10 Japanese Phrases That Help Beginners Take a Shortcut
When we first learn Japanese, we usually begin with the polite form, or 丁寧形（ていねいけい）. For verbs, that means the ます form. For nouns and adjectives, it often means the です form.
At the beginner level, the main conjugations include dictionary form, te-form, nai-form, ta-form, and plain form.
Switching flexibly between polite form and plain form is probably one of the hardest parts at the beginning.
I now understand why it can be difficult to catch what Japanese people say in everyday life. First, people do not always speak in polite form. Second, my vocabulary is still limited.
At the start, we often learn greetings first, such as こんにちは, こんばんは, and さようなら.
But after working part-time in several places and living in Japan for a while, I found that the following phrases are used much more often in real life. I am sharing them here for other beginners.
1. おはようございます。
This means “good morning,” but at work it is used when starting a shift, regardless of whether it is morning, afternoon, or evening.
2. お疲れ様です / お疲れ様でした。
Literally, this means “you’ve worked hard,” but in the workplace it’s used all the time. For example, when greeting colleagues in meetings, people usually say “お疲れ様です.”
At the end of the workday, coworkers don’t typically say “bye-bye” or a direct equivalent of “goodbye” either—they still tend to say “お疲れ様でした” or sometimes “お疲れ様です.”
You can also say “お先に失礼します,” which means “Excuse me, I’m heading out first.” However, this isn’t used all that often. Once you’ve been around for a while and gotten familiar with your coworkers, being too formal like that can start to feel a bit unnatural.
3. お願いします。
This means “please” or “I would appreciate your help.” Colleagues say it often at work.
4. すみません。
This is similar to “excuse me.” If you do not know a coworker’s name, you can start with すみません and then get to the point. You do not need to call someone “big brother,” “auntie,” or similar titles as people sometimes do in Chinese. That said, you may still occasionally hear お兄さん or お姉さん.
Common situations include あの（う）、すみません when asking for help or raising a problem. Sometimes people say すいません instead.
5. ありがとうございます。
This means “thank you.” In actual work situations, I often only hear the ございます part clearly.
6. 大丈夫ですか。
This can mean “Are you okay?”, “Is there any problem?”, “Is it all right?”, or “Can you manage?” It is extremely common at work.
You can usually reply with 大丈夫. If there is a real problem, you can say 大丈夫じゃありません / 大丈夫じゃない, or すみません、実はちょっと問題があります.
7. どうぞ。
This means “please” or “go ahead.” For example, you can say it when letting a coworker go first.
8. ちょっと待ってください。
This means “please wait a moment.” It is very useful, especially if your Japanese is still weak. If you do not understand and want to take out your phone to use a translation app, saying this first can keep both sides from panicking.
9. これは日本語で何と言いますか。
This means “How do you say this in Japanese?”
At the beginning, vocabulary is too limited to keep a conversation going. If you want to create chances to say a few more words, try this sentence. It helps you remember words more clearly, and people are usually happy to tell you. They may also ask how to say it in Chinese.
10. ちょっといいですか。
This means “May I have a moment?” or “Can I try?”
You can use it when offering help, such as when a classmate or coworker cannot open a bottle. In the workplace, it usually means “Do you have a moment now?”