Japanese phrases for travel.

The first Japanese phrases to learn for travel are sumimasen (“excuse me”), arigatō gozaimasu (“thank you”), and wakarimasen (“I don’t understand”). Add doko desu ka? for asking where something is and ikura desu ka? for asking its price. Keep the Japanese writing next to the romanization so you can show a phrase if speaking becomes difficult.

This is a starter kit for short interactions. It will not prepare you to understand every reply. A good travel phrase list should help you pause and clarify as well as ask questions.

Start politely with greetings and thanks

The Latin letters are romaji, a way of writing Japanese sounds. A line above a vowel, as in ō, indicates a long vowel. Avoid reading the table as though every word follows English spelling rules; listen to Japanese learning audio before practising aloud.

Use sumimasen to open a request for someone’s attention. Ask your question after the person responds rather than repeating the greeting over a longer sentence. For thanks to someone helping you, the longer arigatō gozaimasu is a useful polite form to learn as a unit.

JNTO’s language page is a useful reference for the basic expressions. For structured listening practice, the Japan Foundation offers Minato. The table here does not contain audio recordings.

Ask about a price or a place

For directions, the pattern is [place] wa doko desu ka? The place name is what you change. Keep the actual name visible on your booking or map: “the station” may be too general when you need a particular station, entrance, or railway line.

When shopping, point to the item as you ask ikura desu ka? Then confirm the displayed amount. Knowing how to ask the price does not mean you will recognise a quickly spoken number. A calculator display or written total gives both people something concrete to check.

For food, point to the menu entry while discussing it. A picture and a dish name are more useful together than either alone. Our iPhone menu translation guide explains ways to read unfamiliar menu text. Clarify ingredients with staff if they matter to your order.

Keep names and addresses in Japanese

Save your accommodation’s name and address in Japanese, alongside the English version. A screenshot of the booking or a copied address is a better fallback than inventing your own phonetic spelling. Save the exact destination before leaving your accommodation, especially when different places have similar English names.

Use two separate notes: one for phrases you want to say, and another for details you want to show. In the second, keep the hotel name, address, booking reference and nearest station together. You can hand over a clearly labelled destination without scrolling past a whole phrasebook.

If you do not understand a reply, use wakarimasen and show the written place or item. Restart with one request. Avoid agreeing just because you recognise hai somewhere in the exchange; check the action or amount you actually need to confirm.

Practise one short exchange before you go

Choose a scenario from your first day: finding the station, checking a price, or thanking hotel staff. Say the opening, ask the question, then deliberately practise the point where you do not understand the answer. Open your saved note and show the Japanese text.

You can use the phrase card without a translation app. For a longer exchange, Spek, our iPhone app, offers Japan — Japanese. Select your source language and the Japan target, hold the microphone while speaking, release to translate, and check the recognised words. Swap the languages for the other person’s turn; see our conversation translation guide.

Spek needs internet and offers in-app purchases. Keep your saved Japanese addresses available even if you plan to use an app. They solve a different problem: making the destination unmistakable when speaking, listening, or connectivity gets in the way.