Daily Phrases

You can know every kanji in the dictionary and still freeze up when someone says good morning to you. Daily phrases are the social glue of Japanese: short, formulaic, and loaded with cultural meaning. This page covers the expressions you will hear and use from your first day in Japan, organized by situation, with romaji, English, Mandarin equivalents, and notes on when to use polite vs casual forms.

Greetings 挨拶

Japanese greetings follow the time of day more strictly than English. Using the wrong greeting is like saying “good morning” at 8 PM. People notice.

Morning

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	Register
おはようございます	ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning (polite)	早上好	Polite
おはよう	ohayō	Good morning (casual)	早啊	Casual

▶Listen

Usage notes: Use おはようございます with teachers, coworkers, strangers, and anyone you want to respect. おはよう is for friends, family, and close peers. Even at work, colleagues of equal rank often drop to おはよう after the first greeting of the day.

In Japanese offices, the first person to arrive sometimes says おはようございます to the empty room, a greeting to the workplace itself. Punctuality and acknowledging the start of the shared workday matter.

Daytime

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	Register
こんにちは	konnichiwa	Hello / Good afternoon	你好 / 下午好	Neutral-polite

Usage notes: こんにちは is the standard daytime greeting (roughly 10 AM – 5 PM). It is always polite; there is no casual version. The final は is written は but pronounced wa (the topic particle).

False Friend 偽りの友

Do not write こんにちわ. The greeting uses the particle は (wa), not わ. Same rule as the topic marker.

When should you use こんにちは?

A. Roughly 10 AM – 5 PM (daytime greeting)B. Only in the morning before 10 AMC. Only after sunsetD. Any time of day — it means hello

Evening

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	Register
こんばんは	konbanwa	Good evening	晚上好	Neutral-polite

Usage notes: Use from dusk onward: entering a restaurant, meeting someone at night, or opening a phone call in the evening.

Night / Leaving

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	Register
おやすみなさい	oyasuminasai	Good night (polite)	晚安	Polite
おやすみ	oyasumi	Good night (casual)	晚安 (casual)	Casual
さようなら	sayōnara	Goodbye	再见	Formal/final
じゃあね	jā ne	See ya	拜拜 / 下次见	Casual

Usage notes: さようなら carries a sense of parting for a while, so it can sound heavy for an everyday bye. Natives prefer じゃあね, またね (see you), or バイバイ (bye-bye) among friends. おやすみ is said before sleep, not when leaving a party (unless everyone is going home to bed).

Time greetings follow a pattern: こん + time + は (こんにちは for “this day,” こんばんは for “this evening”). Morning breaks the pattern because おはよう comes from 早い (early/hayai).

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Gratitude and apologies 感謝と謝罪

Japanese culture weighs gratitude and apology heavily. These phrases maintain social harmony.

Thank you

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	Register
ありがとうございます	arigatō gozaimasu	Thank you very much	非常感谢 / 谢谢	Polite
ありがとう	arigatō	Thanks	谢谢	Casual
どうもありがとうございます	dōmo arigatō gozaimasu	Thank you very much (emphatic)	太谢谢你了	Very polite

▶Listen

Usage notes: Add どうも for extra warmth. Bow slightly when saying ありがとうございます in formal settings. Even cashiers and convenience store staff deserve the polite form.

Excuse me / Sorry

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	Register
すみません	sumimasen	Excuse me / Sorry / Thank you	不好意思 / 对不起 / 劳驾	Versatile
ごめんなさい	gomen nasai	I am sorry	对不起	Polite apology
ごめん	gomen	Sorry (casual)	对不起 (casual)	Casual

▶Listen

Usage notes: すみません covers many situations:

• Bumping someone on the train → すみません
• Getting a waiter’s attention → すみません
• Receiving a gift → すみません (humble thanks)
• Arriving late → すみません

ごめんなさい is a direct apology for something you did wrong. Use it with friends, family, or when you genuinely need forgiveness.

Mandarin Bridge 中文橋

すみません overlaps with both 不好意思 and 谢谢 in certain contexts. It expresses “I am indebted / I impose on you.” Mandarin separates these more cleanly; Japanese bundles humility into one word.

Which situations can すみません cover?

A. Excuse me, sorry, and humble thanks — all threeB. Only direct apologiesC. Only getting someone's attentionD. Only thanking someone

Responding to thanks

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin
いいえ	iie	No (not at all)	不客气
いえいえ	ie ie	Not at all / Don’t mention it	不不 / 哪里哪里
どういたしまして	dō itashimashite	You’re welcome (formal)	不客气

Usage notes: いえいえ with a wave is the natural casual response. どういたしまして is correct but can sound textbook-stiff; natives often prefer いえいえ or even ううん、大丈夫 (no, it’s fine).

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Self-introduction 自己紹介

Meeting someone new in Japan follows a predictable script. Learn it as a block. You will use it at schools, offices, language exchanges, and anywhere you meet Japanese people.

The standard pattern

Step	Japanese	Romaji	English
1	はじめまして	hajimemashite	Nice to meet you (first time)
2	[Name]です	[Name] desu	I am [Name]
2 (formal)	[Name]と申(もう)します	[Name] to mōshimasu	My name is [Name] (humble)
3	よろしくお願(ねが)いします	yoroshiku onegaishimasu	Please treat me well

Full example:

はじめまして。サムです。アメリカから来ました。よろしくお願いします。

Nice to meet you. I am Sam. I came from America. Please treat me well.

Mandarin comparison

Japanese	Mandarin equivalent	Notes
はじめまして	初次见面	First meeting only
[Name]です	我叫… / 我是…	Direct parallel
よろしくお願いします	请多关照	See cultural note below

Culture 文化メモ

よろしくお願いします resists a single English translation. It is a social contract: I am entering your world; please guide me, forgive my mistakes, and let’s have a good relationship going forward. You say it when joining a team, starting a class, asking a favor, or closing a self-intro. It appears again and again throughout Japanese social life.

In a self-introduction, よろしくお願いします is closest to:

A. 请多关照 (please treat me well)B. 再见 (goodbye)C. 谢谢 (thank you)D. 对不起 (sorry)

The Mandarin self-intro 你好，我叫小明，请多关照 maps almost perfectly: はじめまして ≈ 初次见面 (more explicit in Japanese), 小明です ≈ 我叫小明, よろしくお願いします ≈ 请多关照. Your Chinese intro instincts transfer directly. Swap in Japanese endings.

Useful add-ons

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin
[Country]から来(き)ました	[Country] kara kimashita	I came from [country]	我从…来
[City]に住(す)んでいます	[City] ni sunde imasu	I live in [city]	我住在…
学生(がくせい)です	gakusei desu	I am a student	我是学生
日本語(にほんご)を勉強(べんきょう)しています	nihongo o benkyō shite imasu	I am studying Japanese	我在学日语

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Daily expressions 日常の決まり文句

These phrases are ritualized. Everyone says them at the same moment, every day. Not saying them stands out more than saying them wrong.

Before and after meals

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	When
いただきます	itadakimasu	I humbly receive (this food)	(no direct equivalent)	Before eating
ごちそうさまでした	gochisōsama deshita	That was a feast / Thank you for the meal	谢谢款待	After eating

Culture 文化メモ

いただきます expresses gratitude to everyone and everything involved in the meal: the cook, the farmers, the ingredients themselves. It is not religious for most people, but it is expected before the first bite, even when eating alone. ごちそうさまでした closes the ritual. In restaurants, customers say it; staff may respond with a bow.

いただきます means “I receive” (humbling yourself before the meal). ごちそうさま means “feast” plus an honorific: you are thanking the meal itself. Pair them like opening and closing a book.

Leaving and returning home

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	When
行(い)ってきます	itte kimasu	I am going and will come back	我出去了	Leaving home
行(い)ってらっしゃい	itterasshai	Go and come back safely	路上小心 / 慢走	Response
ただいま	tadaima	I am home (just now)	我回来了	Arriving home
お帰(かえ)りなさい	okaerinasai	Welcome back	欢迎回来	Response

The exchange:

Leaving:  行ってきます  →  行ってらっしゃい
Returning: ただいま      →  おかえりなさい

These are expected in Japanese households. They signal awareness of shared space. Saying ただいま tells your family “I am safe, I am back.” The response おかえりなさい confirms “we noticed, welcome home.” Even roommates often maintain this ritual.

Work and effort

Japanese	Romaji	English	Mandarin	When
お疲(つか)れ様(さま)です	otsukaresama desu	Good work / Thank you for your effort	辛苦了	End of work, greeting colleagues
お疲(つか)れ様(さま)でした	otsukaresama deshita	Good work (past — day is done)	辛苦了 (past)	After finishing work
お先(さき)に失礼(しつれい)します	osaki ni shitsurei shimasu	Excuse me for leaving before you	我先走了	Leaving office while others stay

Culture 文化メモ

お疲れ様です is the heartbeat of Japanese office culture. Say it when passing colleagues in the hallway, at the end of meetings, and when someone completes a task. It does not mean “you look tired.” It means I acknowledge your effort. Not saying it can feel cold.

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Polite vs casual speech 丁寧語とカジュアル

Japanese social life runs on register: the level of politeness you choose signals how close you are to the other person.

Situation	Use polite (です/ます)	Use casual (plain form)
Strangers, shop staff	✓ Always	✗ Avoid
Teachers, bosses, elders	✓ Always	✗ Avoid
First meeting (same age)	✓ Start polite	Switch if invited
Close friends, family	Optional	✓ Natural
Texting close friends	—	✓ Expected

Same meaning, different register

Polite	Casual	Meaning
ありがとうございます	ありがとう	Thank you
おはようございます	おはよう	Good morning
ごめんなさい	ごめん	Sorry
おやすみなさい	おやすみ	Good night
行ってきます	行ってくる	I’m heading out
食べます	食べる	eat

Casual speech also drops particles and shortens words: だよ instead of です, じゃない instead of ではありません. As a beginner, stay in polite form until a native friend explicitly says タメ口 (tameguchi, casual speech) is okay. Over-casual speech with strangers is one of the fastest ways to seem rude.

False Friend 偽りの友

Anime and dramas are full of casual speech. Phrases like お前 (you, rough), てめえ (you, aggressive), and blunt verb forms are not safe to use with people you do not know well. Learn polite forms first; pick up casual from real relationships, not subtitles.

Modern slang you will hear

Young Japanese people use these constantly. You do not need to produce them, but recognizing them helps you follow conversations, social media, and TV.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Notes
やばい	yabai	Amazing / terrible / intense	Context-dependent. Originally negative (“dangerous”), now mostly positive among young people: やばい！おいしい！(“Wow! Delicious!”)
まじ / マジ	maji	Seriously? / For real?	Like English “really?!” — まじで？(Seriously?)
めっちゃ	meccha	Very / super	Kansai origin, now used nationwide. めっちゃおいしい = super delicious. You will hear this constantly in Osaka.
すごい	sugoi	Wow / amazing / incredible	Versatile exclamation. すごい！= “Amazing!”
かわいい	kawaii	Cute	You know this one. Used for everything from babies to food to stationery.
ウケる	ukeru	That’s hilarious	Literally “I receive (the humor).” ウケる！= “LOL”
エモい	emoi	Emotional / nostalgic / moving	From English “emotional.” A sunset, old music, a heartfelt moment = エモい

Mandarin Bridge 中文橋

やばい functions like Mandarin 牛逼 / 厉害 — it started negative and became an all-purpose intensifier among young people. めっちゃ maps to 超 (chāo) in casual Mandarin: めっちゃかわいい = 超可爱. まじ works like 真的吗 (zhēn de ma).

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Quick reference: your first week in Japan

Situation	Say this
Enter a shop (morning)	おはようございます (or こんにちは)
Buy something	ありがとうございます
Bump into someone	すみません
Meet your host family	はじめまして。よろしくお願いします。
Sit down to eat	いただきます
Finish eating	ごちそうさまでした
Leave your apartment	行ってきます
Come home	ただいま
End your workday	お疲れ様でした

Use these phrases in the situations where they belong. Combined with the sentence patterns and particles from earlier lessons, they give you a workable baseline for everyday interaction in Japan.

Key takeaways

• Greetings follow time of day: おはよう (morning), こんにちは (daytime), こんばんは (evening)
• すみません covers excuse me, sorry, and humble thanks — one word, many situations
• Self-intro script: はじめまして → [Name]です → よろしくお願いします (≈ 请多关照)
• Default to polite form (です/ます) with strangers; switch to casual only when invited

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