🙋 Greetings & Numbers
Before learning grammar, you need the social building blocks of Japanese. These fixed phrases and the number system are used every single day.
Why are greetings so important?
In Japan, Aisatsu (挨拶) isn’t just politeness—it’s a critical social ritual. Using the correct greeting acknowledges the relationship status (senior/junior, friend/stranger) and the time of day.
Greetings (挨拶 — Aisatsu)
Japanese greetings change depending on time of day and level of formality.
Daily Greetings
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | Ohayou gozaimasu | Good morning | Polite — use with teachers, strangers, at work |
| おはよう | Ohayou | Morning! | Casual — friends and family only |
| こんにちは | Konnichiwa | Good afternoon / Hello | General daytime greeting (10 AM - 5 PM) |
| こんばんは | Konbanwa | Good evening | Used after sunset |
Sayonara? Maybe not.
You might know “Sayonara”, but it implies a long separation (like “Farewell”). For daily “Bye”, use じゃあね (Jaa ne) with friends or しつれいします (Shitsurei shimasu) at work.
Parting Phrases
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| さようなら | Sayounara | Goodbye (Farewell) | Formal, implies long separation |
| じゃあ、また | Jaa, mata | See you later | Casual |
| しつれいします | Shitsurei shimasu | Excuse me (leaving) | Very polite, used when leaving work/office |
| おやすみなさい | Oyasuminasai | Good night | Before sleeping or leaving late at night |
Thanking & Apologizing
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ありがとうございます | Arigatou gozaimasu | Thank you (Polite) |
| ありがとう | Arigatou | Thanks (Casual) |
| すみません | Sumimasen | Excuse me / I’m sorry |
| いいえ | Iie | No / Not at all (response to thanks) |
| いただきます | Itadakimasu | Said before eating |
| ごちそうさまでした | Gochisousama deshita | Said after eating |
Numbers (数字 — Suuji)
The Japanese number system is logical and consistent. Once you learn 1-10, you can count up to 99 easily.
0 to 10
| # | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 零 | ゼロ / れい | zero / rei |
| 1 | 一 | いち | ichi |
| 2 | 二 | に | ni |
| 3 | 三 | さん | san |
| 4 | 四 | よん / し | yon / shi |
| 5 | 五 | ご | go |
| 6 | 六 | ろく | roku |
| 7 | 七 | なな / しち | nana / shichi |
| 8 | 八 | はち | hachi |
| 9 | 九 | きゅう / く | kyuu / ku |
| 10 | 十 | じゅう | juu |
Note on 4, 7, 9: They have two readings. Yon (4) and Nana (7) are preferred in general counting. Shi (4) sounds like “death” (死), so it is often avoided.
11 to 99
Construct numbers by stacking them.
- 11 = 10 + 1 (juu-ichi)
- 20 = 2 + 10 (ni-juu)
- 99 = 9 + 10 + 9 (kyuu-juu-kyuu)
Large Numbers (100 - 100,000)
| # | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 百 | ひゃく | hyaku |
| 300 | 三百 | さんびゃく | sanbyaku |
| 600 | 六百 | ろっぴゃく | roppyaku |
| 800 | 八百 | はっぴゃく | happyaku |
| 1,000 | 千 | せん | sen |
| 10,000 | 万 | まん | man |
In English, we count by thousands (10,000 = ten thousand). In Japanese, 10,000 is a new unit called 万 (man). So 20,000 is not “ni-sen”, but “ni-man”.
Practice: Prices
- ¥350 = san-byaku go-juu en
- ¥1,500 = sen go-hyaku en
- ¥12,000 = ichi-man ni-sen en
Test Your Knowledge
Chapter Quiz
When is 'Konnichiwa' (こんにちは) typically used?