how to say casual speech in japanese

How to speak casual Japanese

Welcome back to another “Video & Article” series with tutor Wakako. In this article and video we will talk about how to speak casually in Japanese. Speaking casual Japanese does not only mean leaving out “Keigo”. It involves varying degrees of leaving out and adding particles and exchanging certain stiff or polite words. Let’s take a first look at how to speak casual Japanese!

[Introduction]

[toning down an example conversation], [dictionary form & sentence ending particles], [omissions].

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How To Speak Casual Japanese ~7 slang expressions

When you speak casual English to friends, you don’t use perfect grammar and full sentences like you would when writing a paper, correct? Japanese is the same way. When speaking conversational Japanese, people rarely use the exact words and long phrases that you’d find in a textbook. Here is a 5-minute mini lesson to help you speak Casual Japanese.

Common Phrases

When speaking casual Japanese, normal phrases are made much shorter! When friends talk to each other, they won’t use the long polite phrases, but rather the shorter chattier versions:

Konnichiwa –> Konchiwa こんにちは　ーー＞　こんちは Hello/Good afternoon –> Hi

O genki desu ka? –> Genki? おげんきですか。 ーー＞ げんき？ How are you?

Ohayou gozaimasu –> Ohayou おはようございます　ーー＞　おはよう Good morning –> Morning!

Gomennasai  –> Gomen ごめんなさい　ーー＞　ごめん I’m so sorry. –> Sorry.

Douitashimashite –> I i yo どういたしまして　ーー＞　いいよ You’re welcome. –> It’s all good!

Sayounara –> Jyaa ne! さようなら　ーー＞　じゃあね Goodbye. –> See ya!

If you master these casual phrases, you will sound like a true native speaker when you’re chatting with your friends!

Casual Verbs

An easy way to turn formal Japanese into more natural conversational Japanese is to just use the short forms of verbs. Japanese verb for “to do” is “ shimasu” (します), and its casual Japanese (plain form) is suru (する). Casual Japanese just sticks to the basic short forms of verbs, and particles are omitted sometimes in simple sentences. Here are the examples:

Formal: Nani o shimasu ka? なにをしますか？ What will you do?

Casual: Nani suru? なにする？ What you gonna do?

As you can see, the casual version is much shorter and simpler than the properly conjugated textbook version! Here’s some more examples:

Nani taberu ? なに食べる？ What’cha eat ?

Nani miru ? なに見る？ What’cha watch ?

Doko iku ? どこ行く？ Where you gonna go ?

And just like that, you can speak natural, casual Japanese!

Words With Friends – Japanese Slang Words!

There are certain “trendy” Japanese words that you often hear on the streets, and yet won’t typically find in a textbook. Here are some examples of common Japanese slang words that are especially popular with young Japanese people!

1. Sugoi (すごい)

Sugoi means “wow” in English and the Japanese heavily use this slang word. Its corresponding formal word is subarashii (すばらしい). The word can also be shortened to sugee (すげー）to convey extra emphasis. This is very often heard in Japanese anime as well. In English there are so many expressions like wonderful, fantastic, marvelous, fascinating, fabulous, amazing..etc. but all these words can be expressed as sugoi in Japanese. wow!

Example: watching an incredible summer fireworks display

Ryuta:    Sugoi!! （すごい！）Wow, amazing!

Takeru:   Su-ge-!! （すげー！）AMAZING!

2. Meccha (めっちゃ)

Meccha is a slang word commonly used in the Kansai region (west side of Japan). It has the same meaning as totemo (とても), which means “very” in Japanese.

Example conversation:

Shion: Kono ke-ki, meccha oishi! (このケーキ、 めっちゃ おいしい！) This cake is so delicious!

Takashi: Deshou?  Meccha umai. (でしょう？めっちゃ うまい。) I know, right? It’s so yummy.

Shion: Kore tsukutta hito, tensai dane. Meccha sugoi .  (これ作った人、天才だね。 めっちゃすごい 。) The person who made this is genius. Super amazing.

3. Yabai (やばい)

Yabai is also heavily used slang word in Japan. It has multiple meanings, and can be compared to the English “Oh my god!” It can be used in a good way, as a response to something happy/exciting, but can also be used in a negative way, as a response to bad news or a scary situation. In that sense, it’s a lot like the English slang word “crazy”, as things can either be “crazy” good, or “crazy” bad.

Example: at an amusement park

Chihiro: Yabai! Ano jettokoosutaa, meccha takai! (やばい！あのジェットコースター、めっちゃたかい。）Oh my god! That roller coaster is super tall.

Risa: Hayasou!! Yabai . （はやそう！ やばい 。）It looks fast! That’s crazy.

Chihiro: Noru? （のる？）Wanna ride it?

4. Maji ( マジ）

The Japanese word majime means “serious”, so when people shorten it to maji and cry out “ maji?! ” or “ majide?! ” it means “seriously?!” or “are you serious??”

Ruriko: Wao!! Takarakuji, 1,000 man-en atatta! (わぉ！宝くじ、1,000万円 当たった！)  Wow! I won a lottery of 10,000,000 yen!

Ayaka: Meccha s ugee ! Majide ? (めっちゃすげー！ まじで ？）Wow, amazing! Seriously?!

5. Ikemen (イケメン)

This very common Japanese slang word is used to describe handsome men! It comes from the full-length phrase iketeru menzu (イケてるメンズ), which describes “extremely good men”.

Yuri: Nee, ano otoko, mite! (ねぇ あの男、見て！）Hey, look at that guy!

　　　 Chou ikemen jyanai? (ちょうイケメンじゃない？）Isn’t he such a handsome guy?

Mizuki: Un, hontoda. maji yabai. (うん、ほんとだ。まじやばい。) Yep, indeed. Oh my god.

6. Kimoi ( キモい）

This adjective is used to describe something gross or creepy. When something grosses or creeps you out, just yell this exclamation to voice your discomfort!

Example: ***at a Halloween party***

Kazuya: uwa, ano zombi, chi ga yabai yo! （うわ、あのゾンビ、ちが やばいよ。）Look at the zombie, there’s so much blood on him!

Nana: Kimoi ! （キモい！）So creepy!

7. Dasai （ダサい）

This word means “lame” or “uncool”. Japanese people say this word when they see or hear something/someone that’s unstylish or out of fashion.

Example: ***at a shopping mall***

Okaasan (Mom):   Kono kutsu wa dou?   kakko ii? （このくつはどう？ かっこいい？）How are these shoes? Do you like them?

Ami: Iya, dasai!!! （いや、ダサい！）Nope, they’re lame!!

*NOTE: When speaking adjectives out loud, sometimes drop the “~i” to adding stronger expressions! For example, “Kimoi” is often said as “kimo!” and “Yabai” is often said as “Yaba!”.

Casual Japanese Course

This high-quality and quick-to-go-through audio course will teach you the casual and “naughty” words and phrases in Japanese in a solid 40 minutes of teaching. You’ll enjoy watching Japanese anime and drama 10 times more after going through this Casual Japanese course !

Most of the chapters in this course include incredibly realistic conversation between two native Japanese speakers for realistic learning! Here are the features of our Casual Japanese course:

• Introducing Real Japanese spoken on the street
• 40 mins of audio lessons + a guided textbook
• You can practice speaking casual Japanese as you listen to the audio
• 13 Chapters in total. You can learn casual Japanese spoken in different situations

Access the ENTIRE Online Japanese Course Curriculum

From the very basic Japanese to JLPT N5 including above mentioned Casual Japanese, you can access to all 13 online courses with affordable monthly subscription. Join my Premium Online Japanese Course now! For more information about the membership site, click here .

だ and です : Venturing Beyond Textbook Rules into Real-Life Use Learn how style choice matters in authentic communication

September 24, 2019 • words written by Cameron Lombardo , Jenny Stainton , Mami Suzuki , and Moeko Norota • Art by Aya Francisco

Viewing under What's The Difference? Common Japanese Beginner Questions

だ and です are everywhere in Japanese, and getting to grips with them is essential for any Japanese learner. Despite being such basic building blocks, their use in real-life Japanese can be frustratingly different from their textbook explanations. For example, you may have learned that だ and です are two variants of the same word and that we choose between them based on whether the person we're talking to has a higher or lower status than us. In other words, です is used when we want to be polite and だ is used to be casual. But real-life Japanese significantly deviates from this often-taught standard.

Textbook rules for です and だ can leave us scratching our heads when we hear native speakers of Japanese breaking the rules left, right, and center. This is a huge problem for language learners; how can you learn to use a grammar structure if the rules you study are full of holes and exceptions?

In order to get to the bottom of です and だ, we spent a good chunk of time diving into dense linguistics research and discovered some pretty interesting ways of looking at these words. As it turns out, the conceptual distinction between です and だ comes down to the direction of the message. In other words, if the message is self-directed and your main purpose is expressing your thoughts or feelings, then だ is your ticket. If your message is directed toward others and you intend to present information in a socially aware manner, then です is probably preferred.

Think of this article as a roadmap to navigate your way around all the intricate nuances that です and だ convey in real-life contexts. To help you understand, we're going to take a bold step away from traditional grammar-rule-type explanations you'll find in textbooks. Instead, we will lay out the conceptual meanings of です and だ, so you can use them to better express yourself in Japanese and add flavor to both your spoken and written communication.

Conceptualizing です and だ in Speech

だ for emphatic self-expression, だ for sounding the alarm, だ for invading personal space, だ in casual conversation, です for creating distance, です for emphasizing sarcasm, です for stepping into a different social role, trying out the concepts in action, conceptualizing です and だ in writing, the rule of consistency, academic writing, laws, regulations and other official documents, creative writing, social media posts, text messages.

Prerequisites: This article assumes you already know hiragana and katakana. If you need to brush up, have a look at our Ultimate Hiragana Guide and Ultimate Katakana Guide . This article will talk about the nuances of だ and です, so beginners can read it too, but to get the most out of it, you'll need an intermediate understanding of Japanese.

Before you read on: we recorded a two-part podcast series about だ and です. In it, we answered questions about だ and です from Japanese learners. Make sure to check it out after reading this article!

And if you haven't, you can subscribe to the Tofugu podcast . After subscribing, you can save the episode for later to review what you're about to read.

We'll begin our learning journey by comparing how です and だ add meaning to a spoken statement in Japanese. This section will feel very abstract, so we'll use images to make the ideas we introduce clearer. To start, take a look at the image of だ below.

As you can see, the speaker is surrounded by a bubble, which we will call "personal space." When a speaker makes a statement ending in だ, the statement stays within their personal space and thus is made without (much) attention paid to the larger, social world. In other words, だ statements allow a speaker to step outside of social expectations and focus on self-expression.

Now let's turn our attention to the concept that です represents. In the image above, you can see that the speaker's statement leaves their personal space bubble and reaches toward another person. This shows that the speaker's focus is on the listener and the social situation that they are in when they are speaking. The fact that the statement travels beyond the speaker's personal space emphasizes the line that separates the speaker and the listener—the distance between them. This distance raises the level of politeness, which is why we think of です as being more polite.

At this point, our concepts of です and だ might feel a bit fuzzy or vague, but not to worry! We want the framework to be applicable across all contexts, so that as you encounter individual instances of です or だ, you'll be able to apply the concept and understand how it affects the meaning of the sentence overall. Throughout this article, we will refer back to these concepts as we walk you through a range of contexts. As you read, your concept of です and だ will begin to sharpen and, by the end of this article, it should serve as a great tool to aid you in your ability to understand and use Japanese.

Nuances of だ in Spoken Japanese

When we make だ statements, we are stepping away from the need to perform in a socially calculated way, and instead we emphasize our personal thoughts and feelings. In other words, だ statements allow us to avoid considering our relative social status compared to our listeners' because the statement is conceptually staying inside our personal space. In the safety of our bubble, だ statements do not necessarily require a response. This enables us to devote all of our attention to self-expression.

だ statements are made with more attention paid to what we have to say rather than our relationship with the listener.

That said, statements made in our personal space are not heard only by ourselves; there are plenty of reasons why a listener might be considered to be inside your bubble, or people who are outside of your personal space might hear your だ statement. The major takeaway here is that だ statements are made with more attention paid to what we have to say rather than our relationship with the listener. To show you what we mean by this, in the following sections we will take a look at the various ways in which だ adds an expressive feeling to statements in various contexts.

Statements that end in だ can be used to express thoughts and feelings that arise suddenly or powerfully within us. These kinds of statements are self-directed, and thus we can imagine that they remain inside our personal space bubbles when we say them. Contrary to what you may have learned in textbooks, だ is commonly used to express your inner state when speaking in the presence of someone to whom you'd usually use a more polite speech style like です and ます . This is because your use of だ communicates that the purpose of the statement is self-expression and not actually directed at the listener, even if they are within earshot. Let's examine a few variations on this concept.

Imagine you are sitting in your favorite ramen shop. You just finished your meal and are happily patting your noodle-filled belly. As you stand up to leave, you see a mouse skitter across the floor into the kitchen. Filled with a sense of sudden surprise, and perhaps disgust, you might say:

• Ew, a mouse!

Whether you're eating with your boss (whom you usually address with the polite です・ます speech style) or you're eating all by yourself, this would be an appropriate expression. More than anything, the intention of such an utterance is to express the feeling of surprise that rises up within you at the sight of the mouse.

However, self-expressive だ statements do not necessarily need to be triggered by a surprising event, such as a mouse sighting. Imagine you are happily skipping along on your way to school, when it suddenly dawns on you that you have a kanji test that afternoon. To express your feeling about this sudden remembrance, you could say:

• Oh no! There's a test!

The previous two examples carried a sense of sudden recollection or surprise, but だ statements are just as effectively used to express strong emotional reactions to events or situations, even if they are expected.

Since you forgot to study for your kanji test, it's no surprise that you got a lower score than you wanted. When your teacher hands you back your test, and you see your failing grade, you might mutter to yourself:

• ああ、また失敗した。私ほんとバカだ。
• Ah, I failed again. I'm so stupid!

Don't be so hard on yourself! At least you formed an appropriate statement to emphasize your disappointment using だ! Next time, after studying harder, you might ace your kanji test and express a positive emotion instead:

• Yay! I'm a genius!

To wrap up this section, take a look at the following examples. Can you tell if the だ emphasizes surprise, sudden remembrance, or strong emotions? Make sure to consider the context and listen to the audio to hear the intonation as well.

You're on a golf course, and you almost have your ball in the hole, but every time you putt, you just narrowly miss the hole.

• I can't do this anymore.

Hover or tap

You're on a long drive and have gotten a bit lost. You pass the top of a hill and see the ocean spread out in front of you.

You're at home, getting ready for bed. You catch a glimpse of your calendar and say:

• あ、今日お母さんの誕生日だ！
• Oh, today is my mom's birthday!

There are some cases where it is not clear whether a だ statement should be considered self-directed or directed at others. For these examples, we think it is useful to imagine that the speaker's personal space bubble has expanded to include the listeners inside of it. Let's take a look at an example to clarify this point.

In the event of a fire, it's more important to alert the people around you of the danger than it is to construct sentences with appropriate politeness levels. With its emotional, forceful feeling, だ catches people's attention and alerts them to the urgency of the statement. Of course, the speaker's tone of voice plays a huge role in this too! While the statement is intended to alert others of danger, it is still not an interactional statement. In other words, the speaker isn't trying to strike up a polite conversation about the fire, they just want everyone to get the heck out of there!

At its core, this use of だ to warn others is just a variation of the same concept we discussed before. Remember the mouse in the ramen shop? If we reimagine the context in a very slightly different way, it could be considered an example of "sounding the alarm" as well:

If we imagine that you had muttered this statement to yourself when we described it as self-expressive, you could also have shouted it out to alert others of the rodent infestation. Or perhaps it is a blend of the two—in a moment of sudden terror, you might have unintentionally shouted the statement, which of course would also alert the other patrons. You can see how context-specific and dynamic language is, yet the basic concept that だ is more expressive than interactional remains the same.

However, this type of だ statement is not necessarily always used for good, it can also be used for evil. Imagine you are at the bank, minding your own business, when an armed robber enters the building. Just like in the movies, he announces to everyone in the bank:

• This is a stick up!

In this case, the speaker (i.e., the robber) clearly is not concerned with being socially aware in how he forms his statement. I mean, he's robbing a bank! Just like in the previous example, the speaker is only interested in disseminating information to everyone in the bank, and he couldn't care less what anyone has to say or think about it. In this way, the statement is directed at others but intended only to meet the speaker's own purposes. In addition to "sounding the alarm," so to speak, this statement is also menacing; due to the fact that the message implies danger to the listeners, だ emphasizes this threatening tone. This brings us to our next conceptual meaning of だ statements: to indicate an invasion of personal space.

When だ statements that carry a negative emotion or message are directed at a specific listener, だ adds an aggressive and assertive feeling. In this case, the listener may feel surprised, affronted, or threatened by the statement. For this reason, we refer to this use of だ as "invasive." That is, the statement invades the personal space of the listener, as you can see represented in the image above by the boxing-glove speech bubble.

This will probably be much clearer after an example. If someone has told me something that is not true, I might cry out:

• That's a lie!

While this statement is clearly motivated by the actions of a particular person, the use of だ suggests that the statement is not intended to engage the listener in discussion. While it is directed at the speaker in the sense that it is intended to have an impact, it is stripped of all feelings of social responsibility or concern for the other person's point of view. The purpose is to express the speaker's outrage, not to start a conversation. The one-sided nature of this statement is what gives it an assertive, or even confrontational, feeling.

Although the statement is one-sided, it clearly still has an effect on the listener. Invasive だ statements can be used to invade a listener's personal space, similar to the way someone might stand intimidatingly close to another during an argument. This idea is illustrated above with the boxing-glove speech bubble entering the listener's personal space bubble. This use of だ is quite confrontational, so if you choose to use it, remember that it could create quite a stir. It is often associated with masculine speech but is used across the gender spectrum when someone is enraged.

Let's examine a few more examples of invasive だ.

• 俺たちはもうおしまいだ！
• We are done! (Our relationship is over.)
• なんだこの点数は？よし、今から勉強だ！
• What the heck is this score? You must study starting right now!
• Who's the culprit?

Based on what we've discussed up to this point, you might wonder if だ always carries an emotional, alarming, or assertive nuance when used in conversation. In the next section, we will introduce a way to use だ as a communicative tool to help you talk with your friends in a more friendly and interactive way.

While the uses of だ we've discussed thus far seem to be directed at the speaker themselves, there are also cases where we use だ statements that are clearly directed at others. In these cases, だ is used because the listener is considered close enough to the speaker that their relative social statuses are not relevant or worth paying attention to by using です. Perhaps you are speaking to a friend, family member, or a friendly first-name-basis type of acquaintance. In these cases, we can imagine that the speaker and listener's personal space bubbles overlap like a Venn diagram, and an entire conversation can take place within their shared personal space.

When だ is used in casual conversations, it is frequently paired with conversational particles like よ and ね. Remember that when だ is used alone it can convey a feeling of strong emotion? Well, our particle friends help to make the statement sound softer and more interactional. Let's look at one real life situation where these particles are used in conversations. Imagine a situation where your friend is reading a comic book after school in your classroom, and you kindly inform him that there will be an exam tomorrow.

• A: 明日テストだよ。
• A: Hey, we have an exam tomorrow.
• A: 今日は徹夜だね。
• A: It's gonna be an all-nighter for you.

In the sentences above, the inclusion of particles helps the listeners know that the speaker is directing the statement toward them, and it is appropriate to respond. For example, by saying 明日テストだよ, you are reminding the listener of the test. If this is stated without the particle よ, this would sound more like a だ statement intended to express the speaker's sudden remembrance of the test. Similarly, saying 徹夜だね allows the speaker to show her empathy while suggesting the listener should study all night. Without the ね, this sentence would sound more like a strong command.

Nuances of です in Spoken Japanese

Now that we've covered the ins and outs of だ, let's switch our focus back to です. To begin, let's summarize what we have learned so far. だ statements are directed at the speaker rather than the listener and serve to communicate self-expression. They are used to convey emotions, among other things. On the other hand, です is used to direct a statement at a listener, showing the speaker's awareness of them.

Remember the conceptual image of です we introduced in the beginning of this article? In the picture, the speaker's statement is shaped like an arrow, which points directly at the listener. This represents the speaker's awareness of the listener, and the fact that it reaches out of the speaker's personal space bubble toward the listener emphasizes the line that separates the speaker and listener, which consequently raises the feeling of politeness.

This is why we almost always use です to talk to strangers or people we've just met, regardless of their age or social status. When there is distance between the speaker and the listener, we tend to use polite forms, like です. When it comes to conversations with acquaintances, however, the choice of speech style can be more than a simple decision because of the different nuances it creates. In the following sections, we will examine how distance plays a role in these different nuanced uses of です.

As you already know, using です increases the distance between people, which results in their relationship feeling more formal. です is part of the "polite speech style" in Japanese, along with the ます form of verbs. This stands in opposition to the "casual speech style," which だ is considered to be a part of. Let's dig into the cultural side of people's choice of speech style. Even though using polite speech style, such as です, with someone older than you or in a higher social position than you is a rule of thumb in Japanese society, you will see people shift their speech style from polite to casual, even while in conversation with the same person. So why do people break the rules? Let's examine some situations in which this shift in speech style occurs.

Imagine that you are talking with your senpai at work. He might offer you permission to use タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） . The word タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） consists of ため (equal) and くち (mouth), and is pronounced as ためぐち. As the word suggests, using it indicates that the speaker and listener have equal status.

We wanted to know how common this kind of invitation to use タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） really is, so we asked around to find out. More than two-thirds of the people we talked to said they have been asked to use casual speech by their senpai at school or in their workplace. Many of them also said that they gradually shift from polite speech to casual speech rather than changing their speech style right away.

If someone you know suggests you use casual speech, you might want to respond by saying something polite, such as「そうですか」or「いいんですか?」before you start using タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） . This will make you sound humble and probably endear you to the other person.

マミ あの、これなんの 書類 （ しょるい ） ですか？ </br> Mami Excuse me. Could you tell me what these documents are for?

コウイチ 敬語 （ けいご ） じゃなくていいよ。 堅苦 （ かたくる ） しいし タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） で話そう。</br> Koichi Mami, you don't have to speak so politely. It feels too formal. Let's talk more casually.

マミ そうですか？わかりました。じゃあ…そうするね。</br> Mami Oh, really? I see. Okay…I'll do that then.

If someone asks you to use タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） , it is likely that the person wants to be friends with you. Or タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） can also be a sign of romantic interest. Depending on the situation and the person who is asking you to be more casual with them, you have the choice whether or not to reduce your social distance with them. In fact, more than half of the people we asked about their タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） experiences said that they tend to reject this kind of offer. This shows some people believe using タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） is one way to get closer with people, while other people feel uncomfortable about reducing the social distance.

Between people who are roughly the same age, it is common to gradually shift from polite style to タメ口 （ 　　ぐち ） without asking one another for permission. There are also situations where people mix casual and polite speech styles from the very first time they meet. Good examples of this are 合 （ ごう ） コン (group dating parties), 新歓 （ しんかん ） (welcome parties for college freshmen), or other situations where there is an underlying consensus that people are there to get closer with one another. If the goal of the relationship is to be friends, it makes sense to start off on more casual footing.

As you can see, the way Japanese people use polite speech is closely related to their desire to regulate social distance.

So far, we have talked about situations where you use casual speech styles with someone who is older than you or in a higher social position than you. When you use polite speech style with your close friends or family members, what impact do you think this has on your communication with them? Remember that using です creates distance between the speaker and the listener. When doing this with someone who is usually in your personal space bubble, the listener will feel ejected from the bubble, which can have a comedic, sarcastic effect but can also be perceived as rude or hurtful. Let's explore how this works in real life situations.

Imagine a situation where you have a boyfriend who is bragging about getting a whole lot of chocolates from his colleagues on Valentine's Day. Instead of using your energy to complain about his lack of sensitivity, you can say the following sentence, keeping the tone of your voice low for effect.

• へー、良かったですねー。
• Oh, good for you.

Saying this in a casual speech form would still communicate your true thoughts, which is that you're not happy about what he told you, if you manipulate the tone of your voice and facial expressions to show sarcasm. But the addition of です, makes your boyfriend feel you are creating distance between the two of you, and this makes your statement sound even colder. Remember, です emphasizes distance and creates certain nuances only when you use it with someone who you normally talk to in casual speech style.

Let's look at another example. Say your friend tapped you on the shoulder to show you a tall tower of Cheerios that they just made. They want you to share in their glory, but you are underwhelmed.

見て、できた！チェリオタワー！</br> Look! I built a Cheerio tower!

• はいはい、すごいですね〜。
• Okay, okay. That's great.

Again, you can create a sarcastic tone by changing your voice quality and facial expression. Saying this with です, emphasizes the fact that you are actually not impressed by the tower. This can also be a friendly joke since you sound like you're imitating an elementary school teacher giving a compliment to a child. This point will be discussed more in the next section.

If you're not careful, however, this sarcasm can be interpreted as being condescending and rude. For example, imagine you are in a heated tennis match and your opponent says to you:

• あれ、疲れた？さっきまでの元気はどこですか？
• Ah, tired? What happened to all that energy you had just now?

Saying this without ですか is still mean, but including ですか emphasizes the fact that there is suddenly distance between you and your opponent. This distance makes the listener feel they are looked down upon.

This kind of statement might remind you of anime characters that use polite speech during a battle or sports match. For example, Frieza from Dragon Ball uses polite speech on a regular basis, even during battles, so as to present himself as superior to his opponent. He changes his speech style to plain form, however, when he gets into trouble or loses a battle. In this way, the manga writer effectively shows a shift in the character's energy and mental state, simply by switching between だ and です.

By now, we hope you can see that your choice of speech style is associated with how you want to present yourself in relation to the person you're speaking to. In the following section, we will take this even further by showing you how you can present a different "version" of yourself by switching speech style.

We've talked about how です creates distance between speakers and listeners, resulting in different nuances in communication. Another way this distance affects our communication is that it allows speakers to step into a different social role. What do we mean by a "different social role?" Well, in life we wear many different "hats," and we can use the way we speak to indicate which hat we are wearing at a given moment.

Let's use the example of elementary school teachers to clarify this point. In Japanese schools, teachers typically use polite speech style to address their classes as a whole. By emphasizing their role as a teacher using polite speech, they can keep their students aware of the fact that they are in school where kids have to learn certain social rules and manners.

There are conditions, however, where teachers change their speech style in the middle of what they are saying. What motivates their choice of one speech style over the other is how they want to present themselves within the narrative of a given moment. Let's examine an example conversation between a teacher and his students.

先生 今日の日直誰 ですか 。</br> Teacher Who's on duty today?

森 佐藤くん です 。</br> Mori It's Satō.

先生 黒板に名前書き忘れてるぞ、佐藤。ちゃんと書いとけよ。</br> Teacher You didn't write your name down on the blackboard, Satō. Do it later.

佐藤 あ。はい。</br> Satō Oh, okay.

先生 忘れんなよ。はい、じゃあ、朝の会始め ましょう 。</br> Teacher Don't forget. Okay, anyway, let's start the morning meeting.

As you can see, teachers use polite speech style to address the whole class when talking about something that is relevant to everyone. When they talk to a specific student about something that is relevant only to that student, they are more likely to use casual speech. This is because what they say is more or less personal when they address particular students. When they address the whole class however, teachers tend to use です to show that they are now engaged in a social activity they are responsible for. In other words, teachers use です to signal that their focus is on the class, and they are well aware of their role as a teacher.

Taking everything you've learned so far about how です and だ affect the meaning of spoken Japanese, let's look at one final example and see how the concepts apply. We'll be drawing from all the previous sections, so think of this as a mini-review. Here goes!

Imagine you're watching the Nichihamu baseball team play a game at the Sapporo Dome. Now that you've read this article, you're becoming more aware of how だ and です are used in real life, and you notice that the announcer keeps switching between these casual and polite forms throughout the game. Why does she make these changes in her speech? Check out the dialogue below, and see if you can apply the concepts you learned to account for her language choices. Once you've had a chance to think about the effects of だ and です in this dialogue, hover or tap the blurred text below to reveal our analysis and compare it with your own.

• バッターは４番中田 です 。いい打球 です が...ファウルです。２球目...いい打球 だ ！
• The next batter is number 4, Nakata. A good hit, but it's a foul. The second pitch... he knocks it out of the park!

In the next section on how です and だ are used in writing, you'll see how writers can also play with this system to add character and finesse to their writing.

Now that you have been initiated into the secrets of だ and です, let's turn our attention to how they are used in different types of writing. Along the way, you will see how the general concepts of だ and です we've seen in speaking can also be applied to writing, albeit with sometimes differing effects. You will also get a feel for the differences between written and spoken Japanese, as well as their ever-increasing similarities.

We'll begin with the conceptual difference between です and だ in Japanese writing. This section will also feel very abstract, so we'll rely on images for help. Take a look at the image below to get a visual sense of how です feels in writing.

Remember how です is used in speech for communication that is consciously directed toward other people? This same idea applies to written Japanese.

In the image, the writer is directly addressing the readers. Just like spoken です, the writer's focus is on the audience. They are thinking about the reader as they write, and the intention is to produce polite, socially-aware communication. Writing with です therefore carries a soft tone and gives the impression that the writer is speaking to the reader.

So what about だ? Remember, だ statements in spoken Japanese allow a speaker to focus on self-expression. In other words, these statements are not overtly interactional because they stay within the speaker's personal space.

In writing, the theory remains the same. Unlike です, だ is used in formal written communication to take on an informative and objective tone. In the image above, the writer is focused on what they want to express in their writing, and the readers are interested in the information being relayed.

In more casual writing, such as chat or social media posts between friends, だ works in just about the same way as it does in spoken Japanese.

In other words, the underlying principle of だ for self-expression holds, but has a differing effect according to the context.

Again, our concepts might feel a bit hazy at this point, but this is because they are applicable across all contexts. In order to make these concepts more concrete, in a moment we'll be taking a look at various different media, from formal to informal and everything in between.

Before diving into that, however, let's see how this conceptual understanding of だ and です can be applied to traditional Japanese writing styles.

Traditional Writing Styles and Rules

Japanese writing can be divided into two major styles, often called です・ます style and だ・である style.

The term です・ます style is simply another way to refer to the polite style with です that we have already looked at in the speaking section. This style follows the same broad concept that です represents in speaking. In other words, です shows engagement with social rules and therefore directs the writing specifically toward the reader.

The だ・である style can be equated with that of だ in speaking, though its impact varies dramatically according to the level of formality. This fits in with the idea that だ is "raw" and can therefore be used to show naked emotions and bare facts alike, without the sense of social etiquette that is part and parcel of です・ます style.

If we delve a little deeper, だ・である style can also be broken down further into two distinct styles. With impeccable logic, these two styles are known as だ style and—you guessed it—である style. They are often treated as one and the same because they come under the umbrella of だ for self-expression, implying a lack of focus on the audience.

When it comes to actual writing styles, however, だ style and である style are usually considered separate as they carry different nuances. To put it simply, だ is plain and である is a bit more authoritative and formal.

For that reason, だ style is usually referred to as plain style, and である style is referred to variously in textbooks as plain-formal, literary, or expository style. です・ます style remains one set, referred to as polite style.

This rule of consistency is particularly important when it comes to academic papers, school essays, newspaper reports, and other types of "informative" writing.

With all these different writing styles, it will come as no surprise that there are some set rules of thumb that writers are expected to follow. One such rule is to stick to the same style within one piece of writing. This rule of consistency is particularly important when it comes to academic papers, school essays, newspaper reports, and other types of "informative" writing. Going against this rule could make the writing seem of lower quality and is generally frowned upon.

In many genres of writing, however, the styles may be mixed. The rules tend to be bent, or outright broken, when it comes to blogs, novels, or any other more "expressive" form of writing. In such writing, this mixing is used as a clever device to convey complex nuances.

Mastering this concoction is the key to fully understanding Japanese writing. By the end of this section, we hope you will have a thorough understanding of how だ and です function in Japanese writing. To get you there, we're going to take a look at writing style across a range of different genres, starting with the ones that follow the rules. Just like Picasso, let's learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.

Genres with Consistent Style

As we just learned above, a basic rule of Japanese writing is to stick with one style. So if you start with です・ます style, don't switch to だ style or である style halfway through your composition. In this section, we will walk you through a variety of genres that tend to uphold this rule.

We're going to start with the formal end of written Japanese and gradually work our way through various media to finish with the most casual. This means that we will begin with である. While texts that use である style are the same in other ways to texts with だ, the simple fact of switching out だ with である can change the feeling the reader has when they read the text.

である style is overwhelmingly employed in academic writing, particularly in published research papers, theses, and dissertations. This is because the information under discussion is objective, rigorous, and intended to be persuasive, making the authoritative and formal tone of である fitting in this kind of writing.

Lighter academic writing exercises such as high school essays, on the other hand, tend to use だ style instead. This is because である style is a bit too assertive and authoritative, and generally feels inappropriate for not-so-authoritative writing. In fact, one of our writers, Mami, was laughed at by her literature teacher back in high school for writing an essay in である style. The である style can have a high-and-mighty connotation, so its use as base form is generally limited.

So the choice of writing style is more about the text's content and intended audience. である style is often used when the text is issued by some sort of authority, whereas plain old だ style is for more neutral and lighter texts.

As we've discussed above, である is primarily used in formal contexts, and conveys a certain authority in a stern, official sounding manner. The image above shows the first part of the Japanese Constitution. Needless to say, this is a very formal document, and である is the obvious choice to convey this formality.

The writing is not aimed at communicating with the reader but stating information that is "set in stone" and not up for discussion.

While です・ます style is obviously inappropriate, the formal だ style would not be too far off the mark. However, である style is favored in these contexts in order to convey the gravity of the subject matter.

Official documents, such as government reports and policy documents, are also primarily written in である style, like this document below.

However, to make these kinds of documents more user-friendly and easier to read, they sometimes make use of other writing styles. The following image is a page from a government-issued information packet , and three different styles are mixed in here.

In the image, the main, "informative" part of the document is written in である style, conveying facts in an authoritative manner. However, です style appears inside the speech bubble. Just like in actual speech, です・ます style shows that the writer is trying to make their message more accessible to the readers by creating the feeling that they are talking to their audience.

です・ます style is often associated with simple, easy-to-read instructions or guidelines addressing the reader directly. So even in formal writing, if information is portrayed as being directed toward the reader, です・ます style will almost always be favored.

Finally, you'll notice in this text that there are quite a few sentences that end with neither です・ます style nor である style, but simply with a noun or na-adjective. We won't go into this in detail in this article, but suffice it to say that this sort of ending is generally reserved for situations when clever use of space is paramount, such as captions, bullet points, and newspaper headlines. It can also be used to add some variety to a text and make it feel less monotonous.

We should point out that, even though styles are mixed within the document, the style within each section remains consistent, so it is still following the rules.

The purpose of news media is to convey information in a purely objective manner without the sense that this information carries authority. Here, だ style is usually preferred over である style to reflect the ideal that journalists should maintain a neutral voice in their writing, rather than trying to persuade the reader of their point of view.

As we mentioned earlier, headlines and photo captions omit です, だ, or である to conserve space, and this can even be seen within the body of articles to add a bit of variety to the text. Some news magazines also mix だ and である styles to give more flavor to their writing.

Within the same newspaper, the style can also vary depending on the type of writing. In editorials and other pieces that are addressing the reader directly, です・ます style can be used. Other styles, including である or very casual styles, can also be mixed in strategically to spice up writing and convey various nuances and different personas.

Not all news media outlets follow these general principles, however. While most online newspapers use だ style for fact reporting, NHK News Web has opted for です・ます style.

There are two possible reasons for this choice. Unlike newspapers, NHK doesn't have a print edition, and so it doesn't have to work within a limited space. That means they can freely address readers directly and politely by using です・ます to make their articles more accessible and sound friendly.

Another explanation could be that NHK is first and foremost a broadcaster, which might have influenced their choice of a more "spoken" style. We sent out a question to NHK, asking why they chose です・ます style, but the answer hasn't come in yet. We'll update this article with the reason once we hear from them. NHKさん、おねがいしま〜す！

Genres with Mixed Writing Style

Good stories are full of fascinating writing techniques, and in Japanese, the mixture of writing styles is one such technique.

So far we've examined genres of writing that are stylistically consistent, but there are plenty of situations where writers can depart from convention and rules can be bent or broken. When's the last time a novel moved you to tears? Or made you feel excited, sad, or scared? Novelists have a whole host of tricks up their sleeves to make their writing jump off the page and under our skin.

Good stories are full of fascinating writing techniques, and in Japanese, the mixture of writing styles is one such technique. This intentional breaking of the style consistency rule has become increasingly commonplace in contemporary Japanese writing, from novels and essays to everyday casual messages or social media posts.

This article isn't a course on Japanese literary techniques, so we'll only provide a glimpse here. Still, you'll come away with a good grip of how to manipulate readers by the strings of です and だ, according to the underlying concepts of each.

Creative writers tend to select one style as the prominent voice in their writing. However, they can intentionally mix in other styles to add different effects. Let's look at two ways in which these writing techniques are applied.

The following is an excerpt from Banana Yoshimoto's critically acclaimed novel, Kitchen .

しんと暗く、なにも息づいていない。見慣れていたはずのすべてのものが、まるでそっぽをむいているではない です か。私はただいまと言うよりはお邪魔しますと告げて抜き足で入りたくなる。</br></br> Cold and dark, not a sigh to be heard. Everything there, which should have been so familiar, seemed to be turning away from me. I entered gingerly, on tiptoe, feeling as though I should ask permission. (Translation by Megan Backus.)

Yoshimoto mainly uses だ style in this novel, but she switches to です style in the second sentence to make the reader feel as though the character is stepping out of the story momentarily to directly address the reader. This adds a feeling of sudden interaction with the reader, which is nearly impossible to reflect in the English translation.

Now let's take a look at another way of mixing styles in this excerpt from Osamu Dazai's short story, Villon's Wife .

その夜、十時すぎ、私は中野の店をおいとまして、坊やを背負い、小金井の私たちの家にかえりました。やはり夫は帰って来ていませんでしたが、しかし私は、平気でした。あすまた、あのお店へ行けば、夫に逢えるかも知れない。どうして私はいままで、こんないい事に気づかなかったのかしら。きのうまでの私の苦労も、所詮は私が馬鹿で、こんな名案に思いつかなかったからなの だ 。私だって昔は浅草の父の屋台で、客あしらいは決して下手ではなかったのだから、これからあの中野のお店できっと巧く立ちまわれるに違いない。現に今夜だって私は、チップを五百円ちかくもらったの だ もの。</br></br> Sometime after ten, I strap the boy to my back and return to our home in Koganei. My husband isn't here, but I'm not bothered. Tomorrow I'll be back at the shop, and maybe I'll see him there. I wonder why I didn't think of this in the first place. I did all that agonizing only because I was too stupid to come up with this brilliant little plan. I was always good at dealing with customers when I was helping at my father's oden stand, and I know I'll get on well at the place in Nakano. Tonight, in fact, I earned almost five hundred yen in tips. (Translation by Ralph McCarthy.)

In this story, the main character uses です・ます style for general narration, but switches to だ style when she begins to share her inner thoughts. This gives the sense that the character is turning her awareness inward but is allowing the reader in on her internal monologue.

While our examples are limited to novels, authors use these style-mixing techniques in a range of creative writing genres, from essays and editorials to advertisements and newspaper columns. Even in expository writing such as textbooks, guide books, or blog posts, you may notice that style mixing is used to make the writing more impactful and engaging.

In fact, most native Japanese speakers use style mixture to some extent, and social media posts are a great example of this.

While official accounts—like those belonging to government authorities or the local police force—post formal messages that are consistent in style, casual posts tend to mix styles depending on what the writer wants to convey. This kind of writing is often close in style to spoken Japanese, and similar rules apply.

Let's have a look at a typical social media post to give you an idea:

Original:</br> 昨日撮ったツツジの写真です 満開の花はやっぱりきれいだー

Translation:</br> Here's a picture of a rhododendron that I took yesterday. Flowers in full bloom really are beautiful!

The first sentence introduces the topic and tells the account's followers what is in the attached picture. Then, in the second sentence, the style switches to casual to express the writer's inner thoughts, admiring the beauty of the flowers in full bloom.

Social media posts are often loaded with style mixing, as people can freely weave their thoughts in a message to their followers.

Text messages are another good example of how people mix different writing styles in a similar way to when they are speaking.

The biggest difference from Twitter is that you are interacting with a specific person or a group of people when texting. This means that your writing style is affected by the relationship between you and the recipients of your texts.

Look at the text message on the LINE screen to the left. There are two people in this LINE chat, one lives in the US and the other in Japan. They are trying to set up a time for a phone call. You can see that they mostly use a casual writing style, which is a good sign that they are close friends. However, in the final message you can see that the writer switches to です when referring to her lunch break at work:

ちなみに今、こちらは13:07でお昼休み です 。</br> By the way, it's 1:07 p.m. here (in Japan), and I'm on my lunch break.

So why does she suddenly use です here, even though she's texting with a close friend? If you recall what we talked about in the speaking section of this article, the use of です is all about distance. While this can result in heightened formality and politeness, it can also allow us to create distance between our personal self and the social roles that we play. In the case of this LINE text, the person is using です to place distance between herself as a friend and herself as an office worker. This strategy also adds variety to the writing while drawing attention to certain information.

In fact, writing style mixture happens almost as much in texting as it does in speech. In our technological age, texting is quickly becoming more common and more interactional, and is beginning to blur the lines between written and spoken language. You will see style mixing in text messages that has the same effects as in speech, but don't be alarmed. With your newly-found conceptual understanding of です and だ, have confidence that you'll be able to interpret its meaning.

Who would have thought that there is so much to learn about です and だ? While this article was long and winding, we hope you can see how the basic concepts of です as socially-oriented and だ as self-oriented have remained consistent throughout. The effect that these concepts have on communication can vary depending on context, but underneath it all, their basic meaning remains the same.

Now that you're familiar with these core concepts, try applying them as you come across です and だ in real life. What shade of meaning do they add to a sentence? Better yet, experiment with applying these concepts to your own Japanese. Rather than trying to memorize rules from your textbook, think of these concepts as a kind of toolkit you can use to express yourself in a way that is most appropriate to your personality, and to all the weird and wonderful situations you find yourself in.

これでおしまい です 。

Yo, what up with the slang?

Casual patterns and slang.

While comprehensively covering slang and relevant vocabulary would require a book in and of itself (a book that would soon become out of date), I'll instead cover some broad patterns and common phenomenon which will at least help you get started in understanding the most common aspects of Japanese slang. There is no particular order in the material presented here and I expect this page to grow continuously as I find different things to cover.

Please note that slang is also heavily influenced by local dialects. Although all the material presented here is valid for the greater Tokyo area, your mileage may vary depending on where you are located.

Basic Principles of Slang

In the world of slang, anything goes and rules that apply to written Japanese are often broken. The most difficult part is that, of course, you can't just say whatever you want. When you break the rules, you have to break it the correct way. Taking what you learned from textbooks or Japanese classes and applying it to the real world is not so easy because it is impossible to teach all the possible ways things can get jumbled up in the spoken language. Learning how to speak naturally with all the correct idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies in a language is something that requires practice with real people in real-world situations. In this section, we'll look at some common patterns and themes that will at least help you get an idea of where the majority of slang originates from.

One thing you'll soon realize when you first start talking to Japanese people in real life is that many sounds are slurred together. This is especially true for males. The fact is voices in instructional material such as language tapes often exaggerate the pronunciation of each letter in order to make aural comprehension easier. In reality, not all the sounds are pronounced as clearly as it should be and things end up sounding different from how it's written on paper.

There is one major driving factor behind the majority of slang in Japanese. The primary goal of most slang is to make things easier to say. In other words, the goal is to reduce or simplify the movement of your mouth. There are two primary ways in which this is accomplished, 1) By making things shorter or, 2) By slurring the sounds together. We have already seen many examples of the first method such as shortening 「かもしれない」 to 「かも」 or preferring 「と」 to the longer conditional forms. The second method makes things easier to say usually by substituting parts of words with sounds that fit better with the sounds surrounding it or by merging two or more sounds together. For example, the same 「かもしれない」 might be pronounced 「かもしんない」 since 「しん」 requires less movement than 「しれ」.

Let's see some more examples of words that get shortened or slurred. Try saying both versions to get a feel for how the slang saves space and some calories for your mouth.

（A）　ここはつまらないから私の家に行こう。 （B）　ここ つまんない から、 私んち 行こう。

（A）　まったく、いつまでこんなところで、ぐずぐずするんだよ。 （B）　 ったく 、いつまでこんな とこ で、ぐずぐずすんだよ。

You'll see that a great deal of slang in Japanese stems from this single principle of making things easier to say. It's very natural because it's guided by how your mouth moves. With a fair amount of practice, you should be able to naturally pick up shorter, alternative pronunciations and incorporate them into your own speech.

Sentence ordering and particles (or the lack thereof)

Conversations are sporadic and chaotic in any language and it's common for people to say the first thing that pops into their head without thinking out the whole proper sentence.

（A） それは何？ - What is that?

（B） 何それ？ - What? That. (Two sentences lumped into one)

Sometimes, the first thing that pops into your head might be main verb. But if the main verb has already slipped out of your mouth, you're now left with the rest of the sentence without a verb to complete the thought. In conversational Japanese, it's perfectly acceptable to have the verb come first using the same technique we just saw by breaking them into two sentences. The second sentence is incomplete of course, but that kind of thing is common in the speech of any language.

（１） 見た？ あの人？ - Did you see? That guy?

（２） もう食べた？昨日買ったアイス。 - You ate it already? The ice cream I bought yesterday.

Using 「じゃん」 instead of 「じゃない」 to confirm

「じゃん」 is an abbreviation of 「じゃない」, the negative conjugation for nouns and na-adjectives. However, this only applies to 「じゃない」 used in the following fashion.

（１） サラリーマンだから、残業はたくさんするん じゃない ？ -Because he’s a salaryman, doesn’t he do a lot of overtime?

The important thing to note about the example above is that 「じゃない」 here is actually confirming the positive. In fact, a closer translation is, “Because he’s a salaryman, he probably does a lot of overtime.” But it’s still a question so there’s a slight nuance that you are seeking confirmation even though you are relatively sure.

「じゃん」 is a shorter slang for expressing the same type of thing except it doesn’t even bother to ask a question to confirm. It’s completely affirmative in tone.

In fact, the closest equivalent to 「じゃん」 is 「じゃない」 used in the following fashion.

（２） まあ、いいじゃない。 - Well, it’s probably fine (don’t you think?).

This type of expression is the only case where you can attach 「じゃない」 directly to i-adjectives and verbs. Once you actually hear this expression in real life, you’ll see that it has a distinct pronunciation that is different from simply using the negative. Plus, you have to realize that this type of 「じゃない」 sounds rather mature and feminine, unlike 「じゃん」, which is gender-neutral.

Like the above, specialized use of 「じゃない」, you can also attach 「じゃん」 directly to verbs and i-adjectives as well as the usual nouns and na-adjectives. Because slang is usually created to make things easier, it’s not surprising that the rules for using 「じゃん」 are so lax and easy.

• Though derived from 「じゃない」, 「じゃん」 is always used to confirm the positive.
• It can be attached to the end of any sentence regardless of whether it ends in a noun, adjective, verb, or adverb.

Finally, let’s get to the examples. Hopefully, you can see that 「じゃん」 is basically saying something along the lines of, “See, I’m right, aren’t I?”

（１） ほら、やっぱりレポートを書かないとだめ じゃん 。 -See, as I thought, you have to write the report.

（２） 誰もいないからここで着替えてもいい じゃん 。 -Since there’s nobody, it’s probably fine to change here.

（A） たかし君は、ここにいる？ - Is Takashi here? （B） 知らない。- Dunno. （A) あっ！やっぱ、いる じゃん ！- Ah! See, he is here!

There’s also another variation, which attaches the question marker as well. The meaning is mostly the same but it adds more to the questioning, confirming tone.

（A) 駅の近くにカラオケがある じゃんか 。- There’s a karaoke place near the station, right? （B) うん。- Yeah. （A) あそこのすぐ隣だ。- It’s right next to there.

Using 「つ」 for 「という」

This may sound hard to believe but if you really slur 「という」 together, it becomes something resembling 「つ」. Or least, that's what somebody thought when he or she began replacing 「という」 with 「つ」 or in some case 「つう」.

Now, in my opinion, 「つ」 is a lot harder to say than 「という」 so using it like a native might take a bit of practice. Rather than making things easier to say, as is usually the case, the real purpose of this substitution is to sound rougher because 「つ」 has a harder, hissing sound. This is ideal for when you're pissed or for that young and rough image you've always wanted. As you might expect, this type of speech is usually used by males or very tough females.

（１） つうか 、なんでお前がここにいんのよ！ -Or rather, why are you here?!

（２） 宿題で時間がない つって んのに、みきちゃんとデートしにいったらしい。 -Although he's saying he doesn't have time due to homework, I hear he went on a date with Miki-chan.

（３） 明日は試験だぞ。 つっても 、勉強はしてないだろうな。 -Yo, tomorrow's the test. Even if I say that, you probably didn't study anyway, huh?

（４） だから、違うんだ つう の！ -Like I said, you're wrong!

If you want even more emphasis, you can even add a small 「つ」. This usually means you are really at the brink of your patience.

（４） だから、違うんだ っつう の！ -Like I said, you're wrong!

Using 「ってば」 and 「ったら」to show exasperation

１） もう行くっ てば ！ -I told you I'm going already!

２） あなた ったら 、いつも忘れるんだから。 -You're always forgetting.

Using 「なんか」 just about everywhere

（A） なにか 食べる？ -Eat something?

（B） なんか 食べる？ -Eat something?

１） 今日は、 なんか 忙しいみたいよ。 -I guess he's like busy today.

While 「なんか」 is a shorter version of 「なにか」, only 「なんか」 can be used in this way as a filler.

誤） 今日は、 なにか 忙しいみたいよ。 -（「なにか」 cannot be used as a filler word.）

Let's take a look at a few more examples.

１） なんか ね。お風呂って超気持ちいいよね！ -Like, baths feel really good, huh?

２） お母さんが、 なんか 明日まで戻らないんだってよ。 -Mom said she's not coming back until like tomorrow.

３） なんか さ。ボブは、私のこと なんか 本当に好きかな？ -Hey like, do you really think that Bob likes somebody like me?

Showing contempt for an action with 「～やがる」

In order to use 「やがる」, you simply attach it to the stem of the verb. After that, 「やがる」 conjugated just like a regular u-verb.

１） あんなやつに 負けやがって 。じゃ、どうすんだよ？ -Losing to a guy like that. Well, what are you going to do?

２） やる気か？だったらさっさと 来やがれ ！ -You want to fight? If so, then hurry up and come on!

Copyright © 2003-2009 Tae Kim (taekim.japanese AT gmail.com)

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How to have an informal conversation in Japanese: Phrases to use

Test Your Ability! Japanese Informal Phrases

1. What does “おはよう” (Ohayou) mean in English?

• B. Good morning
• C. Thank you

2. How would you say “How are you?” in Japanese?

• A. こんにちは (Konnichiwa)
• B. ごめんね (Gomen ne)
• C. 元気？ (Genki?)

3. What’s the English translation of “ウケル～” (Ukeru~)?

• A. Seriously?
• B. LOL / That’s hilarious!

4. When might you use the expression “いいよ！” (Ii yo!)?

• A. To apologize
• B. To express agreement or enthusiasm
• C. To say goodbye

5. Which phrase can be used to express disbelief or excitement?

• A. すごい (Sugoi)
• B. ありがとう (Arigatou)
• C. なんで (Nande)

6. What does “やば(い)” (Yabai) mean?

• B. Risky / Dangerous / Awesome / Woah

7. How would you apologize for something in Japanese?

• A. ありがとう (Arigatou)
• C. なんでやねん (Nande yane)

8. What’s the romaji for “いや～” (Iya~)?

9. Translate “ほんと” (Honto) to English.

• A. Seriously
• B. Good job

10. Which phrase is used to acknowledge someone’s effort or work?

• B. お疲れ (Otsukare)
• C. すごい (Sugoi)

Answers For The Quiz

Remember that the appropriateness of slang and casual phrases depends on the context and your relationship with the person you’re talking to. It’s generally best to use these in informal settings and with friends. Additionally, the pronunciation and nuance of slang can vary by region, so some expressions might be more commonly used in certain areas of Japan.

Now armed with these phrases, go ahead and dive into the world of casual Japanese conversations! Whether you’re navigating karaoke mishaps or planning your next hangout, these expressions will add a touch of authenticity to your language exchange.

Now try out this conversation practice video: 

@cotoacademy don’t go too cray cray at the karaokayy👌🔥🎤 #cotoacademy #japanese #learnjapanese #fyp #fypシ #survivaljapanese #practicejapaneseconversation #japaneseconversation #kanji #karaoke #karaokeinjapan #learningjapanese🇯🇵 #learningjapanese ♬ Fun and happy whistling and ukulele(930822) – yutaka.T

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Informal and casual Japanese language

by Jake Hallows

If you’ve started learning Japanese, one thing you might have noticed is that the phrases you’re learning are pretty formal. Of course, a lot of language learning journeys start like that. You learn the polite, basic terms before you start moving on to the more relaxed language that you can use with friends and family. However, Japanese is a little different. Formality is a key pillar of Japanese society.

So, what about くだけた (Kudaketa – Casual) language? Surely you get to use it once in a while, right? Well rest assured; くだけた language absolutely has its place in Japan. Whether it’s talking with friends or family, even close colleagues, the more casual side of the Japanese language gets its time in the sun too. Today, I’ll be taking you through some of the more common ways to make your speech sound friendly and casual.

What exactly isくだけた Japanese?

To put it in simple terms, くだけた Japanese is the Japanese you use in informal situations, such as with friends, family or those younger than you. Generally, くだけた Japanese phrases are shorter and easier to say than their formal equivalents. Unlike 敬語 (Keigo – Formal language) and 丁寧語 (Teineigo – Polite language), くだけた Japanese uses the base form of verbs in their shorter conjugation forms. Confused? Let’s walk through some of the more common forms of verbs that come up in くだけた Japanese.

For this section, we’ll use the verb 行く (Iku – To go) as our example.

行く (I go)

This is the dictionary form of 行く, which also happens to be the form that verbs take in present tense くだけた Japanese. This one’s easy enough, right? You can use the base form of any verb and it will be くだけた language.

行った (Itta - I went)

This time we have the くだけた past tense form. Compared to the 丁寧語 version of the verb 行きました (Ikimashita), 行った is considerably shorter. This highlights one of the reasons people use くだけた Japanese; It’s easier to say!

行かない (Ikanai – I don’t go)

Here is the くだけた negative present tense form. In 丁寧語, this would be 行きません (Ikimasen). Once again, this shows how much time you can save using the more casual conjugations of verbs.

行かなかった (Ikanakatta – I didn’t go)

This is the くだけた negative past tense. The 丁寧語 for this would be 行きませんでした (Ikimasen deshita). As you can see, the くだけた version is definitely less of a mouthful.

You might be wondering why we haven’t covered the future tense. Well that’s because it doesn’t exist in the Japanese language! Of course, there are ways to discuss the future in the language, but generally the present tense can be used for the future tense as well (in the right context).

So, you just need to use shorter verbs for perfect くだけた Japanese?

If that’s what you’re thinking, then I’m sorry but I’ve got to inform you that that isn’t the case. Not only do the verbs get shorter, but other parts of the sentence can be removed altogether! What I’m talking about are ‘Particles’.

“What are particles?” I hear you ask. Well, particles in Japanese are characters that mark certain parts of the sentence to give you information about it. It’s easier to explain with an example, so here’s the vocab we’ll be using.

• · あなた (Anata – You)
• · 店 (Mise – Shop)

あなたは店に行きますか (Are you going to the shop?)

Here’s our example sentence. There are three particles being used here. The first is は (wa). This is used to mark the subject of a sentence. It’s very commonly used.

The second is に (Ni). This particle has many uses, and is often used to show the location of an action. In this context, it follows a location.

And the last is か (Ka). か is used to mark a question, or to show a lack of information. This normally comes at the end of the sentence, just like a question mark.

As I mentioned earlier, in くだけた Japanese we can get rid of most particles. So, what does our example sentence look like now?

あなた店いく？

That got a lot shorter, didn’t it? Not only is it quicker and easier to say, it’s also considerably easier to type or text this way. The benefits of using this kind of language are clear to see.

I’ve mastered it all now, right?

Again, I’m afraid to inform you that there’s still more to learn. Not only do you take words away in くだけた Japanese, but you can add words too! These phrases are used to emphasize your feelings about a certain topic.

なんて (Nante) is a term often used to express one’s surprise or emotion at something unexpected or that you just learnt about. Let’s look at an example.

試合に行くなんて嬉しい (Shiai ni iku nante ureshii - I’m so happy I get to go to the game!)

Here, なんて is used to emphasize just how happy the speaker is to be able to go to the game. Just adding this single word can make a big difference to what your Japanese sounds like!

The second is もんか (Monka – I won’t). It can be used in a few ways, but we’re going to look at how it’s used to show a strong determination. It’s normally used at the end of a sentence, following a verb in its plain form. Here’s an example:

負けるもんか (I won’t give in!)

Sounds pretty cool right? It’s a term that’s used a lot in ドラマ (Dorama – TV dramas) and アニメ (Anime).

Is there more…?

No need to worry, today’s lesson is over. Whilst there’s a lot to learn about くだけた Japanese, we covered a lot of the fundamentals today which will help you out a lot in the future, so make sure you don’t forget them! If you’re looking for opportunities to see some くだけた Japanese in action, my recommendation is to try read some 漫画 (Manga – Japanese comics) or watch a ドラマ. Best of luck!

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Casual Conversational Phrases for Beginners

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Guide to Japanese Slang

By Alexis Goss | Created September 22, 2020

This article is a part of our extensive series of guides on how to learn Japanese.

Do you want to sound cool when you’re talking with your Japanese friends? Are you trying to figure out what your favorite anime characters are shouting? Does Japanese internet slang seem incomprehensible to you? You’re not alone! We’ve compiled a few Japanese slang words to get you started on your path to casual conversation. This guide is for people who want to learn casual vocabulary they can’t find in basic textbooks. We’ve sorted some cool words by region, age group, and difficulty. There are even some tips on how to learn more!

From Beginner to Pro

Our bi-weekly emails for beginners to low intermediate students will give you the tips and motivation to self-study Japanese your way to Japanese fluency.

Why learn Japanese slang?

First and foremost, it’s fun to feel included in the conversations around you! If you’re speaking super formally at your friend’s karaoke party you’re going to sound stiff. Casual speech shows you’re part of the group even if you’re worried about using slang yourself, you’ll still need to understand what the people around you are saying. The great thing is that a lot of Japanese slang words are written in hiragana or katakana, so you don’t have to get hung up on the kanji.

Sticking to polite language can be helpful in introducing yourself as someone who cares about getting things right and respecting others, but if you never use casual speech you’ll seem like a standoffish person who doesn’t want to be friends. Try and balance your language so you seem professional but approachable when appropriate. 

When can I use Japanese slang words?

The Japanese language places a heavy emphasis on politeness, and the last thing you want to do is say something you’re going to cringe over later. Japanese is known for its many levels of politeness, from differential keigo to standard classroom desu-masu form to casual language you’d use around friends.

Reading the room

A good marker of whether it’s ok to use slang is if others around you are using it. Paying attention to everyone else’s speech patterns can help a lot when figuring out who wants to stay on polite terms and who’s happy to joke around with you. Just be careful, sometimes your teacher or boss will speak casually to you but still expect you to be polite back!

The first time you meet someone, stick to polite desu-masu form and adjust based on how they and others around them respond. It’s always better to be too polite than to accidentally be rude. If you ignore how everyone else is acting and go off on your own, people will think you’re KY!

What’s KY ? Scroll down to our list of slang words to find out!

Politeness registers

You can think of Japanese as having four basic layers of politeness, with the super polite level being reserved for specific industries and situations. You start off on the polite level, move down to casual once you get to know someone and they indicate it’s ok, and then step into slang when you’re close and they start using it with you.

Extra-Polite ( keigo ) customer service, extremely formal situations

Polite ( desu-masu ) strangers, superiors, older people

Casual ( da-ru ) coworkers, juniors, younger people

Slang close friends

Generally, you should use polite speech with strangers, people older than you, and people with more authority than you. People tend to slip into casual speech when talking to friends, children, and underlings. Some Japanese people will intentionally use formal speech with foreigners because they think it’s easier to understand. Others stick to casual with foreigners because they perceive that to be the norm in foreign cultures. Don’t take things personally or overthink their word choice, that leads to unnecessary stress. If you’re confused about how politeness levels are being used, try to observe how the Japanese people around you talk to other Japanese people.

Japanese swear words

In English, we have a set number of “swear” words that kids and news anchors aren’t allowed to say. Japanese has plenty of rude words, but whether they’re inappropriate or not depends a lot on context. A child could say a word and have it mean “idiot” while the same word from an adult could mean “dick”. Insulting your friend could be endearing depending on your relationship but insulting a stranger is sure to cause trouble. Make sure you experiment with these kinds of words among friends before you accidentally call your boss or potential friend something you’ll regret.

Check out more insults in our Japanese slang used in manga & anime section or click here to scroll back to the table of contents .

Japanese Slang Words Based on Your Japanese Level

We know it can be intimidating to learn new words, so try to find some you can pepper into the phrases you already know.

Need help learning Japanese? Check out our ultimate guide to learning Japanese !

Beginner Japanese slang words

Here are some words you can use on their own. No need to worry about grammar or the rest of the sentence, just react to what’s going on!

If you need help figuring out how to pronounce Japanese words, hop on over to our guide to Japanese speaking .

やばい ( yabai ) can mean “good” or “bad” depending on the context. Think of it like the English phrase “no way”.

“I just won the lottery!” “ Yabai !” “I just got fired!” “ Yabai !”

ダサい ( dasai ) means “uncool”. It’s the sort of words teenagers call their parents when they try to show interest in a “young person” thing.

「うちのパパ、マジでダサいんだねー」 Uchi no papa, maji de dasain da ne My dad’s really not cool

キモい ( kimoi ) is short for kimochi warui (gives a bad feeling). You say it when something feels totally gross. Want someone to go away and stop talking to you? Call them kimoi and they’ll be too ashamed to show their face again. For an even stronger word try kishoi (disgusting).

「あいつ、マジキモいんだけど」 Aitsu, maji kimoin da kedo That guy’s super gross

ズルい ( zurui ) means “unfair”. Your friend got a good gacha draw and you didn’t? Zurui! You can also use it to describe someone who’s being tricky.

ムカつく ( mukatsuku ) means “irritating” and comes from the onomatopoeia mukamuka (pissed off). You use it when something’s really gotten on your nerves. Let people know you’re annoyed!

「全くムカつく」 Mattaku mukatsuku I’m totally fed up

イケメン ( ikemen ) comes from iketeru (cool) and men (face). It means a pretty boy, a guy with a nice face. 

「いい性格よりイケメンが好き」 Ii seikaku yori ikemen ga suki Rather than a good personality I like hot guys

半端ない ( hanpa nai ) means “wild!” Just like in English, you can use this to describe something that’s really good or bad.  Hanpa  means "half" so  hanpa nai  is literally translated as "not half", like going all the way or not half bad.

「この試合、半端ない」 Kono shiai, hanpa nai This match is wild! 「この試験の難易度は半端ない」 Kono shiken no nan’ido wa hanpa nai The difficulty of this test is wild

わりーね ( warii ne ) is a casual way to apologize. It comes from warui ne (bad) means “my bad”. There are other ways too depending on the image you want to give, like the cutesy gomen chai.

Intermediate Japanese slang words

ググる ( guguru ) means exactly what it sounds like. It’s the verb for googling! People sometimes say GGRKS online, which is a rude way of telling someone to google it.

「それをググってみて」 Sore wo gugutte  mite Try to google that

サラリーマン ( sarariiman ) and OL, short for o ffice l ady, are famous pseudo-English terms referring to white-collar businessmen and women. This is the type of person you know works behind a desk but you can’t remember where or what they’re doing specifically.

微妙 ( bimyō ) describes something that’s just kind of “meh”. If you go to a movie with your friend and come out feeling that it wasn’t really good or bad, tell your friend it was bimyō.

「昨日の出来事、ビミョーだった」 Kinō no dekigoto, bimyō datta Yesterday’s event was fine, I guess

おしゃれ ( oshare ) means “trendy”. Someone who’s up to date on fashion is oshare .

仕方ない ( shikata nai ) literally means “there’s no way to do it” but is used as “it can’t be helped”. 

Advanced Japanese slang words

Experiment with dropping particles when you can get away with it. Keep the ones you need for meaning but get rid of all those wa ’s and ga ’s.

KY・ケーワイ ( keewai ) is short for kūki yomenai (can’t read the mood). People who are KY will say insensitive things and interrupt your conversation to discuss something irrelevant.

「田中さん、KYだよね」 Tanaka-san, KY da yo ne Tanaka can’t read the mood at all, huh

~ちゃった ( chatta ) is used in place of shite shimatta to mean you totally did something.

「宿題忘れちゃった」 Shukudai wasure chatta I forgot my homework

マンション ( manshon ) looks like the English word “mansion” but it actually means a condo! You have to be careful with words that seem like English at first glance. It’s easy to get caught off guard when someone says they have a manshon in Tokyo, but remember there’s not enough room for that!

ウケる ( ukeru ) means “interesting”, although not always in a good way.

「あの俳優ウケるんだけどー」 Ano haiyū wa ukerun  da kedo That actor is... interesting

相変わらず ( aikawarazu ) means “same as always”. If someone says this when you ask them how they’re doing, they mean there’s nothing in particular going.

Click here to scroll back to the table of contents .

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Japanese Slang Words by Age

Slang and casual speech can vary greatly depending on age group and setting. You can get away with mixing teen-speak into your conversation with a 25 year old, but probably not a 40 year old. Conversely, a 30 year old is more likely to understand older slang than a high school student.

Japanese teen slang

ドンマイ ( donmai ) comes from “don’t mind” and means you shouldn’t dwell on it. When you miss catching the baseball your friends will tell you to donmai .

ぴえん ( pien ) is the sound of crying turned into a word. People often react with this word online.

ウザい ( uzai ) is short for uzattai (annoying). You use it to describe things that are a pain. Your roommate reminds you to do the dishes? Uzai! For -i adjectives like this you’ll sometimes hear people change -i to -mi . 

「あの人のしゃべり方がウザい」 Ano hito no shaberikata ga uzai That person’s way of speaking is annoying

密 ( mitsu ) means “too close”. It comes from the three mitsu you’re supposed to avoid - closed spaces, crowds, and close contact. It’s pretty rude to say to a stranger but you can tell your brother to give you some personal space with a mitsu da!

陰キャ ( inkya ) and its counterpart yokya are similar to “introvert” and “extravert”.

「陰キャだから、パーティー行きたくない」 Inkya da kara, paatii ikitakunai I’m an introvert, so I don't want to go to the party

Japanese slang for 20 to 30 year olds

ダル ( daru ) or darui means “lazy”. Got homework? Housework? Too much to do but you just want to lie on the couch and watch a movie? You’re feeling darui .

「仕事忙しくてダルい」 Shigoto isogashikute darui I’m busy at work but I don’t want to do anything

ゴロゴロ ( gorogoro ) is an onomatopoeia meaning “to laze around”. If you feel darui you want to gorogoro around.

「ゴロゴロしたい！」 Gorogoro shitai! I want to laze around and do nothing!

ブラック企業 ( burakku kigyō ) means “black company” and refers to business with predatory or exploitative management styles. These kinds of companies never pay you overtime but work you to the bone.

エモい ( emoi ) is another word for “cool”. It comes from “emotion” and has a bit of a nerdy connotation, but it’s not weird to hear. 

それな ( sore na ) is similar to “I know, right?” You say it when your friend says something relatable.

「佐藤さん、かわいいよね」 「それな！」 Satō-san, kawaii yo ne Sore na ! Satō-san’s so cute I know, right?

一杯どう? ( ippai dō ) means “want to grab a drink?” Ask your coworkers out so you can test out your mastery of casual language!

調子どう? ( chōshi dō ) uses the same dō (how) and means “how are you”. Check in on your friends and see how they’re feeling.

Japanese slang for 40 to 50 year olds

グレる ( gureru ) is a verb that means “to go bad” with the usual connotations of a kid going bad being deliquency. If your coworker says their son is gureru it means he’s acting out.

「ケンは大学を中退してグレちゃった」 Ken wa daigaku wo chūtai shite gure chatta Ken left college and went bad

ドロン ( doron ) means “to leave”. It describes someone trying to slip out unnoticed, usually from a social obligation. Trying to leave the drinking party before your boss notices you're not there?

「パーティーをドロンした」 Paattii wo doron shita I slipped out of the party

激うま ( geki uma ) means “super delicious”. You can attach geki before adjectives to make them stronger, just like chō and meccha . 

「このケーキ激ウマ」 Kono keeki geki uma This cake is super yummy

とりあえずビール ( toriaezu biiru ) means “I’ll have a beer for now” and is probably the most common thing people say when they go out.

超絶 ( chōzetsu ) is another word like chō (very) that emphasizes what follows. This word is way stronger, though.

「超絶高い」 Chōzetsu takai It’s soooo expensive!

Guides to Self Study Japanese

Check out our ultimate guides for learning Japanese

Guide to Japanese Kanji

Guide to speaking japanese, guide to japanese reading, guide to japanese vocabulary, guide to japanese listening, guide to learning japanese by youtube, japanese slang words by region of japan.

The Japanese you learn in schools is the standard dialect and most people speak that just fine, but using the local lingo shows people you care. Plus you’ll sound super cool while you’re doing it! Japanese has a whole lot of dialects, just like English, so we included a few of the biggest to get you started.

Check out this map to see which Japanese dialects are spoken in which regions!

Tokyo slang

Most places in Tokyo use the same standard dialect you learn from textbooks, but there are some slang words that are more common in the biggest city on Earth than outside it.

チョー ( chō ) You’ll hear this word all the time now that you’re listening for it! It means “very” or “totally” and is used for emphasis.

「友達の秋田犬はチョーかわいい」 Tomodachi no akita ken wa chō kawaii My friend’s akita is so cute!

マジで ( maji de ) means “really”. You say it when something’s hard to believe. You can also use uso (lie) or gachi de for this.

“My boyfriend was cheating on me!” “ Maji de ?”

カッケー ( kakkee ) is short for kakko ii (cool). A lot of words get simplified like this, such as sugoi (awesome) turning to sugee . You’ll also hear this a lot in Kansai.

「あのサッカー選手カッケー」 Ano sakkaa senshu kakkee That soccer player is cool

Osaka slang

The dialect spoken in Osaka and Kyoto is called Kansai-ben and it’s the most commonly used dialect outside of standard Japanese. Plenty of comedians and television personalities speak in Kansai-ben and it shows up often in anime.

何やこれ ( nan ya kore ) along with nande ya nen are phrases that appear often in media to signal a character is from the Kansai region. Respectively, they mean “what is this” and “what are you talking about”.

めっちゃ ( meccha ) This is the first word people will tell you if you ask about Kansai-ben. It’s similar to chō and is used for emphasis.

「先生の本はめっちゃ長い」 Sensei no hon wa meccha nagai My teacher’s book is super long

おもろい ( omoroi ) This is a shortening of omoshiroi (interesting) and means about the same thing. You’re an omoroi hito (interesting person) for looking up Japanese slang!

ほんま ( honma ) The Kansai-ben version of hontō (really). When your friend says they saw a celebrity you respond, “ Honma ?!”

ちゃうで ( chau de ) This means “no” - and you really mean it! It’s a shortening of chigau (you’re wrong). When your friend says you suck at your favorite video game you reply, “Chau de!” Be careful, this is different from the -chau you can add on verbs to sound more casual.

「ちゃう、ちゃう、ちゃう」 Chau , chau , chau No, no, no

おおきに ( ookini ) The Kansai way of saying “thanks”. Tell your friend you appreciate them saving your spot in line with an “ookini!”

あかん ( akan ) Just like people say yabai (no good) in Tokyo, in Kansai they say akan when you’re doing something wrong. Your friend just put on a hat that looks like a pigeon head? Tell them “akan de!”

If you’re really interested in learning Kansai-ben there are plenty of websites dedicated to learning to speak it, such as this one .

Fukuoka slang

The dialect spoken in Fukuoka City is called Hakata-ben , although everyone will know what you mean if you call it Fukuoka-ben .

しとう ( shitou ) is used instead of shite iru (doing). Ask your friend what’s up!

「何しとうと」 Nan shitou to What are you doing?

そうやばい ( sō yabai ) This means “that’s right” and is similar to sō da yo in standard. Tell your friend you totally agree! Don’t confuse it with yabai (awesome/awful).

行かん ( ikan )  Your friend asks you if you’re going to the baseball game but you’re busy that night, so tell them “ikan” (I’m not going).

安か ( yasuka ) means “cheap”. The i at the end of the adjective turns into a ka .

「あの花屋さんは安か」 Ano hanaya-san wa yasuka That flower shop is cheap

せんと ( sento ) Your mom says she’s going to look up that word you said the other day? “Sento!” (don’t do that)!

If you want to hear Hakata-ben spoken out loud, check out this video !

Aichi slang

Aichi prefecture uses Nagoya-ben , named after the city! Nagoya-ben often lengthens vowels like changing the “ei” sound to “ee”.

もんで ( monde ) means “because”. Compare the following sentence to the standard Japanese samui kara ikanakutemo ii and you’ll see how different it is!

「寒いもんで行かんでもええ 」 Samui monde ikandemo ee It’s cold, so you don’t have to come

ちょう ( chō ) replaces kudasai as “please”, different from the chō meaning “very”. Make sure you’re letting your friends know you appreciate them!

「明日来てちょう」 Ashita kite chō Please come tomorrow

高なった ( taka natta ) You were looking for a certain trading card online, but it sure “became expensive!” Normally you’d say takaku natta but they drop the ku .

Japanese Slang for Popular Restaurants

Ever notice how companies take extra care to localize their products? A lot of popular restaurants have nicknames in Japan that Japanese people will be confused you don’t already know!

Baskin’ Robbins , the ice cream store, is called 31 in Japan! If you look closely at their logo you can see why. The BR has the number 31 hidden in it! This is related to how they always have 31 flavors of ice cream. There are some regional ice cream flavors too, so try them if you see them!

Family Mart konbini (convenience stores) can be found on almost every block, but their name is too long so everyone says ファミマ (famima) instead.

Wendy’s First Kitchen is a common chain in Japan. They’re colloquially known as ファッキン (fakkin) but the company never uses the nickname in advertising since it sounds like the English word “fu**ing”. 

McDonald’s has a pretty long name if you try to sound out the katakana, so people call it マック (makku) or マクド (makudo) instead. It’s kind of like how some English speakers call it “Mickey D’s”.

Another burger chain, MOS Burger , is also shortened to モス (mosu).

7-Eleven is a common convenience store in the US, but did you know it’s also a bank in Japan? It often gets shortened to セブン (sebun).

Starbucks is kind of long if you try to sound it out in katakana. Use スタバ (sutaba) instead! It sounds kind of like “star bar” which is a pretty cool nickname in our books

Craving donuts? Mister Donut , which has since merged with Dunkin’ Donuts in the US, is still prevalent in Japan. It’s referred to casually as ミスド (misudo).

KFC is popular in Japan, so of course it has a nickname too - ケンタ (kenta), short for Kentucky!

The Italian family restaurant Saizeriya is a great place to catch a bite to eat. It’s nickname is サイゼ (saize) which to be honest, sounds pretty cool.

Know anyone who has passed N1? Want to escape the teaching trap?

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Japanese Internet Slang

You can run into all sorts of people online, whether you’re on a forum chatting about your day or playing a competitive video game. The kinds of text shortcuts we use in English (lol, ty, cya) are just as common in Japanese! That means you can look at a text message and understand none of it, even if you’ve memorized your textbook. There are a million terms people use online nowadays, but here are a few to get you started and feeling like a digital native.

呼びタメ ( yobitame ) means this person is happy to speak casually to anyone! Look for Twitter bios with this word for people to practice your new vocabulary with!

誰得 ( daretoku ) means “who benefits from this” and is used to disbelievingly question why someone would do something, like why someone tried all the worst food on the menu on purpose.

おk (ok) There are a lot of Japanese slang words that developed as keyboard shortcuts, just like in English! こn (kon) is short for konnichiwa (hello), んp (np) means exactly what it does in English (no problem), and うp (up) stands for “upload”.

WWWW , or to be honest any amount of Ws, stands for warau (laugh) and is basically the Japanese version of “lol”. The difference being, no one tries to say this out loud. You’ll also see 爆笑 (burst of laughter), 笑 (warai) alone, or even 草 (grass) since a field of Ws looks like grass. 泣 is the kanji for crying and similarly is used as a crying emote.

なう・うぃる・わず ( nau/wiru/wazu ) are used like the English words “now”, “will”, and “was” to add onto a verb. You’ll see phrases like shōkai nau (now introducing), raamen wiru (I’ll go eat ramen), and karaoke wazu (I was going to karaoke) a lot on Twitter.

乙 ( otsu ) is short for otsukaresama deshita (thanks for the hard work). This kanji shares the reading otsu but actually means “duplicate”. Your friends will say otsu to you after you read this article for them and give them the highlights.

もっさり ( mossari ) is, like many Japanese words, an onomatopoeia (word developed from sound). It describes something working slowly, like your laptop trying to play a high-res game or your internet connection making your voice chat irregular.

「ネットもっさりしてる」 Netto mossari shiteru My internet is being slow

△ comes from the Japanese word sankakkee (triangle) and kakkee (cool), a shortened form of kakko ii . When you see someone’s name followed by a triangle, that means that person’s cool.

yr is short for yoroshiku and means “please”. You type this in the chat when you’re playing a game and your buddy asks if you need healing.

KWSK stands for kuwashiku and means “tell me in more detail please!” A post crosses your feed about a new restaurant in your area? KWSK!

WKTK is another onomatopoeia and stands for wakuwaku tekateka (very excited). It’s the feeling of giddy anticipation that has you jumping up and down when you receive a package you’ve been waiting for all month.

ファボる ( faboru ) means “to favorite” or “like” on social media, especially Twitter.

リア充 ( riajū ) refers to people who live in real life. It’s similar to calling people who don’t play video games “normies”.

「このリア充め！」 Kono riajū me! You normie!

Number shortcuts

Japanese has a lot of wordplay that can be difficult to parse! Some internet slang just looks like a stream of numbers but is readable to a Japanese person as a coherent thought. People might turn names or words into numbers as shorthand or match phone numbers to a saying for marketing. Here’s a list of sounds that can turn into numbers:

0 re(i), ma(ru), nashi, o, ze(ro) 1 i(chi), hi(to), bi, kazu, wan 2 ni, fu(ta), bu, tsū  3 sa(n), mi, sō, zō, su(rii) 4 shi, yo(n), fō 5 go, ko, i(tsu), fa(ibu) 6 ro(ku), mu, shikkusu 7 shichi, na(na), se(bun) 8 ha(chi), ba, ya, eito 9 kyū, ku, ko(kono), nai(n) 10 jū, ji, to, te(n)

555 (gogogo) means “go go go”, just like it sounds. When you’re playing a game and the timer starts, tell your team to go go go!

888 (papapa) stands for the sound you make when clapping! Just like in the US people spam the clap emoji, in Japan people spam the number 8.

「勝ったよ! 88888」 Katta yo! 88888 We won! [clap clap clap]

39 (sankyū) comes from the English “thank you”. Your friend helped you figure your new computer out? Sankyū!

1+1= ( ichi tasu ichi wa ) ni (two) of course! Saying ni makes you smile so people will say this before taking a picture, like “say cheese!”

You’ll see a lot of number symbolism in anime too, once you start looking. In the manga and anime Hikaru no Go , the main character Hikaru wears shirts with the number five as a pun on him playing the game of go. If you play around a little, you can make your own! Here are a few examples:

Hana -> 87 Naoto -> 7010 Hiro -> 16 Natsumi -> 723

Japanese Slang Used in Manga & Anime

Manga and anime use a lot of yakuwarigo that isn’t used in real life, so it’s good to know what you can imitate in casual conversation and what’s probably just a screenplay thing. In general, a lot of the insults and verbal tics that convey a character’s personality are just that, tools and not real speech. 

わし ( washi ) is one of many ways to refer to yourself in Japanese, but it’s one that’s mostly found in anime. You’ll often find old men (or characters who are acting a part) using this. 

「わしは知っておるのじゃ」 Washi wa shitte oru no ja I know! (compare: watashi wa shitte iru )

~でござる ( de gozaru ) is a speech pattern indicating excess formality. When you hear a character in an anime ending their sentences with this, they’re usually a samurai.

「こちらでござる」 Kochira de gozaru Over here (compare: kochira desu )

おっす ( ossu ) is a greeting/response you hear often in sports anime. People definitely say it in real life, but it’s waning in popularity. It’s a greeting between guys and is short for ohayō gozaimasu (good morning) by taking out everything in between.

壁ドン ( kabedon ) is when you corner someone against a wall. It shows up a lot in romantic stories but at this point it’s become a meme itself.

You probably aren’t going to get a good chance to say these yourself, but you can appreciate them in anime! 

ばか ( baka ) is definitely one of the top five Japanese words everyone knows. Translated as “idiot” or “fool”, a baka is annoying and not especially smart.

あほ ( aho ) is the counterpart of baka . In the East it’s harsher and in the West baka is harsher, but they have generally the same meaning. 

お前 ( omae ) is a rude way of addressing someone. While people do use it in real life, it’s more common in anime populated by tough guys and crude speakers. You’ve probably heard it in action shows or seen it on the internet in memes. You can add -ra to make it plural.

「お前はもう死んでいる!!」 Omae wa mō shinde iru!! You’re already dead!! 「お前ら、わかるかな」 Omaera , wakaru kana I wonder if you guys get it

われ ( ware ) is a Kansai-ben way to call someone an asshole and is similar is use to omae .

きさま ( kisama ) is an extremely rude way to say “you”, even more so than omae. Outside of anime, where people don’t tend to have mortal enemies, you won’t really hear this.

「貴様、絶対に許さない」 Kisama , zettai ni yurusanai I’ll never forgive you

奴 ( yatsu ) is a rude way of referring to someone. Similar to yarō , tough guys may refer to each other casually with it but in general it’s an insult.

「奴は猫大好き」 Yatsu wa neko daisuki That guy loves cats

アマ ( ama ) is often translated as “b*tch”. It’s an insult often hurled at women.

くそ ( kuso ) is translated as “shit” or “crap” depending on the audience. You can say it alone or tag it onto a word as an adjective. You’ll also hear kusottare, which is a stronger version.

「クソガキ!」 Kuso gaki! Shitty brat!

悪ガキ ( warugaki ) combines waru (bad) and gaki (kid) to mean “little brat”. 

ちくしょ ( chikusho ) is a little worse than kuso and is usually said on its own. It means something like “Shit!” or “F*ck!” It’s the kind of word you yell out loud when you stub your toe particularly hard.

ぶす ( busu ) means “ugly”. Lots of high-spirited anime characters show off how arrogant they are by throwing this word around. It’s mostly used to refer to women.

「ブスが多い」 Busu ga ooi There are a lot of ugly people

最低 ( saitei ) means “absolute worst”. 

「あの先生の授業、最低だろう」 Ano sensei no jugyō, saitei darō That teacher’s classes are the worst, aren’t they

カス ( kasu ) means “trash”. Anime characters like to tell people they’re not worth their time.

死ね!! ( shine ) is a classic. It’s telling someone to “go die!” There’s essentially no way to interpret this as anything but an insult.

~め ( me ) You can generally make any insult a bit more cutting by shoving it between kono and me.

「この変態め ! 」 Kono hentai me ! This pervert!

Excuses Holding you Down?

Our biweekly newsletter for beginner to low intermediate Japanese learners is your solution. Get our free e-book with some simple ways to get started.

Improving your Japanese slang

There are lots of ways to improve, but it’s hard to find good resources when slang is constantly evolving. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Aside from this article, we’ve compiled a few tips for making sure your Japanese doesn’t get outdated.

Watch Japanese shows

Many industries and subcultures have their own ways of speaking. Try finding some movies or shows that take place in the kind of environment you want to be in. Just be careful you don’t pick up some yakuwarigo - “role” language used to indicate things about characters, but not used by real-life people. Just imagine if someone tried to talk to you using words they learned from a Shakespeare play! YouTube videos are another great way to stay current. Here’s a fun one we found that lists eight popular slang words!

Make friends

What’s the point of learning Japanese slang words if you have no one to talk with? Find a friend to chat with and ask them to teach you some slang words, or just listen to their speech patterns and see what you can pick up. Reinforce what you’ve learned by repeating it back to them and they’ll be impressed! If you’re having trouble getting people to open up to you, make the situation more casual by taking them out to drink. People become less reserved when the environment is less formal.

Need more specifics? Check out our article on making Japanese friends !

Don't be afraid to ask

Have no idea what your coworker just said? Not sure if it’s ok to speak casually with a new friend? If in doubt, just ask them. It can be hard to work up the courage to admit what feels like a weakness when you don’t want to look stupid, but asking shows you’ve been paying attention and will help you grow by leaps and bounds.

Here is a Japanese slang resource for more advanced students who don’t mind reading Japanese definitions. Even Japanese people get confused by trendy new slang!

Final Remarks

Slang is, by definition, constantly changing. To really get a hang of it nothing can replace practicing with a partner. Whether you want to learn internet slang words to understand the chats you’re in or spoken slang words to chat to your friends, find someone you can talk to on a regular basis! If you’re in an open environment words will naturally flow in and you’ll find your speech adapting with everybody else’s.

Want to see how well you know Japanese slang? Take our fun Japanese slang quiz and make sure to check out the rest of our articles on learning Japanese !

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Japanese Slang – Useful Words and Phrases for Daily Life

Japanese slang is often fun to learn. Not only are they fun, but they’re pretty useful in daily life. As a Japanese language learner, you see most Japanese sentences and dialogues written in a polite form like Ohayou Gozaimasu (おはようございます | Good morning ) or Watashi wa genki desu (わたしはげんきです | I’m fine ).

But do Japanese people actually talk like that in everyday conversation? The answer is… no.

Today, let’s find out more about slang words and phrases and get ready for the genuine way of Japanese communication!

• 1.1 Vocabulary related to Japanese Slang
• 1.2.1 Does Everyone Use Slang in Japan?
• 1.2.2 When do Japanese people use slang?
• 1.2.3 Many Abbreviated and English-Influenced Slang
• 1.2.4 Why Do We Need to Learn Japanese Slang?
• 2.1 15 Well-known Japanese Slang Words
• 2.2 15 Classic Japanese Slang Phrases
• 3.1 15 Slang Greetings and Responses
• 3.2 15 Yelling and Sports-related Slang
• 3.3 15 Juvenile Delinquent “Yankii” Japanese Slang
• 3.4 15 Japanese Words for “Very”
• 3.5 15 Slang Only Subculture Lover Knows
• 4.1 Japanese Slang List: Feelings and Mental State
• 4.2 Japanese Slang List: People and Relationships
• 4.3 15 Japanese Slang Phrases
• 5 Helpful Online Slang Dictionary
• 6.1 Widely Misapplied Sounds by Younger Generation
• 6.2 Words with the Transposition of Sounds
• 7 The Real Life is Full of Slang and Casual Speech

Japanese Slang

Japanese slang words , also referred to as Zokugo (ぞくご), is a way of speaking that is delivered in a more casual way used in Japan. Although people are likely to communicate in a polite tone when you first meet them in Japan, they still talk more casually using Tamego ( た めご | casual form ) and Zokugo (ぞくご | slang ) in day-to-day conversation. We’ll be learning more about this with example phrases in the next sections.

Vocabulary related to Japanese Slang

Before we head on to Japanese slang examples, these related words can also help you understand this concept better.

• けいご (Keigo | 敬語) — polite language , honorific speech
• ためご (Tamego | ため語) — informal language , casual speech
• ためぐち (Tameguchi | タメ口) — informal form , casual speech
• がご (Gago | 雅語) — refined and elegant words
• ひご (Higo | 卑語) — swear words
• ぞくご (Zokugo | 俗語) — slang words
• スラング (Surangu) — slang
• ネットスラング (Netto Surangu) — internet slang
• りゅうこうご (Ryuukougo | 流行語) — buzzwords
• しご (Shigo | 死語) — obsolete words

Things to know before learning Japanese Slang

Learning Japanese slang words is helpful for several reasons. We’ve listed some of the things that you should know before you begin learning this new set of vocabulary.

Does Everyone Use Slang in Japan?

Just like in English, slang lives more among younger people. However, language evolves and adapts, and some slang terms start to become standard words over the years. Each generation has its slang vocabulary reflecting the life the people have led until now. We’ll introduce some old-fashioned slang later.

When do Japanese people use slang?

For example, service people in Japan often employ advanced-level honorific speech, while people tend to omit subjects and objects when they have an everyday conversation in real-life. People don’t use Japanese slang on formal occasions, but you can encounter it in schools, offices, and among friends and families quite often.

Many Abbreviated and English-Influenced Slang

Japanese people are good at making up an English-influenced vocabulary and constructing shortened versions of original phrases. New Japanglish words could be a little challenging for native English speakers. However, it’s also fun to learn slang, so let’s get prepared.

Related Vocabularies

• がいらいご (Gairai go | 外来語) — loanwords
• わせいえいご (Wasei Eigo | 和製英語) — Japanese pseudo-loanwords
• りゃくご (Ryakugo | 略語) — abbreviation, shortened form
• しんご (Shingo | 新語) — a new language, new words

Why Do We Need to Learn Japanese Slang?

Slang reflects the country’s culture , society, and native speaker’s point of view. One can understand plenty about Japan through slang phrases and common expressions.

In addition, getting in touch with slang is one of the most fun parts of learning the language. You have a wide variety of study materials, from your favorite anime series to recent YouTube videos. You never get bored!

Common Japanese Slang Words

Now, on to the Japanese slang words! Here are the ones that you’ll commonly hear.

15 Well-known Japanese Slang Words

Let’s start with the most common Japanese slang terms in everyday conversations. Perhaps you have already heard some Japanese slang like Hontou ? (ほんとう | 本当 | Really? ) or Baka (ばか | 馬鹿 | idiot , silly ) somewhere.

The following slang is not only for young girls and boys but is widely exploited among diverse generations.

• おやばか (Oya Baka | 親馬鹿) — a doting parent *parent fool
• おたく, ヲタク (Otaku | オタク, お宅) — a geek, nerd, fan *honorifics you
• べつばら (Betsu Bara | 別腹) — dessert stomach *separated belly
• ねこじた (Neko Jita | 猫舌) — a heat-sensitive tongue *cat’s tongue
• めんくい (Men Kui | 面食い) — people who like pretty faces or good looks *face eater
• だてめがね (Date Megane | 伊達眼鏡) — fake eyeglasses *stylish eyeglasses
• かんにんぐ (Kanningu | カンニング) — cheating
• ありがためいわく (Arigata Meiwaku | 有難迷惑) — unwelcome favor *thankful bothersome
• やじうま (Yaji Uma | 野次馬) — rubbernecking *heckling horse
• ねたばれ (Neta Bare | ネタバレ) — a spoiler *source exposes
• ゆきち (Yukichi | 諭吉) — 1,0000 Japanese Yen * Yukichi Fukuzawa , who is featured on the 10,000 banknote
• どたきゃん (Dota Kyan | ドタキャン) — a last-minute cancellation *shortened version of どたんばできゃんせる ( Dotanba de Kyanseru | 土壇場でキャンセル)
• ぽいすて (Poi Sute | ポイ捨て) — littering *toss dispose
• やっつけしごと (Yattsuke Shigoto | やっつけ仕事) — a half-assed job *defeat work
• ぴーかん (Piikan | ピーカン) — clear and sunny sky

*literal meaning

15 Classic Japanese Slang Phrases

If you’re familiar with Japanese TV programs or anime series from the 1950s to 1990s, you might recognize this slang from an entertainer or Japanese anime characters.

The following out-of-date slang is still loved by older people even though it’s considered to be typical  Oyaji Gyagu (おやじぎゃぐ | 親父ギャグ | Japanese Dad Jokes ) or  Shigo (しご | 死語 | obsolete words ) among young people. We collected the most famous ones, so let’s take a look.

• たんま (Tamna | タンマ) — wait a minute
• ゆるしてちょんまげ (Yurushite Chonmage | 許して丁髷) — forgive me *forgive me Chonmage
• そんなばなな (Sonna Banana | そんなバナナ) — no way *such a banana
• ばっちぐー (Bacchiguu | バッチグー) — perfect , just right *perfect and good
• ばたんきゅー (Batan Kyuu | バタンキュー) — a knockout from exhaustion
• ざぎんでしーすー (Zagin de Shiisuu | ザギンでシースー) — to eat Sushi in Ginza * Sushi in Ginza
• めんごめんご (Mengo Mengo | メンゴメンゴ) — sorry
• おそよう (Osoyou) — good late morning *late Ohayou
• ばいなら (Bainara | バイナラ) — goodbye *Goodbye and Sayounara
• ほのじ (Ho no Ji | ホの字) — to be in love with someone *the letter of Ho
• なうい (Naui | ナウい) — up-to-date , trendy *now-ish
• あさしゃん (Asa Shan | 朝シャン) — shampooing in the morning *morning shampoo
• はなきん (Hana Kin | 花金) — Happy Friday *flower Friday
• がりべん (Gari Ben | ガリ勉) — people who study too much *hard study
• まいぶーむ (Mai Buumu | マイブーム) — things one is crazy about *my boom

*literally means

Japanese slang is full of  Kotoba Asobi (ことばあそび | 言葉遊び | wordplay ). For example,  Yurushite Chonmage  was originally  Yurushite Choudai (ゆるしてちょうだい | 許して頂戴 | please forgive me ).

As a result, switching   a word to Chonmage (ちょんまげ | 丁髷 | the topknot Samurai   haircut ) made the phrase senseless and funny. Also,  Sonna Banana  was altered from  Sonna Bakana (そんなばかな | そんな馬鹿な | what a crazy ) to make it cuter and milder.

However , Batan Kyuu  is a fully onomatopoeic word. It expresses a bang sound for falling into beds and the state of sleeping like a log after that. This phrase gained popularity through a video puzzle game called  Puyo Puyo (ぷよぷよ).

Japanese Slang Words by Category

Below are more slang words in Japanese that you can add to your vocabulary. We’ve listed them by category so you can determine where each of them is more applicable.

15 Slang Greetings and Responses

The followings are abbreviated and contracted words of standard Japanese greetings . Ossu (おす | 押忍) is one of the greetings in Budou (ぶどう | 武道 | martial arts ), and Ussu is derived from Osu .

Azassu is a colloquially shortened form of  Arigatou (ありがとう| 有難う | thanks ) , and Chissu is for Konnichiwa (こんにちは | 今日は | hello, good afternoon ) . Such one-word greetings sound slightly vulgar and mannish. Please be careful a little, when you talk to native speakers.

• おす、おっす | オス、オッス (Osu or Ossu | 押忍) — hi, yes sir
• うっす、うぃーす (Ussu, Wiisu | ウッス、ウィース) — hey
• あざす、あざっす (Azasu, Azassu | アザス、アザッス) — thanks ) * Arigatou
• ちっす、ちゅーす (Chissu, Chuusu | チッス、チュース) — hi, hello * Konnichiwa
• ちわー、こんちわっす (Chiwaa, Konchiwassu | チワー、コンチワッス) — hi, hello * Konnichiwa
• さっせん、さーせん (Sassen, Saasen | サッセン、サーセン) — sorry, excuse me * Sumimasen
• おつ、おっつー (Otsu, Ottsuu | 乙、オッツー) — good work, thank you for your hard work * Otsukaresamadesu
• ちょりーす (Choriisu | チョリース) — hello, roger
• ごっつぁんです (Gottsuandesu) — thanks for the meal * Gochisousamadesu
• おそよう (Osoyou) — good “late” morning
• まいどあり (Maido Ari | 毎度あり) — thank you for your continuous support *Always Thanks
• あけおめ (Ake Ome) — Happy New Year * Akemashite Omedetou
• ことよろ (Koto Yoro) — P lease take care of me this year as well * Kotoshimo Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu
• おたおめ (Ota Ome) — Happy Birthday * Otanjoubi Omedetou
• めりくり (Meri Kuri) — Merry Christmas * Merii Kurisumasu

*standard Japanese phrase

15 Yelling and Sports-related Slang

Have you watched and read any sports Anime (アニメ | animation ) or Manga (まんが | マンガ | comics )? If so, you might know the following expressions already.

A genre focused on sports is called  Supo Kon (すぽこん | スポ根), and it often emphasizes team spirits, diligence, and achievement. Much sports-related slang is combined with Japanese and foreign words.

• おい、おーい (Oi, Ooi | オイ、オーイ) — hey, hi there
• ドン マイ (Don Mai) — don’t worry, never mind *don’t mind
• ファイト (Faito) — hang in there, go for it *fight
• ばっちこい (Bacchikoi | バッチ来い) — bring it on *batter, come on
• かかってこい (Kakattekoi | 掛かって来い) — bring it on, come on
• がたい (Gatai | ガタイ) — body, physique
• ざこ (Zako | 雑魚) — small fish, feeble opponents *small random fish
• じりひん (Jirihin | ジリ貧) — a gradually worsened situation *slowly poor
• まけいぬ (Make Inu | 負け犬 ) — looser *losing dog
• だふや (Dafu Ya | ダフ屋) — scalper, ticket reseller *ticket shop
• おかさーふぁー (Oka Saafaa | 陸サーファー) — wannabe surfer *land surfer
• おーびー (OB | オービー) — male graduate or retired club member *old boy
• おーじー (OG | オージー) — f emale graduate or retired club member *old girl
• たいいくかいけい (Taiikukaikei | 体育会系) — jock, militaristic *sporty type
• まっちょ (Maccho | マッチョ) — people with muscular body *derived from the Spanish word macho

Find Out More about Supo Kon Slang,

• きょじんのほし (Kyojin no Hoshi | 巨人の星) from the 1960s
• えーすをねらえ! (Aim for the Ace! | エースをねらえ!) from the 1970s
• あしたのじょー (Ashita no Joe | あしたのジョー) from the 1980s
• ぴんぽん (Ping Pong | ピンポン) from the 1990s
• くろこのばすけ (Kuroko’s Basketball | 黒子のバスケ) from the 2000s
• はいきゅー (Haikyu!! | ハイキュー!!) from the 2010s

15 Juvenile Delinquent “Yankii” Japanese Slang

The Japanese word  Yankii (やんきー| ヤンキー) doesn’t mean the New York Yankees but the juvenile delinquents. Previously, Yankii was a colloquial term for Americans though it adjusted its meaning.

In a broad sense, it includes Furyou (ふりょう| 不良 | punk ), Bousouzoku (ぼうそうぞく | 暴走族 | biker gangs ) now. Despite a declining number of Yankii in recent years, they are still known for their unique fashion styles, behaviors, and consumption tendencies.

• よろしく (Yoroshiku | 夜露死苦) — Hey, Hello
• きたくぶ (Kitakubu | 帰宅部) — go-home club
• なめてんじゃねーよ (Nametenjaneeyo | 舐めてんじゃねーよ) — don’t get cocky
• やんまま (Yan Mama | ヤンママ) — former Yankii mother *Yankii mother
• ぐれる (Gureru | グレる) — to become delinquents
• しめる (Shimeru | シメる) — to teach a lesson
• ふける (Fukeru | フケる) — to escape, to leave
• ばっくれる (Bakkureru | バックレる) — to play dumb or innocent
• ちくる (Chikuru | チクる) — to inform somebody
• まぶい (Mabui | マブい) — cute, pretty, beautiful, real
• たいまん (Taiman | タイマン) — one-on-one fight
• おれいまいり (Orei Mairi | お礼参り) — to take revenge, to settle a score *gratitude visit
• かつあげ | カツアゲ (Katsu Age | 喝上げ ) — shakedown *threaten up
• まぶだち (Mabudachi | マブダチ) — good friends, close friends *genuine friends
• こうこうでびゅー (Koukou Debyuu | 高校デビュー) — to start something in high school as if reborn *high school debut

*literal translation

Find Out More about Yankii Slang, and Japanese Swear Words,

• きょうからおれは!! (Kyou Kara Ore Wa!! | 今日から俺は!!) from the 1980s
• ジーティーオー (Great Teacher Onizuka, GTO) from the 1990s
• すらむだんく (Slam Dunk | スラムダンク) from the 1990s
• さきがけ!! クロマティこうこう(Cromartie High School | 魁!! クロマティ高校) from the 2000s
• とうきょうりべんじゃーず (Tokyo Revengers | 東京卍リベンジャーズ) from the 2010s

15 Japanese Words for “Very”

Below are some Japanese equivalent words for Totemo (とても | very ) and Sugoi (すごい | very ). Some words were initially regional, but it’s widely known all over Japan now. When you speak Japanese, which word do you prefer to use?

• すごく (Sugoku | 凄く) — very, tremendously
• まじで | マジで (Majide | 本気で) — very, seriously
• めちゃくちゃ (Mechakucha | 滅茶苦茶、目茶苦茶) — very, terribly *Osaka, Kyoto
• ちょう (Chou | 超) — very, totally *Tokyo
• めっちゃ (Meccha) — very, extremely *Osaka, Kyoto
• ごっつ (Gottsu) — very, extremely *Osaka, Nara
• でら | デラ (Dera)— very, extremely *Aichi
• ぶち | ブチ (Buchi) — very, extremely *Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
• おに (Oni | 鬼) — very, unbelievably
• かみ (Kami | 神) — very, unbelievably
• やばい | ヤバい (Yabai) — very, dangerously, terribly
• かなり (Kanari) — very, considerably
• けっこう (Kekkou | 結構) — very, quite, sort of
• ふつうに (Futsuuni | 普通に) — very, pretty, sort of
• まるっと (Marutto) — very, completely

*the area frequently used

15 Slang Only Subculture Lover Knows

Japanese culture and subculture have been a big surprise to the world for some reasons. Japan is well-known for holding many Kosupure (こすぷれ | コスプレ | cosplay ) events and Aidoru (あいどる | アイドル | Japanese idol ) concerts.

Likewise, the country is leading the production of animations, comics, and video games for a long time. Can you recognize any of the following slang?

• それ な (Sore na | 其れな) — that’s right, I totally agree
• ふじょし (Fu Joshi | 腐女子) — female fans of boys’ love story *rotten girl
• おし (Oshi | 推し) — my favorite *recommendation
• とうとい (Toutoi | 尊い) — precious, valuable
• ぬま (Numa | 沼) — addicted to something *swamp
• れきじょ (Rekijo | 歴女) — female history enthusiast *history girl
• りあじゅう (Riajuu | リア充) — sociable people, people enjoying the real-life, hipster *real fullness
• もえる (Moeru | 萌える) — to feel affection, to find something cute or fascinating
• なえる (Naeru | 萎える) — to feel down, slightly depressed
• かみげー (Kamigee | 神ゲー) — a great game, masterpiece *god game
• むりげー (Murigee | 無理ゲー) — an unreasonable game or extremely difficult game *impossible game
• しゃちく (Shachiku | 社畜) — corporate slave *company slave
• しおたいおう (Shio Taiou | 塩対応) — unfriendly attitude, cold and distant *salty reaction
• なかのひと (Naka no Hito | 中の人) — a voice actor or suit actor *someone inside
• じたくけいびいん (Jitaku Keibiin | — 自宅警備員) — people who stay at home a lot *home security guard

Frequently Used Japanese Slang List

Below are common Japanese slang words you might hear repeatedly. There are many words with multiple meanings, so it’s necessary to understand the context correctly to get what the native speaker means.

Japanese Slang List: Feelings and Mental State

The ones you’ll find below are slang words related to emotions or feelings that a person may have.

• やばい (Yabai | ヤバい) — dangerous, terrible, cute, fun, sad, cool
• うざい (Uzai | ウザい) — annoying, unpleasant
• きもい (Kimoi | キモ い) — disgusting, creepy *きもちがわるい (Kimochigawarui | 気持ちが悪い)
• ださい (Dasai | ダサい) — out of fashion, unsophisticated *うざったい (Uzattai)
• はずい (Hazui | ハズい) — embarrassing, shameful *はずかしい (Hazukashii | 恥ずかしい)
• むずい (Muzui | ムズい) — difficult, complicated *むずかしい (Muzukashii | 難しい）)
• えもい (Emoi | エモい) — feel sentimental, moving
• せつない (Setusnai | 切ない) — feel nostalgic, heart-aching
• うける (Ukeru | ウケる) — funny, amusing
• いけてる (Iketeru | イケてる) — cool, fashionable
• むかつく (Mukatsuku | ムカ つく) — to feel nauseous, to feel annoyed
• いらつく (Iratsuku | イラつく) — to get annoyed and frustrating
• きれる | キレる (Kireru | 切れる) — to get angry
• びびる (Bibiru | ビビる) — to get surprised, to be scared
• てんぱる (Tenparu | テンパる) — to freak out, to get nervous
• ぱにくる (Panikuru | パニクる) — to panic, to get nervous
• でぃする (Disuru | ディスる) — to deny, to speak ill of
• もる (Moru | 盛る) — to decorate, to embellish stories

*original words

Japanese Slang List: People and Relationships

Here are slang words that describe people and relationships.

• いけめん (Ikemen | イケメン) — pretty boy, hot guys *cool men
• いくめん (Ikumen | イクメン) — men who are active in childcare
• いけおじ (Ikeoji | イケオジ) — good looking middle-aged men *cool Mister
• びまじょ (Bimajo | 美魔女) — beautiful middle-aged women *beautiful witch
• あらさー (Ara Saa | アラサー) — people around 30 years old *around 30
• あらふぉー (Ara Foo| アラフォー) — people around 40 years old *around 40
• あらふぃふ (Ara Fifu | アラフィフ) — people around 50 years old *around 50
• もとかれ (Moto Kare | 元カレ、元彼) — ex-boyfriend
• もとかの (Moto Kano | 元カノ、元彼女) — ex-girlfriend
• いまかれ (Ima Kare | 今カレ、今彼) — current boyfriend
• いまかの (Ima Kano | 元カノ、今彼女) — current girlfriend

15 Japanese Slang Phrases

Lastly, below are different slang phrases.

• まじ | マジ (Maji?| 本気) — Seriously?
• うそ | ウソ (Uso! | 嘘) — You’re kidding!
• ほんとう(Hontou? | 本当) — Really?
• ぶっとばすぞ (Buttobasuzo! | ぶっ飛ばすぞ) — I’ll kick your ass!
• そっこうでかえろう(Sukkou de kaerou. | 速攻で帰ろう ) — Let’s go home right away.
• おやにまじぎれされた (Oya ni Majigire sareta | 親にマジ切れされた) — I was seriously scolded by my parents.
• じみにかわいい (Jimini kawaii. | 地味に可愛い) — It’s not flashy but cute.
• ふつうにおもしろい (Futsuuni omoshiroi. | 普通に面白い) — This is pretty funny.
• ちょうおいしい (Chou oishii. | 超美味しい) — It’s super delicious.
• わんちゃんまにあうかもしれない (Wan chan maniaukamoshirenai. | ワンチャン間に合うかもしれない) — I may make it on time.
• まぶだちとのみかいにいった (Mabudachi to nomikai ni itta. | マブダチと飲み会に行った) — I went to a drinking party with my close friends.
• くうきをよもうよ (Kuuki wo yomouyo. | 空気を読もうよ) — Why don’t you read the atmosphere?
• じょうしにどんびきした (Joushi ni Donbiki shita. | 上司にドン引きした) — I was turned off by my boss.
• りょうかいどうちゅうひざくりげ (Ryoukai Douchu Hizakurige! | 了解道中膝栗毛) — Roger!
• ぶるどっぐはぶさかわいい (Burudoggu wa busakawaii. | ブルドッグはブサ可愛い) — Bulldogs are ugly cute.

Helpful Online Slang Dictionary

If you would come across unfamiliar slang words, these are helpful resources that you can refer to. There are dictionaries specifically used for Japanese slang.

Nihongo Zokugo Jisho (にほんごぞくごじしょ | 日本語俗語辞書)

It’s a Japanese-Japanese dictionary where you can find the Romaji reading, how and when the word was born, and which category the word belongs to. This online dictionary covers a broad range of Japanese slang phrases and words.

• http://zokugo-dict.com/

Japaslang: Japanese Slang Dictionary

You can learn Japanese slang thoroughly in this online dictionary. It offers pronunciations, meanings, and synonyms for each slang. In addition to that, there is example Japanese sentences with  Furigana ( ふりがな | 振り仮名) and English translations.

• https://japaslang.com/

Sounds like Slang? Extra Grammatical Tips

As we know already, language continuously grows and adapts. The Japanese language has tendencies called  Fluctuation of Japanese  or  Discrepancy of Japanese (にほんごのみだれ | Nihongo no Midare | 日本語の乱れ) . It could be useful information for learning Japanese, so let’s take a quick look.

Widely Misapplied Sounds by Younger Generation

There are some letters native speakers often leave off or add extra while they talk and write. It’s grammatically wrong, but some people use it without realizing the impropriety. There are numerous words listed in these.

Knowing verb conjugations and further grammatical terms is required to understand these precisely, but we will give you some easy-to-recognize tips here. For instance,

◯: Grammatically Correct Japanese

• たべられる (Taberareru | 食べられる) — can eat
• しっている (Shitteiru | 知っている) — to know
• いわせる (Iwaseru | 言わせる) — let say
• かける (Kakeru | 書ける) — can write

△: Misused Japanese

• たべれる (Tebereru | 食べれる)— can eat * Ra Nuki Kotoba
• しってる (Shitteru | 知ってる) — to know * I Nuki Kotoba
• いわさせる (Iwasaseru | 言わさせる) — let say * Sa Ire Kotoba
• かけれる (Kakereru | 書けれる) — can write * Re Tasu Kotoba

Ra Nuki Kotoba (らぬきことば | ら抜き言葉) means a word without Ra (ら) in the potential verb form. Similarly, I Nuki Kotoba (いぬきことば | い抜き言葉) is without I (い), mainly in Japanese adjectives and verbs . There are also Sa Ire Kotoba (さいれことば | さ入れ言葉) and Re Tasu Kotoba (れたすことば | れ足す言葉), which add an unneeded sound to certain verbs.

Words with the Transposition of Sounds

Have you heard the term metathesis? It’s the transposition of sounds or syllables in a word. It’s called  On I Tenkan  (おんいてんかん | 音位転換) in Japanese, and not a very uncommon phenomenon.

The left-side words are the correct pronunciations and spelling, but you might occasionally hear and see them differently. Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro has some scenes of children mispronouncing common words. For instance,

◯: Correct pronunciation → △: Metathesis

• とうもろこし (Toumorokoshi | トウモロコシ) — corn → とうもころし (Toumokoroshi |トウモコロシ)
• げんいん (Genin | 原因) — cause, reason → げいいん (Geiin | 原因)
• ふんいき (Funiki | 雰囲気) — mood, atmosphere  → ふいんき (Fuinki | 雰囲気)

The Real Life is Full of Slang and Casual Speech

Knowing polite speech and expression are vital features of a language. Although, learning casual conversation and slang will support your Japanese language skills and extend your view of the world.

If you are interested in learning the Japanese language quickly , try some Japanese comics, TV programs, and YouTube videos. In a short while, you’ll recognize dozens of new Japanese words , and you will be able to understand a lot more about the language and people.

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Home » Articles » Japanese Greetings: 17 Ways to Say “Hello” in Japanese

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written by Caitlin Sacasas

Language: Japanese

Reading time: 11 minutes

Published: Jan 30, 2023

Updated: Jun 6, 2024

Japanese Greetings: 17 Ways to Say “Hello” in Japanese

Do you want to say “hello” in Japanese?

Now, 挨拶 ( aisatsu ) means “greeting” in Japanese. And you’ll need to know your Japanese greetings if you want to start a conversation in Japanese! Greetings are some of the  most simple phrases to learn , and you’ll use them all the time.

You may already know one or two Japanese greetings, like  konnichiwa . But  konnichiwa  isn’t how you would normally greet someone, especially if they’re close to you. How to say “hi” in Japanese depends on the situation and whom you’re greeting.

Let’s learn to say “hello” in Japanese and more with these essential Japanese greetings.

Table of contents

Top 10 common japanese greetings, “hi” in japanese – やあ！ ( ya- ), “hello” in japanese – こんにちは ( konnichiwa ), “my name is” in japanese – 名前は＿＿＿です。( namae wa ____ desu. ), “good morning” in japanese – おはようございます ( ohayou gozaimasu ), “good evening” in japanese – こんばんは ( konbanwa ), “goodnight” in japanese – おやすみなさい ( oyasumi nasai ), “long time no see” in japanese – お久しぶりですね ( o-hisashiburi desu ne ), “yoohoo” in japanese – ヤッホー ( ya-ho- ), “hey” in japanese – おす！ ( osu ), “yo” in japanese – よー！( yo- ), “how are you” in japanese – お元気ですか ( o-genki desu ka ), “how’s it going” in japanese – 調子はどうですか ( choushi wa dou desu ka ), “i’m back” in japanese – ただいまー ( tadaima- ), “nice to meet you” in japanese – はじめまして ( hajimemashite ), “welcome” in japanese – いらっしゃいませ ( irasshaimase ), “hello” on the phone in japanese – もしもし ( moshi moshi ), “nice day, huh” in japanese – いい天気ですね ( ii tenki desu ne ), how do you say “hello” in japanese.

These are the most common ways to say “hello” in Japanese:

• “Hi” – やあ！ ( Ya- )
• “Hello” – こんにちは ( Konnichiwa )
• “Hello” on the phone – もしもし ( Moshi moshi )
• “Good morning” – おはようございます ( Ohayou gozaimasu )
• “Good Evening” – こんばんは ( Konbanwa )
• “Yoohoo”- ヤッホー ( Ya-ho- )
• “Hey” – おす！ ( Osu! )
• “Yo!” – よー！( Yo-! )
• “How are you?” – お元気ですか ( O-genki desu ka )
• “How’s it going?”- 調子はどうですか ( Choushi wa dou desu ka )

You can also improve your pronunciation with this video:

Now let’s have a closer look at those greetings to know which you can use when.

A super simple greeting to start off with! やあ is used casually between friends. It’s more of an exclamation to grab attention. In Japanese, it’s common to greet your friends and coworkers with a やあ, or just あー ( Aah- ), followed by their name.

Here’s an example:

やあ！すずきちゃん、今日いい天気ですね。( Yaa-! Suzuki-chan, kyou ii tenki desu ne. ) <br> “Hi! Suzuki-chan, nice weather today, huh.”

You could even omit the exclamation and only greet someone with their name to say “hi.”

こんにちは is “hello” in Japanese, but it’s not used as often as you would think. こんにちは is somewhat formal so it would sound a bit awkward to say it to a friend. While it’s normal in some cultures to exchange short, friendly greetings to those you pass on the street, that’s a big no-no in Japan. You wouldn’t greet a passing stranger with こんにちは. It’s mainly used in semi-formal situations, like in an office space.

It also means “good afternoon” in Japanese, and so you would really only use it in the afternoon.

How to say “my name is” in Japanese is quite simple. You could say it two ways: 名前は＿＿＿です。 ( Namae wa ** ** desu. ) or ＿＿＿＿です。( ____ desu._)

All you have to do is fill your name in the blank. So, for example, I would say 名前はケイトリンです。 ( Namae wa Keitorin desu ) Or, I could shorten it and say: ケイトリンです。( Keitorin desu. )

In Japanese,  Namae  is “name,”,  wa  is the subject marker, and  desu  is the helping verb “is.” That’s why you can say  Namae wa  or just your name and  desu . The first means “My name is Caitlin” while the second means “I am Caitlin.”

To be technical, the full phrase would be 私の名前は＿＿＿です。 ( Watashi no namae wa ** ** desu._) But  watashi no  (“my”) isn’t needed because it’s understood in context. You almost never need to use  watashi  unless you need to clarify the subject.

If you’re in a very formal situation, there is one less common way to introduce yourself: と申します。( ___ to moushimasu. ) It’s a polite way to say “My name is” or “I call myself.” This is humble speech and is used when talking to someone of much higher status. It’s usually only used in business situations when you’re introducing yourself to a new company client or the company president.

In the mornings, you can greet people with おはようございます. It’s a formal way to greet someone so you would use it when saying hello to your boss in the morning.

Informally, you would drop  gozaimasu  and just say  ohayou . This is very common to say to everyone. You’ll often hear friends exaggerate the sounds, and draw out the “o” at the end like おはよー！

In the evening, greet others by saying こんばんは. It’s a polite and formal way to say “good evening.” You can use this with almost anyone, but it’s definitely more common to greet friends and family with an informal greeting on this list instead.

This is more a parting phrase than a greeting. But at night and when going to bed, you say おやすみなさい. It literally means: “Go take a rest.”

Between friends and family, you would leave off the  nasai  that makes the phrase formal. Instead, say おやすみ－！

If you haven’t seen someone for a while (three weeks or longer) you can say お久しぶりですね。This means, “It’s been a while, huh?” or “Long time no see!” You can say this to anyone, from a friend to someone in the workplace. The “o” at the beginning adds respect, and the “ne” at the end means “huh” or “right?” Both can be dropped, to make it a less formal statement.

You’ll combine this phrase with other greetings. Here’s an example:

あー、すずきさん。久しぶりですね。元気だった？ ( Aa-, Suzuki-san. Hisashiburi desu ne. Genki datta? ) “Ah, Suzuki-san. Long time no see, huh. How have you been?”

This is a very casual greeting, usually between young kids or close friends. It’s a more feminine greeting, but don’t worry boys – your greeting is next.

ヤッホー is another exclamation type of greeting used to grab a close friend or child’s attention. It’s like yelling “Yoohoo!” and waving for attention. You would follow it with your friend’s name.

おす is a masculine, slang way to greet other guys. Girls don’t typically say this (although I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t my favorite informal greeting. I use it sometimes with friends – often receiving strange looks). And guys wouldn’t say it to girls.

Unlike the other informal phrases on this list, it’s an exclamation that’s more often used when you already see and have the person’s attention. So you don’t need to follow it up with their name, but you still can.

It can also be used as “Yes, sir!” or a “Roger!” Some anime use this, but it’s not common in everyday speech.

Exactly the same as English. You can greet a close friend informally with a simple  yo!  You wouldn’t say this to anyone older than you, though. This one is also more masculine, but sometimes young girls and women say it, too, to get someone’s attention.

You could also use the phrase おーい！( O-i! ) This is only used as an exclamation, and it’s a more masculine expression. It can be a bit rude or harsh, so you’d only use this with people close to you.

You can greet someone with “How are you” by saying お元気ですか. The “o” here is to show respect, and “ka” is the question particle. You can drop the “o” to make it informal and to reply, you could say  genki desu.  The word  genki  means “energy” or “healthy,” so you’re asking “Are you healthy?”

Unlike in English, you don’t ask someone this phrase often. You usually wouldn’t ask someone you saw yesterday, “How are you today?” in Japanese. But if it’s been a while, it’s common to put the phrase in the past tense and ask 元気だった？ ( Genki datta , “How have you been?”) To simplify it further, you could only say “Genki?” and raise the inflection on the last syllable.

Another way to ask how someone is doing is to say いかがですか ( Ikaga desu ka ). It means both “How are you?” and “How’s it going?” But it’s more formal and used to ask a higher-status individual how something specific is going. Like their job, or school.

お仕事はいかがですか。( O-shigoto wa ikaga desu ka ) <br> “How’s work going?” or “How is your work going?”

The actual translation for this one is “What’s your condition?” but it’s used informally to ask “how’s it going” in Japanese.

The difference here is that it’s a “how are you” phrase to follow up on something that was already discussed between you and a friend. For instance, the last time you saw your friend, they told you they were slammed at work and stressed about it. When you see them again, you can ask 調子はどうですか to see how it’s been since.

When you come home, you can announce it by proclaiming ただいまー！This means “I’m back!” or “I’ve returned home!” You can use this at work, too, when you’ve left the office for a while and returned.

You’ll be greeted in return with お帰り ( okaeri ) which literally means “you’ve returned” but translates better as “welcome back.” If you’re returning to the office from a business trip or out-of-the-office meeting, you might be greeted instead with お疲れ様 ( otsukaresama ) or just お疲れ ( otsukare ). Both mean “you must be tired” or “thanks for your hard work,” but  otsukare  is less formal.

When you meet someone for the first time, you can start off by saying はじめまして. This means “nice to meet you.”

You would normally follow it by giving your name, and then saying よろしくお願いします ( yoroshiku onegaishimau ). This is also usually translated as “nice to meet you” but it has many, many uses in Japanese.

A more accurate (but awkward in English) meaning would be “please look after me.” It’s a formal expression used whenever you’re asking to build a relationship with someone, or when you have to put your trust in them. It can also be shortened to “yoroshiku” to be less formal.

A common greeting at New Year’s is あけましておめでとうございます。今年もよろしくお願いします。( Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu. Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. ) So when you see people after the new year, you’re wishing them “Happy New Year! This year, again, please look after me.” To close friends, you shorten it to あけおめ！今年もよろしく ( Akeome! Kotoshi mo yoroshiku ).

When you walk into a store in Japan, you’ll often be greeted with いらっしゃいませ！It means “welcome” to store guests.

However, you wouldn’t say this to someone coming into your home. When you arrive at someone else’s home, you greet them with お邪魔します ( ojama shimasu ). It means “I’m sorry to bother you.” The host would welcome you by saying どうぞ ( douzo ), or “please, after you,” “come in,” or “go ahead.”

Answering your phone in Japanese also has its own greeting! When you say “hello” on the phone, you say もしもし with a raised inflection to say “Hello?” It comes from the verb 申す ( mousu ), the humble version of “to say.” However, you would only use  moshi moshi  when answering a phone call from a friend or family member.

In business situations,  moshi moshi  is considered rude. So instead, you’d answer the phone with はい ( hai , “yes”), followed by your last name/family name or the company name.

Like English, you can also start off by greeting someone with a generic phrase about the weather. Usually, it’ll be something along the lines of いい天気ですね ( ii tenki desu ne , “Nice weather, isn’t it?”) or 暑い / 寒い ですね ( atsui / samui desu ne , “It’s hot / It’s cold, isn’t it?)

There are many ways to greet someone in Japanese! But the best way to strike up a conversation and get started speaking Japanese is with a simple “hello.” Learning these phrases is a great place to start getting comfortable with the language.

Now, learn your  core Japanese words  to expand your vocabulary!

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Caitlin Sacasas

Content Writer, Fluent in 3 Months

Caitlin is a copywriter, content strategist, and language learner. Besides languages, her passions are fitness, books, and Star Wars. Connect with her: Twitter | LinkedIn

Speaks: English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

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How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese (Formally or Casually)

In Japanese, a one-size-fits-all self-introduction isn’t always appropriate—much like in English!

When getting to know your intimidating new boss, you’d say something like, “It’s a pleasure to be working with you. Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Em,” rather than, “Hey there, nice to meet you! I’m Em! Let’s be best friends!”

How you introduce yourself depends on the situation and level of formality involved.

Below, we cover the most common methods of self-introduction in Japanese, as well as other tidbits you should know (such as vocabulary and culture).

How to Write Your Name in Katakana

Self-introduction in japanese: essential vocabulary, business card culture in japan, how to introduce yourself in japanese (formal), 1. “hello.”, 2. お元気ですか？ (おげんき ですか？) — how are you, 3. … と申します。 (…と もうします。) — i am…, 4. 初めまして。どうぞよろしくお願いします。 (はじめまして。どうぞ よろしく おねがいします。) — nice to meet you. i look forward to working with you., 5. “goodbye.”, 6. optional: 自己紹介させていただきます。 (じこしょうかい させて いただきます。) — i will begin my self-introduction., how to introduce yourself in japanese (informal), 2. お元気ですか？ (おげんき ですか？) / 元気？ (げんき？) — how are you, 3. … です。 — i am…, 4. 初めまして。 (はじめまして。) — nice to meet you., 5. よろしくお願いします。 (よろしく おねがいします。) — please show me kindness., 6. “goodbye.”, and one more thing....

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The Japanese language has a pretty strict set of syllables. It can be difficult for native Japanese speakers to pronounce foreign words and names.

Because of this, it’s important to understand katakana and figure out how to pronounce your name the Japanese way before diving into introductions.

Katakana, like hiragana , is a syllabary where one character represents a particular Japanese syllable. The only difference is that katakana was developed for writing and pronouncing foreign words in the Japanese language.

Using katakana, work out how you’d say your name within the limit of the Japanese syllable system. Here are a few examples:

ジョナサン (じょなさん) — Jonathan

エム (えむ) — Em

ザカリ ー (ざかりー) — Zachary

ジェシカ (じぇしか) — Jessica

Practice katakana and develop the correct way to pronounce your name in Japanese for improved communication.

When introducing yourself, it’s often appropriate to include your position, career, status or any other information about yourself that the other person might need to know. Whether you’re a student, writer or a supervisor at a company, it’s a good idea to learn the relevant vocabulary.

Here are some common words you might use to describe your work in situations like a job interview :

学生 (がくせい) — student

医者 (いしゃ) — doctor

看護師 (かんごし) — nurse

先生 (せんせい) / 教師 (きょうし) — teacher

芸術家 (げいじゅつか) — artist

作家 (さっか) — writer

政治家 (せいじか) — politician

調理師 (ちょうりし) — chef

会計士 (かいけいし) — accountant

兵士 (へいし) — soldier

会社員 (かいしゃいん) — employee

サラリーマン (さらりーまん) — salaryman

フリーター (ふりーたー) — part-timer

監督 (かんとく) / 管理者  (かんりしゃ) — supervisor

エンジニア (えんじにあ) — engineer

If none of these describe you, look up the Japanese word for your profession or the position you hold in your company. It’ll make meeting people much easier, as this is usually one of the first bits of information new acquaintances exchange.

Business cards are important for professional situations in Japan, even for casual networking opportunities.

Study up on Japanese business card culture and put together your own business cards if you plan on working in Japan. It can definitely end up being a major part of how you introduce yourself to other professionals.

Now that you’ve gained some important context on how to introduce yourself in Japanese, let’s finally get into the phrases!

If you just met a Japanese speaker and you’re not sure how to introduce yourself to them, it’s best to err on the side of caution and use the formal register first. That way, you’ll lower your chances of making a faux  pas.

Even in situations where you should’ve used the informal register instead, you’re less likely to offend the other person by being overly polite first than by being too chummy from the get-go.

There are a few formal and polite ways to greet someone in Japanese:

おはようございます — Good morning (used for morning greetings until around 10 a.m.)

おはよう様です ( おはようさま です ) — Good morning (slightly less formal)

こんにちは — Hello (used for greetings from around 10 a.m. to dusk)

こんばんは — Good evening (used for the whole evening)

おやすみなさい — Good night (used right before bedtime)

This is the same whether you’re in a formal or informal situation.

It can be optional, but it adds a sense of caring to your conversation and can help you seem more approachable.

と申します is the more formal way of saying “my name is” or “I am.” Simply precede the phrase with your name. (Note: If you’d like to follow this up with your profession, you should still use … です for that!)

If you’re in a work setting, it may be wise to introduce yourself by your last, then first name.

This extended version of よろしくお願いします isn’t appropriate for all formal situations and is mostly used for first meetings in school or at work.

This phrase is usually accompanied by a nod or brief bow .

In a formal situation, it would be rude to end a conversation with “later, dude.” Here are a few more polite ways to say goodbye:

さようなら — Goodbye

失礼します (しつれい します) — Excuse me (I’m leaving now)

お疲れ様でした (おつかれさま でした ) — Thank you for your hard work (used at the end of a work day)

お先に失礼します (おさきに しつれい します) — Excuse me for leaving first

You could also see this phrase as a way of saying “allow me to introduce myself.” This is a very formal phrase you’d use to introduce yourself to someone at a formal get-together such as a wedding or business trip when you approach them first.

If you’re giving a speech, it would be wise to open with this phrase before beginning the rest of your self-introduction.

In any other situation, this phrase is just a bit too formal to use.

The key to informal introductions in Japanese is to keep things as brief and relaxed as possible, while still being polite and respecting introduction “rules.”

There are a few ways to say hello in Japanese based on the time of day and the vibe of the situation:

おはよう — Good morning (used for morning greetings until around 10 a.m.)

こんちゃ — Hello (shortened version of こんにちは)

おーい！ — Hey! 

ヤッホー！ (やっほー！) — Hi! 

おす！ — Hey! (Used by young men among each other)

よぉ！ — Yo! (Used in a really comfortable setting)

These are common expressions used in casual conversation. You may not get a very in-depth response, perhaps as little as a nod with a smile.

The phrases both literally mean “are you healthy?” but they work just like the English “how are you?”—as a greeting, not an actual inquiry into someone’s health or well-being.

元気？is usually used between good friends, while お元気ですか？is a bit more polite.

Precede です with your name. For example:

ジョナサンです。 — I am Jonathan.

エムです。 — I am Em.

ザカリーです。 — I am Zachary.

ジェシカです。 — I am Jessica.

This is also how you’d use any one of the essential career words we mentioned above. For instance:

学生です。 — I am a student.

It’s quick, to the point and polite without being overbearingly formal.

This isn’t the most commonly used phrase out there, but there are a few situations in which you’d use it. If a friend introduces you to someone or you’re networking with someone but not formally working with them yet, this phrase can help you seem friendlier.

There isn’t an exact translation of this term in English, but the closest concept is that you’re asking your new friend to be gentle with your feelings.

Remember, keeping things short and sweet but still genuine is the key to making a great informal introduction. Here are a few ways to wrap things up:

またね — See you soon

バイバイ (ばいばい) — Bye-bye

では、また — Well then, see you

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This list of phrases might seem a little complicated if you’ve never introduced yourself in Japanese before. Keep in mind that you won’t have to use all of these constantly if you’re planning on traveling to or living in Japan.

Knowing how to introduce yourself in Japanese, however, will really help you improve your overall fluency—and make some friends along the way!

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Related posts:

14+ Essential Japanese Gestures, Plus Body Language to Avoid

25 Ways You Can Use Japanese Ki to Express Abstract Ideas

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