The short answer: no, you don’t need to learn Japanese before you go.
Honesly, you can absolutely get around in Japan without speaking a word of the language and have still have an amazing time. Tourist infrastructure is good, the majority of signage in the cities and tourist areas are multilingual, and most Japanese people will go out of their way to help a confused-looking foreigner.
Google Translate has also come along hugely since my very first trip.
However, chances are, if you’ve visited once already, or if you’re doing enough research to be reading my article, then deep down you probably know that learning a handful of phrases will significantly enhance your experience. And you’re right. Trust me, the difference between “no Japanese” and “five phrases of Japanese, badly pronounced” is enormous. Not in practical terms, but in emotional ones. And honestly, I would strongly urge anyone travelling to ANY country, to try and learn a few phrases, or at the very least, grab a phrase book before you head out.
There’s a particular kind of warmth you experience when you walk into a tiny restaurant, say konnichiwa with a small bow, point at something on the menu and add onegaishimasu. Chances are the server will give you a smile, and if they have time will start chatting at you despite knowing you don’t understand. More often than you can imagine they will even try a handful of English with you. (Most Japanese people will have learnt a level of English in school.) Either way, trying to use Japanese on your trip shows you’ve taken time out to do your research. Believe me, they will appreciate it, even if all you can confidently say is ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’
That’s the short answer. Here’s the longer one.
Can you actually get by in Japan without Japanese?
Yes. Easily, in most situations.
Here’s what you can rely on:
Signage. Train stations, airports, major attractions, road signs, menus in tourist areas. These are all increasingly bilingual. Tokyo’s subway is fully signed in English, as are the announcements on the platform and on the train itself. Even rural train stations now usually have romaji (the romanised spelling) under the Japanese characters.
Google Translate’s camera function. This is the single biggest game-changer for non-Japanese-speaking visitors. Point your phone at a menu, a sign, a label. Literally anything you want to translate. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough to order food, find a product, or work out what a sign is telling you to do. Download the offline Japanese pack before you fly so it works without data. (A lesson learnt while hiking with no service…)
Tourist information centres. Major train stations and tourist hubs have these. Staff usually speak enough English to help with directions, recommendations, and bookings.
Hotel front desks. Even modest business hotels have someone on duty who can speak basic English.
Visual cues. Japan is a country that communicates visually. Plastic food displays in restaurant windows let you walk in and point. Photos on menus in tourist areas. Vending machine ordering at ramen shops with picture buttons. Number-based ticket machines. Pictograms everywhere.
Body language. A point and a smile gets you remarkably far. So does writing down a number or showing a screenshot.
Pre-planning. Book accommodation in advance. Get your routes mapped out before you set out. Have key addresses written in Japanese on your phone for taxi drivers.
If you do all of this, you can complete a two-week trip to Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Hiroshima without speaking a word of Japanese. Not that you should, but that is my own opinion.
Where it gets harder
The further you go from major tourist areas, the less English you’ll encounter.
In rural Tohoku, the Japanese Alps, much of Shikoku and Kyushu, smaller cities and towns, English drops off significantly. Menus go back to Japanese-only. Train conductors don’t speak English. Locals don’t switch into English mode. This isn’t unfriendly; it’s just that there’s no reason for ordinary Japanese people in non-tourist areas to maintain a working second language.
Specific situations where you’ll feel the language gap most:
Smaller, family-run restaurants. No English menu, no picture menu, no tablet ordering. The chef’s wife will look pained and helpful in equal measure.
Older taxi drivers. They’ll do their best. The destination card from your hotel saves the day every time.
Pharmacies. Try buying specific medication when you can’t read the labels and the pharmacist doesn’t speak English. Apps help, but it’s slow.
Phone calls. Booking a restaurant by phone in English is nearly impossible at smaller places. Use a booking site or have your hotel call for you.
Genuinely off-the-beaten-track travel. Mountain villages, remote ryokan, small islands. English coverage can drop to near zero.
If your trip is mostly the Golden Route, you’ll barely notice the language barrier. If your trip is the kind this site exists to encourage, then a handful of phrases stops being optional and starts being essential.
The emotional case for learning a little
One of the main reasons you should learn a little.
Japanese people are, on average, slightly reserved with strangers. The cultural temperature in public is cooler than what most Western travellers are used to. People are unfailingly polite, but they don’t tend to chat with you in shops or restaurants the way an American or Italian might.
When a foreigner, visibly, obviously, not Japanese, opens with a confident konnichiwa and finishes with arigatou gozaimasu, something shifts. It’s not that you’ve magically become a local. It’s that you’ve done something most tourists don’t. You’ve signalled that you’re paying attention.
This gets met with disproportionate warmth. Some of my closest Japanese friendships began with me making a rough attempt at engaging with them, usually in an izakaya, using a very small amount of Japanese.
None of those happened because my Japanese was good. It’s terrible. They happened because trying mattered more than succeeding.
This is the unsung argument for spending an hour learning ten phrases before you fly. Believe me, you will feel incredible for simply trying. The people you speak to will usually be happy to talk back, usually in a combination of broken English, simple Japanese, or Google Translate. It might not be fast, but it’s fun. Trust me.
With that, here are some phrases that you will most likely use throughout the trip.
Twenty phrases worth learning
These are ranked roughly by usefulness. If you only learn five, learn the first five. If you learn ten, you’re well covered. Twenty and you’ll most likely have a drink or two bought for you…
1. Sumimasen (soo-mee-mah-sen) — Excuse me / sorry / pardon me.
The single most useful word in Japanese. Use it to get a waiter’s attention, to apologise for bumping into someone, to start a question with a stranger. Means all three depending on context.
2. Arigatou gozaimasu (ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zai-mas) — Thank you (polite).
You’ll use this constantly. The shorter arigatou is fine for casual situations. The full version is what you’ll hear in shops and restaurants.
3. Konnichiwa (kon-nee-chi-wa) — Hello / good afternoon.
Used roughly 11am to 5pm. Before that, ohayou gozaimasu (good morning). After that, konbanwa (good evening).
4. Onegaishimasu (oh-neh-gai-shi-mas) — Please / requesting something.
Stick this on the end of any request. Pointing at a menu? Say kore onegaishimasu — this please.
5. Kore o kudasai (koh-reh oh koo-dah-sai) — Please give me this.
Slightly more direct version of the above. Good for shops and ordering.
6. Eigo wa hanasemasu ka? (ay-go wah hah-nah-seh-mas-kah) — Do you speak English?
Useful opener when you’ve hit a wall. You may get a no in return, eigo wakarimasen but they’ll usually try to help anyway.
7. Wakarimasen (wah-kah-ree-mah-sen) — I don’t understand.
Useful when someone’s launched into rapid Japanese and you’ve completely lost the thread. Say it with a smile and a small bow.
8. Eki wa doko desu ka? (eh-ki wah doh-koh dess-kah) — Where is the station?
Replace eki (station) with anything else: toire (toilet), konbini (convenience store), specific place names. The structure works for any “where is…?” question.
9. Ikura desu ka? (ee-koo-rah dess-kah) — How much is it?
Essential for markets, small shops, anywhere without clear price tags.
10. Oishii (oy-shee) — Delicious.
Say it after a bite of something good. Said warmly, it’s the universal compliment to a chef. The word people most love hearing back from foreigners.
11. Itadakimasu (ee-tah-dah-kee-mas) — Roughly “I gratefully receive this meal.”
Said before you start eating. Closer to “bon appétit” than to grace, but with a slight gratitude flavour.
12. Gochisousama deshita (goh-chi-soh-sah-mah desh-tah) — Roughly “thank you for the feast.”
Said when you finish a meal. To staff on the way out, to a host. Almost guarantees a genuine smile.
13. Kanpai (kan-pai) — Cheers.
Pre-drinking ritual. Don’t drink before someone says it.
14. Hai / iie (hai / ee-eh) — Yes / no.
Hai is genuinely versatile and used as much for “I’m listening / I understand” as for actual yes. Iie is used significantly less than English, and can even come across as pretty blunt. Japanese people tend to soften refusals.
15. Daijoubu desu (dai-joh-boo dess) — It’s fine / I’m OK / no problem.
Useful brush-off when offered something you don’t need. “No bag, daijoubu desu.”
16. Mou ichido onegaishimasu (moh ee-chi-doh oh-neh-gai-shi-mas) — One more time, please.
For when someone’s spoken too quickly and you’d like them to repeat it.
17. Gomen nasai (goh-men nah-sai) — I’m sorry (sincere).
Stronger and more apologetic than sumimasen. Use when you’ve actually done something wrong.
18. Toire wa doko desu ka? (toh-ee-reh wah doh-koh dess-kah) — Where’s the toilet?
Speaks for itself.
19. Osusume wa nan desu ka? (oh-soo-soo-meh wah nan dess-kah) — What do you recommend?
This one is magic in restaurants. Whatever they bring will be brilliant, because they’re picking the thing they’re proudest of.
20. O-aiso onegaishimasu (oh-ai-soh oh-neh-gai-shi-mas) — The bill, please.
Used when asking for the cheque at a sit-down restaurant. Some places use o-kaikei onegaishimasu instead. Both work.
That’s a working vocabulary. Five hours of practice with Duolingo or YouTube and you’ll have it.
What you’ll hear back
The other half of this is recognising what’s said to you. A few phrases that come up constantly:
Irasshaimase! (ee-rah-shai-mah-seh) — Welcome!
Shouted at you the moment you enter any shop or restaurant. Often by the entire staff in chorus. You don’t need to reply. A small nod is fine. This is the most common phrase you’ll hear in Japan, by some distance. (And one of my favourite experiences in Japan. It’s the little things…)
Hai, douzo (hai, doh-zoh) — Yes, here you go / please.
Said when handing you something. You can reply arigatou gozaimasu.
Kashikomarimashita (kah-shi-koh-mah-ree-mash-tah) — Certainly / understood.
Formal acknowledgement, common in restaurants when staff confirm an order.
Sumimasen, eigo ga… — Sorry, English is…
A polite way of indicating limited English. Means “let’s communicate by other means” rather than “go away.”
Daijoubu desu ka? (dai-joh-boo dess-kah) — Are you OK?
You’ll hear this if you look lost or confused. The answer is daijoubu desu if you are, or sumimasen, (pointing at the thing)… if you need help.
Goyukkuri douzo (goh-yook-koo-ri doh-zoh) — Take your time / please relax.
Said by waiters after delivering food, by ryokan staff showing you to your room, by anyone wanting you to feel unhurried.
Things you don’t need to bother with
A few common bits of advice you can safely ignore:
Don’t try to learn Japanese writing systems before you go. Hiragana, katakana, and kanji are interesting if you’ve got a year, irrelevant if you’ve got two weeks. You can read romaji on every important sign. Skip the writing unless you are committing long-term.
Don’t worry about formality levels. Japanese has multiple levels of politeness. As a tourist, you can stick to the polite-formal level (the “-masu” verb endings in the phrases above) for everything. You’ll never accidentally insult anyone by being too polite.
Don’t try to learn complex sentences. Japanese grammar is structurally different to English (subject-object-verb instead of subject-verb-object), and getting full sentences right is genuinely hard. Stick to phrase-based survival mode. Single words plus a smile beats broken full sentences every time.
Don’t stress about pronunciation perfectionism. Japanese is phonetically simple compared to most languages — five clean vowels, consistent consonants, no tones. Your accent will be wrong. Nobody minds. Saying arigatou badly is a hundred times better than not saying it.
Apps and tools that actually help
Three things worth having on your phone before you fly:
Google Translate with the Japanese language pack downloaded for offline use. Camera mode is genuinely transformative — point at a menu, see English instantly. Conversation mode lets you and someone speak into the phone in turn. Not always elegant but always functional.
Google Maps. Still one of the best transit and direction app for Japan. Routes you through trains, including which exit to take from stations. Works offline if you’ve cached the area, but works much better with data.
A handful of Japanese phrase YouTube videos. Watch a couple before you fly to get the pronunciation right. The Japanese Pod 101 channel does free survival-phrase rundowns.
Duolingo. People will scream at me for this, but spending a few months on this before your trip, just 5 or 10 minutes a day, really helps to refresh phrases you may have forgotten since your last trip. The free tier should be more than enough.
You don’t need anything fancier than this. Pocket translator devices, paid apps, expensive courses. They are all unnecessary for a two-week trip.
The honest answer, one more time
Do you need to learn Japanese before visiting Japan? No.
Should you spend a couple of hours learning fifteen or so phrases before you go? Absolutely yes.
Not for practical reasons. You’ll get by either way. But for the small magical moments when you nail a gochisousama deshita on the way out of a tiny restaurant in Kanazawa, the chef looks up from the grill, breaks into a huge grin, and bows like you’ve just paid him the compliment of his career. That’s the trip you came for. The phrases unlock it.
Make the effort. The country meets you halfway and then some.
And if you really want to be completely prepared, check out my etiquette article, here.
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