40 must-know Japanese words
40 Japanese words worth knowing, picked from the topics Politeness and small talk, Adverbs, Function words, Connectors and prepositions and translated into English.
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Must-know 40 words
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| はい | yes |
| いいえ | no |
| ありがとう | thank you |
| どうもありがとう | thank you very much |
| こんにちは | helloGreeting on arrival, during the day |
| やあ | hiInformal greeting |
| さようなら | goodbye |
| また近いうちに | see you soon |
| また明日 | see you tomorrow |
| どういたしまして | you are welcomeEveryday use |
| ごめんなさい | sorryApology |
| 分かりました | okay |
| もしかしたら | perhaps |
| 問題ありません | no problem |
| 分かりません | I do not understand |
| 知りません | I do not know |
| 私の名前は | my name is |
| 元気です | I am fine |
| よい一日を | have a good day |
| おやすみなさい | good nightWhen parting to go to sleep |
| 今日 | today |
| 明日 | tomorrow |
| 昨日 | yesterday |
| 今 | now |
| ここに | here |
| たくさん | muchQuantity, with a verb or a noun |
| とても | veryIntensity, with an adjective or an adverb |
| また | also |
| いつも | always |
| 決して | never |
| どこ | where |
| いつ | when |
| 誰 | who |
| そして | and |
| または | or |
| しかし | but |
| -と | with |
| -なしで | withoutPreposition, followed by a noun or an infinitive |
| -のために | forPreposition, purpose or recipient |
| -の中に | in |
Mini quiz
5 words from this page, picked at random. Find their translation.
Frequently asked questions
- What comes after these 40 words?
- Carry on topic by topic: each list gives 40 words sorted into three levels. The KoKo app gathers +6,000 Japanese words and brings each one back at the right moment.
- Where do these lists come from?
- They are the lists of the KoKo app. Each page gives 40 of their words; the full topics, the reviews and the exercises are in the app.
- Can I print this list or save it as a PDF?
- Yes. The “Print the list” button at the top of the page opens your device’s print dialog: choose to save as PDF to keep the 40 words and their translation, with nothing else around them.
These lists come from KoKo, the app to learn Japanese vocabulary on iPhone.
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