Greetings and Gestures
Japanese are very polite, and so it would be good to learn a few phrases to greet them, even though you don’t speak Japanese. They appreciate foreigners learning and understanding their language, and I always get encouragement when I talk to them in Japanese.
Note that there are shorter forms of some phrases that you probably have heard of before, and they are used usually between friends because they are more casual. Therefore, you should try to use the longer forms to sound more polite.
Similar to other asian cultures, the choice of words that you use in communication in Japan may imply seniority and respect, especially in a work environment. To ensure that you don’t offend anyone unintentionally, I would suggest trying to use the longer forms. However, since you are a traveler and not native Japanese, even if you use short forms, the locals probably won’t get mad at you.
Other than verbal communication, Japanese also tend to nod or even bow to customers. Note that nodding does not necessarily mean they agree with what you say, it’s more like “I heard you” in the States. When they nod, you can simply nod back to show respect. It’s not uncommon for a store assistant to walk you to the door after you are done paying for the purchase, and then bow as you walk away. The ones I write here are not the formal Romanji, but it’s a way for me to teach my friends how to say it in English if I send them a text.
Good morning. = おはようございます。”o-hai-yor (longer) go-za-i ma-su” OR “o-hai-yor go-za-i-mas”. The “su” sound can be replaced with “s”. You probably have heard of “ohayo”, which is the short form.
Good afternoon. = こんにちは。 “kon-ni-chi-wa”. This is used during the day, after the morning.
Good evening. = こんばんは。”kon-bah-n-wa”. This is used in the evening to say hi, but not to say good night.
Thank you. = ありがとうございます。”a-li-ga-tor (no need to stress “r” sound) go-za-i ma-su”. You probably have heard of “arigatou” before, which is the short form.
Sorry or Excuse me (in American conversation). すみません。”su-mi ma-sen”. This is used when you want to get attention of somebody like trying to get the waitress’ attention at a restaurant. You can also use this phrase if you accidentally step on someone’s shoes.
This is not a good direct translation but it’s been used by us many times in shopping when we want to use credit card to pay. It’s something that I teach my friends to use when they don’t speak Japanese at all so this is not grammatically correct or a phrase you will find in a Japanese textbook. “カードOK?” = “card-do okay?” One way to call credit card is simply “cardo”. Note that you may need to ask if you can use credit card because not every place accepts credit cards for payment. Cash is still golden in Japan, but many places take credit cards now.