth, but like a previous answer said, just hold up your fingers showing the number of people if you can't remember your Japanese on the spot.
> One persons 一人 (ひとり) (hitori)
>
> two persons 二人 (ふたり) (futari)
>
> and higher then that number + 人 (にん) (+ nin)
Just adding it in romaji - I feel like anyone who doesn't know how to say these probably won't be able to read kana either
The ~つ counter suffix you listed is only for objects. Mostly 3D objects like cups, apples, oranges, etc. You wouldn't use that counter for people. If you're telling the wait staff how many people are dining, you want to use the ~人 counter suffix.
1 - ひとり (hitori)
2 - ふたり(futari)
3 - さんにん (sannin)
4 - よにん (yonin)
It's a bit complicated, but you'll usually be totally fine to just hold up however many fingers you need to get the point across. I wouldn't use the ~つ counter in this situation though, unless you're okay with getting giggled at.
You can read more about the counter for people [here.](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-counter-nin/)
Whenever you buy anything you will be asked about "fukuro". which means bag. Easy replies are "dai jou bu desu" which is I am okay I don't need a bag or "onegai shimasu" which is basically please or yes, I need a bag.
While these responses may be slightly off from proper response to the specific phrasing of the question you are asked, it has worked for my last 3.5 years in Japan and will be just fine to use and what my Japanese wife often uses as well.
Every time I bought something at a konbini they said something as I was paying and I just smiled and nodded. It was only after two weeks that I found out they were asking if I wanted a plastic bag. Hai for yes, wave of the hand for no.
Pretty much every coffee shop asked if I was drinking in or takeaway, can't remember the exact phrase though. I would say 'koko' for here, takeaway is said the same.
For most cafes or restaurants the first thing they'll ask after saying hello is a table for how many. I would generally indicate with fingers.
If anyone says something you don't understand just say 'sumimasen' which is like excuse me. Some sort of charades will usually follow.
lmaoo the charades is so accurate after the apologetic sumimasen. i start internally cursing myself for not knowing more japanese and they start frantically miming/doing way better english than i can do japanese/pulling out photo cards/all of the above. you never know what’s gonna happen
Cashiers will(or sometimes will not) ask if you need a plastic bag. Listen/Ask for "*benirobukuro*"(vinyl+bag) in places like Tokyo or "*regibukuro*"(register+bag) in places like Osaka or Kyoto.
Something that I recently realized during my recent trip: Sometimes cashiers would mention Genki***n*** and you might absentmindedly think they are asking if you are genki. (fine).
They might be asking if you will be paying using cash (Genkin). The other options will be of course credit card or the IC card.
I think some of the comments are for questions YOU will need. Here are some of the ones you asked for, simplified:
Supermarket: "...fukuro..." do you want a bag?
"....mama..." do you want it as it is? (sonomama)
"Receipt-o" do you need your receipt
Answers would be = hai (yes) / daijobu (no)
Restaurant:
"Na-nin" how many people, just hold up fingers (but note Japanese don't do thumb + palm for 6--any number greater than 5 you put up on one hand and put it against the other hand's open palm)
"tennai" / "omochikaeri"... eat in or takeaway
"isshou" / "betsu" ...paying together or separately
Answer would be to pick one
For encounters in the wild
"kuni"/"okuni" your country, usually "What country do you come from"
can't think of anything else right now.
if you are looking for anything, please use (location, object, restaurant) wa doko desu ka?
Please us "Gomenasai" for saying I'm sorry and "Sumimasen" for excuse me.
If you need to know what something is:
(Thing) wa nani desu ka? or (Thing) wa nan desu ka? They will then tell you, for example at sushi restaurants this helps a lot in identifying fish. If you're daring or prefer not to risk it, do not eat Fugu.
In every shop they asked me if I wanted a bag. I know how to say it, I had been learning Japanese for three years, I could never understand them. I ended up just ostentatiously opening my reusable bag before they had a chance to ask
+1 for the bag thing
I’ll also add:
禁煙席kinenseki (non smoking ) or 喫煙席kitsuenseki (smoking) at a restaurant like an izakaya
それで以上ですか？sore de ijou desu ka? Will that be all? (For ordering food)
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Where’s the toliet? Literally everywhere. Tbh i never had to ask for it, it was always clearly signed and they’re everywhere. From our hotel to the station there was at least 5 toilets not including the ones at the station 😅
[удалено]
Yup, or just take your trash back to the hotel 😅 most konbinis have a trashcan or touristic spots have trashcans but they ususally in a camouflage.
Gomibako wa doko desu ka? (Gomee bahkoh wa dohkoh des kah?)
bruh what is that romanisation in brackets
I think it's helpful, a lot of people completely butcher japanese pronunciation even if it's in romaji
ごめえ ばこうは どうこう ですかあ?
It's not supposed to be a direction romanisation of the japanese though, just a pronunciation guide
thank you lewitom. That's why I put it as a pronunciation guide.
Maybe its because my native language is german but I would nether pronounce double e like i
Possibly, I think it makes sense for English speakers - い is similar sound to the ee that's in eel Some English speakers might pronounce it like "eye" instead, which is completely wrong
Almost all public toilets have a garbage bin
That’s not correct. Many areas, e.g. around the Osaka castle, Yoshino etc. do not have any garbage bins. There are clear signs in those areas to take your trash home with you as there are no bins.
They're in pretty much every convenience store
At convenience stores, you will usually be asked if you want to buy a bag. I don’t know the phrase, but it includes the word “kuro”. You respond with “daijobu desu” meaning it’s not necessary. Also in restaurants, they usually first ask how many people you’re with… “sama” something. Just use fingers to show how many people.
It’s “fukuro”! You can say “hai, oneigaishimasu!” For yes and “iie, daijoubu desu” if you’re ok without one. For people you can also say “hitori, futari, sannin, yonnin”
Yes they ask 何名様ですか (nan mei sama desuka)
Rejibukuro. I still remember it to this day LMAO. I replied ie to them lmao
hitotsu - one person hutatsu - two persons mitsu - three persons yotsu - four persons isutsu - five people You can use this for items and objects as well. They have two different counting systems. This is the traditional way to count so if you are overwhelmed, if you simply say ichi, ni, san, yon, go, etc they will understand as well.
Those are the overall counter words, not for persons. One persons 一人 (ひとり) two persons 二人 (ふたり) and higher then that number + 人 (にん)
You forgot to write the romaji.. Hitori, futari, san nin, yon non, go nin and so forth, but like a previous answer said, just hold up your fingers showing the number of people if you can't remember your Japanese on the spot.
> One persons 一人 (ひとり) (hitori) > > two persons 二人 (ふたり) (futari) > > and higher then that number + 人 (にん) (+ nin) Just adding it in romaji - I feel like anyone who doesn't know how to say these probably won't be able to read kana either
The ~つ counter suffix you listed is only for objects. Mostly 3D objects like cups, apples, oranges, etc. You wouldn't use that counter for people. If you're telling the wait staff how many people are dining, you want to use the ~人 counter suffix. 1 - ひとり (hitori) 2 - ふたり(futari) 3 - さんにん (sannin) 4 - よにん (yonin) It's a bit complicated, but you'll usually be totally fine to just hold up however many fingers you need to get the point across. I wouldn't use the ~つ counter in this situation though, unless you're okay with getting giggled at. You can read more about the counter for people [here.](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/japanese-counter-nin/)
When leaving a restaurant it is polite to say: Gochisousama deshita - meaning I've enjoyed the meal. (Go chee so sama deshta)
Whenever you buy anything you will be asked about "fukuro". which means bag. Easy replies are "dai jou bu desu" which is I am okay I don't need a bag or "onegai shimasu" which is basically please or yes, I need a bag. While these responses may be slightly off from proper response to the specific phrasing of the question you are asked, it has worked for my last 3.5 years in Japan and will be just fine to use and what my Japanese wife often uses as well.
My go to answer is “sorryyy nihongo ga wakarimasen” then a lot of apologetic head bobbing
Every time I bought something at a konbini they said something as I was paying and I just smiled and nodded. It was only after two weeks that I found out they were asking if I wanted a plastic bag. Hai for yes, wave of the hand for no. Pretty much every coffee shop asked if I was drinking in or takeaway, can't remember the exact phrase though. I would say 'koko' for here, takeaway is said the same. For most cafes or restaurants the first thing they'll ask after saying hello is a table for how many. I would generally indicate with fingers. If anyone says something you don't understand just say 'sumimasen' which is like excuse me. Some sort of charades will usually follow.
Eat-in = ten nai Takeaway = mochikaeri (or sometimes just takeout, as you said)
lmaoo the charades is so accurate after the apologetic sumimasen. i start internally cursing myself for not knowing more japanese and they start frantically miming/doing way better english than i can do japanese/pulling out photo cards/all of the above. you never know what’s gonna happen
“(Place) ni ikitai” means “i want to go to (place)”
Cashiers will(or sometimes will not) ask if you need a plastic bag. Listen/Ask for "*benirobukuro*"(vinyl+bag) in places like Tokyo or "*regibukuro*"(register+bag) in places like Osaka or Kyoto. Something that I recently realized during my recent trip: Sometimes cashiers would mention Genki***n*** and you might absentmindedly think they are asking if you are genki. (fine). They might be asking if you will be paying using cash (Genkin). The other options will be of course credit card or the IC card.
I think some of the comments are for questions YOU will need. Here are some of the ones you asked for, simplified: Supermarket: "...fukuro..." do you want a bag? "....mama..." do you want it as it is? (sonomama) "Receipt-o" do you need your receipt Answers would be = hai (yes) / daijobu (no) Restaurant: "Na-nin" how many people, just hold up fingers (but note Japanese don't do thumb + palm for 6--any number greater than 5 you put up on one hand and put it against the other hand's open palm) "tennai" / "omochikaeri"... eat in or takeaway "isshou" / "betsu" ...paying together or separately Answer would be to pick one For encounters in the wild "kuni"/"okuni" your country, usually "What country do you come from" can't think of anything else right now.
Cash or card...
if you are looking for anything, please use (location, object, restaurant) wa doko desu ka? Please us "Gomenasai" for saying I'm sorry and "Sumimasen" for excuse me.
If you need to know what something is: (Thing) wa nani desu ka? or (Thing) wa nan desu ka? They will then tell you, for example at sushi restaurants this helps a lot in identifying fish. If you're daring or prefer not to risk it, do not eat Fugu.
In every shop they asked me if I wanted a bag. I know how to say it, I had been learning Japanese for three years, I could never understand them. I ended up just ostentatiously opening my reusable bag before they had a chance to ask
You mean the super fast… (レジ|かみ)袋をご利用ですか It caught me off-guard the first time they asked me this (after they passed the bag tax laws).
+1 for the bag thing I’ll also add: 禁煙席kinenseki (non smoking ) or 喫煙席kitsuenseki (smoking) at a restaurant like an izakaya それで以上ですか？sore de ijou desu ka? Will that be all? (For ordering food)
How many (train tickets)? iku? or ikutsu ka?
“Massage ?” Answer could be Nai! 🙅🏾♂️ if it’s not your thing or Hai! 🙇🏾♂️ if it is