Do I need to speak Japanese to travel in Japan?

No, but it helps significantly outside major tourist hubs. In Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and major hotels, English signs and basic English support exist. In smaller cities, train stations, and rural areas, very little English is spoken. Memorising 30-50 essential phrases dramatically improves the experience.

Will pointing at a translation app work?

Yes — Google Translate's camera mode reads Japanese signs in real time and works well. The conversation mode lets you and a Japanese speaker take turns. As a backup it's invaluable; as a primary tool it's slower than just memorising a few key phrases for common situations.

What's the most useful phrase for tourists?

'Sumimasen, ~ wa doko desu ka?' (Excuse me, where is ~?) — works for asking directions to anything, from train stations to toilets. Combined with pointing at a screen showing the place name in Japanese, it works almost universally.

Are romaji (romanised Japanese) phrases enough?

For pronunciation, yes. Japanese is phonetic and consistent — once you know the romaji rules (a as in 'father', e as in 'red', etc.), you can pronounce most words correctly. For reading signs and menus, you'll still want hiragana and katakana, but romaji gets you through speaking.

What if I get pronunciation wrong?

Japanese people are remarkably patient with foreign learners and will work hard to understand. Pitch matters less than in Mandarin or Vietnamese, and most words have only one common pronunciation. The 80% rule — getting close to right pronunciation — almost always works.

Learn Japanese

50 Japanese Travel Phrases: Trains, Hotels, Restaurants, Emergencies

Shu · April 25, 2026 · April 25, 2026 · 7 min read

Introduction

You don’t need to be fluent in Japanese to have a great trip — but knowing 50 essential phrases turns awkward situations into smooth ones. This guide is organised by situation: skim it for the section you need and bookmark it for travel.

Pronunciation: vowels are short and consistent — a (ah), i (ee), u (oo), e (eh), o (oh). Consonants close to English. Stress is even.

At the airport / immigration

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
観光です	Kankō desu	I’m here for tourism
7日間です	Nanoka kan desu	7 days
〜ホテルに泊まります	~ hoteru ni tomarimasu	Staying at ~ Hotel
申告するものはありません	Shinkoku suru mono wa arimasen	Nothing to declare

Have your hotel name written in Japanese on a paper or phone.

Train and metro

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
〜駅まで	~ eki made	To ~ station
〜行きですか	~ iki desu ka	Does this go to ~?
何番線ですか	Nan-bansen desu ka	Which platform?
次の電車はいつですか	Tsugi no densha wa itsu desu ka	When’s the next train?
切符をなくしました	Kippu o nakushimashita	I lost my ticket
Suicaのチャージお願いします	Suica no chāji onegaishimasu	Please top up my Suica

Hotel

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
チェックインお願いします	Chekkuin onegaishimasu	Check-in, please
予約してあります	Yoyaku shite arimasu	I have a reservation
Wi-Fiのパスワードは	Wi-Fi no pasuwādo wa	What’s the Wi-Fi password?
タオルをもう一枚	Taoru o mō ichi-mai	One more towel
朝食は何時ですか	Chōshoku wa nan-ji desu ka	What time is breakfast?
荷物を預かってもらえますか	Nimotsu o azukatte moraemasu ka	Can you hold my luggage?

Restaurant

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
〇人です	~ -nin desu	We are ~ people (1人 hitori, 2人 futari, 3人 san-nin, 4人 yo-nin)
英語のメニューありますか	Eigo no menyū arimasu ka	Do you have an English menu?
これをください	Kore o kudasai	I’ll have this
お任せでお願いします	Omakase de onegaishimasu	Chef’s choice, please
〜は入っていますか	~ wa haitte imasu ka	Does this contain ~?
豚肉は食べられません	Buta-niku wa taberaremasen	I can’t eat pork
アレルギーがあります	Arerugī ga arimasu	I have allergies
ベジタリアンです	Bejitarian desu	I’m vegetarian
お会計お願いします	Okaikei onegaishimasu	The bill, please
ごちそうさまでした	Gochisōsama deshita	Thanks for the meal (leaving)

Shopping

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
いくらですか	Ikura desu ka	How much?
クレジットカードで	Kurejitto kādo de	By credit card
免税できますか	Menzei dekimasu ka	Can I get tax-free?
試着できますか	Shichaku dekimasu ka	Can I try it on?
サイズが合いません	Saizu ga aimasen	The size doesn’t fit
別の色はありますか	Betsu no iro wa arimasu ka	Do you have another colour?
袋お願いします	Fukuro onegaishimasu	A bag, please

Asking for directions

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
〜はどこですか	~ wa doko desu ka	Where is ~?
道に迷いました	Michi ni mayoimashita	I’m lost
ここはどこですか	Koko wa doko desu ka	Where am I?
近いですか	Chikai desu ka	Is it close?
歩いて何分ですか	Aruite nan-pun desu ka	How many minutes on foot?
地図に印してください	Chizu ni shirushite kudasai	Please mark it on the map

Emergencies

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
助けてください	Tasukete kudasai	Help, please
警察を呼んでください	Keisatsu o yonde kudasai	Please call the police
救急車を呼んでください	Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai	Please call an ambulance
病院に連れて行ってください	Byōin ni tsurete itte kudasai	Please take me to the hospital
パスポートをなくしました	Pasupōto o nakushimashita	I lost my passport
財布を盗まれました	Saifu o nusumaremashita	My wallet was stolen
大使館はどこですか	Taishikan wa doko desu ka	Where’s the embassy?

Emergency numbers: 110 (police), 119 (fire/ambulance). Both work from any phone, free.

Numbers

Number	Japanese	Romaji
1	一	ichi
2	二	ni
3	三	san
4	四	shi / yon
5	五	go
6	六	roku
7	七	shichi / nana
8	八	hachi
9	九	kyū / ku
10	十	jū
100	百	hyaku
1,000	千	sen
10,000	万	man

Money tip: Japanese counts 10,000 as one unit (one man). ¥30,000 = san-man yen.

Time

Phrase	Romaji	Meaning
何時ですか	Nan-ji desu ka	What time is it?
〜時	~ -ji	~ o’clock
午前 / 午後	gozen / gogo	AM / PM
今日	kyō	Today
明日	ashita	Tomorrow
昨日	kinō	Yesterday
今	ima	Now

Days of the week

Day	Japanese	Romaji
Mon	月曜日	getsu-yōbi
Tue	火曜日	ka-yōbi
Wed	水曜日	sui-yōbi
Thu	木曜日	moku-yōbi
Fri	金曜日	kin-yōbi
Sat	土曜日	do-yōbi
Sun	日曜日	nichi-yōbi

Survival kit (top 10)

If you only memorise 10:

すみません (sumimasen) — excuse me / sorry / thanks
ありがとうございます (arigatō gozaimasu) — thank you
お願いします (onegaishimasu) — please
〜はどこですか (~ wa doko desu ka) — where is ~?
いくらですか (ikura desu ka) — how much?
これをください (kore o kudasai) — this one, please
お会計お願いします (okaikei onegaishimasu) — bill, please
トイレはどこですか (toire wa doko desu ka) — where’s the toilet?
英語話せますか (eigo hanasemasu ka) — do you speak English?
大丈夫です (daijōbu desu) — I’m OK / no thanks

Tips for sounding more natural

Drop pronouns when context is clear — Japanese rarely says “I” or “you”
End with -ne or -yo in casual conversation (-ne = right? / -yo = let me tell you)
Lower your voice — loud foreign speakers stand out painfully in Japan
Mimic the rhythm — Japanese is even-stressed, no English-style emphasis on syllables

Apps for travel

Google Translate — camera mode reads signs in real time
DeepL — better translation quality than Google for nuanced sentences
Duolingo — daily 5-minute brush-up before travel
JapanesePod101 — practical conversation lessons

Summary

You can travel Japan with 20 phrases comfortably and 50 phrases confidently. Pair them with Google Translate camera mode for written Japanese (signs, menus), and you’ll find the country far easier to navigate than its reputation suggests.

Related:

Learn Japanese

Hiragana Guide: Learn All 46 Characters in 1 Week

Learn Japanese

Essential Japanese Greetings: 30 Phrases You'll Use Daily

Learn Japanese

Katakana Guide: Learn the Foreign-Word Alphabet

Get weekly Japan insights

Introduction

At the airport / immigration

Train and metro

Hotel

Restaurant

Shopping

Asking for directions

Emergencies

Numbers

Time

Days of the week

Survival kit (top 10)

Tips for sounding more natural

Apps for travel

Summary

Related Articles

Get weekly Japan insights