Top 100 Japanese Words for Beginners to Start Speaking

2026/06/21

Learning your first Japanese words for beginners is easier than the language’s tough reputation suggests, because a small core of common words covers most everyday speech.

This guide gives you 100 basic Japanese words for beginners, grouped by theme with an example sentence for each. 

Effective Ways to Learn Basic Japanese Vocabulary

The most effective way to learn basic Japanese vocabulary is to start with the words you’ll actually use. A few principles do most of the work:

• Group words by theme : Studying greetings, numbers, or food words together helps your brain file them in connected sets. 
• Learn words inside short sentences : Recognising a word on a flashcard and understanding it in fast speech are different skills, and context bridges the two.
• Build gradually : Ten words a day adds up to 100 in ten days, and steady daily review always beats cramming.

If you’re starting as a busy adult, a short daily routine matters far more than long, occasional study marathons. One last thing before the list: learn to read hiragana early rather than leaning on romaji, which quickly turns into a crutch.

The 100 Most Common Japanese Words for Beginners

Here are the 100 most common Japanese words for beginners, organised by theme. Each entry shows the word in Japanese, its romaji reading, the English meaning, and a short example sentence so you see how it works in real speech.

Greetings & Everyday Politeness

Greetings and polite words are the first basic Japanese words you’ll reach for in any conversation, and a slight bow naturally goes with them.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
こんにちは	konnichiwa	Hello / good afternoon	こんにちは、田中さん。	Hello, Mr. Tanaka.
おはようございます	ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning	おはようございます。いい天気ですね。	Good morning. Nice weather, isn’t it?
こんばんは	konbanwa	Good evening	こんばんは、お疲れ様です。	Good evening, thanks for your hard work.
おやすみなさい	oyasuminasai	Good night	もう寝ます。おやすみなさい。	I’m going to bed. Good night.
さようなら	sayōnara	Goodbye	さようなら、また会いましょう。	Goodbye, let’s meet again.
ありがとうございます	arigatō gozaimasu	Thank you	手伝ってくれてありがとうございます。	Thank you for helping me.
すみません	sumimasen	Excuse me / sorry	すみません、駅はどこですか。	Excuse me, where is the station?
ごめんなさい	gomennasai	I’m sorry	遅れてごめんなさい。	I’m sorry I’m late.
お願いします	onegaishimasu	Please	水をお願いします。	Water, please.
はい	hai	Yes	はい、わかりました。	Yes, I understand.
いいえ	iie	No	いいえ、違います。	No, that’s not right.

Numbers 1 to 10

Numbers in Japanese are simple once you know one to ten, because bigger numbers just reuse them. Eleven is literally “ten-one” (jū-ichi) and twenty is “two-ten” (ni-jū).

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
一	ichi	One	一時に起きます。	I get up at one o’clock.
二	ni	Two	二人で行きます。	The two of us will go.
三	san	Three	三回行きました。	I went three times.
四	shi / yon	Four	四月になりました。	It’s now April.
五	go	Five	五分待ってください。	Please wait five minutes.
六	roku	Six	六時に会いましょう。	Let’s meet at six.
七	shichi / nana	Seven	一週間は七日です。	A week has seven days.
八	hachi	Eight	八月はとても暑いです。	August is very hot.
九	kyū / ku	Nine	九時に寝ます。	I go to bed at nine.
十	jū	Ten	十まで数えられます。	I can count to ten.

Both shi and yon mean four, but yon is used more often because shi sounds like the word for death.

People & Pronouns

Japanese speakers often drop pronouns when the meaning is clear, and tend to use names or roles rather than a blunt “you”.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
私	watashi	I / me	私は学生です。	I am a student.
僕	boku	I (male, casual)	僕は日本人です。	I’m Japanese.
あなた	anata	You	あなたの名前は何ですか。	What is your name?
友達	tomodachi	Friend	友達と映画を見ます。	I watch a movie with a friend.
家族	kazoku	Family	家族は四人です。	My family has four people.
お母さん	okāsan	Mother	お母さんは優しいです。	My mother is kind.
お父さん	otōsan	Father	お父さんは先生です。	My father is a teacher.
先生	sensei	Teacher	先生に質問します。	I ask the teacher a question.
人	hito	Person	あの人は誰ですか。	Who is that person?

Common Verbs

These common verbs let you build simple sentences right away. A Japanese verb doesn’t change with the subject, so taberu means “eat” whether the subject is I, you, or they.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
する	suru	To do	宿題をします。	I do my homework.
行く	iku	To go	学校に行きます。	I go to school.
来る	kuru	To come	友達が来ます。	My friend is coming.
食べる	taberu	To eat	ご飯を食べます。	I eat a meal.
飲む	nomu	To drink	水を飲みます。	I drink water.
見る	miru	To see / watch	テレビを見ます。	I watch TV.
聞く	kiku	To listen / ask	音楽を聞きます。	I listen to music.
話す	hanasu	To speak	日本語を話します。	I speak Japanese.
読む	yomu	To read	本を読みます。	I read a book.
書く	kaku	To write	手紙を書きます。	I write a letter.
買う	kau	To buy	パンを買います。	I buy bread.
分かる	wakaru	To understand	意味が分かります。	I understand the meaning.
ある	aru	To be (objects)	机の上に本があります。	There is a book on the desk.
いる	iru	To be (people, animals)	部屋に猫がいます。	There is a cat in the room.

Common Adjectives

Adjectives add colour to your Japanese vocabulary and let you describe food, places, and people.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
いい	ii	Good	今日はいい天気です。	It’s nice weather today.
悪い	warui	Bad	体調が悪いです。	I feel unwell.
大きい	ōkii	Big	大きい家ですね。	It’s a big house.
小さい	chiisai	Small	小さい犬がいます。	There is a small dog.
美味しい	oishii	Delicious	このラーメンは美味しい。	This ramen is delicious.
可愛い	kawaii	Cute	可愛い猫ですね。	What a cute cat.
高い	takai	Expensive / tall	この時計は高いです。	This watch is expensive.
安い	yasui	Cheap	この店は安いです。	This shop is cheap.
新しい	atarashii	New	新しい車を買いました。	I bought a new car.
暑い	atsui	Hot (weather)	今日は暑いです。	It’s hot today.
楽しい	tanoshii	Fun	パーティーは楽しいです。	The party is fun.

Time & Days

Time words come up constantly. For days of the week, add -yōbi to an element: getsu-yōbi (Monday), ka-yōbi (Tuesday), through to nichi-yōbi (Sunday).

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
今日	kyō	Today	今日は忙しいです。	I’m busy today.
明日	ashita	Tomorrow	明日会いましょう。	Let’s meet tomorrow.
昨日	kinō	Yesterday	昨日は雨でした。	It rained yesterday.
今	ima	Now	今、何時ですか。	What time is it now?
朝	asa	Morning	朝六時に起きます。	I get up at six in the morning.
昼	hiru	Noon / daytime	昼ご飯を食べます。	I eat lunch.
夜	yoru	Night	夜は静かです。	The night is quiet.
時間	jikan	Time / hour	時間がありません。	I don’t have time.
週	shū	Week	来週は休みです。	Next week is a holiday.
月	tsuki	Month	来月日本に行きます。	I’m going to Japan next month.
年	toshi	Year	来年二十歳になります。	I’ll turn twenty next year.
曜日	yōbi	Day of the week	今日は何曜日ですか。	What day is it today?

Food & Drink

Food vocabulary is some of the most useful for travel and daily life in Japan.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
ご飯	gohan	Rice / meal	ご飯を食べましょう。	Let’s eat.
水	mizu	Water	水をください。	Water, please.
お茶	ocha	Tea	お茶が好きです。	I like tea.
肉	niku	Meat	肉を食べません。	I don’t eat meat.
魚	sakana	Fish	この魚は新鮮です。	This fish is fresh.
野菜	yasai	Vegetable	野菜は体にいいです。	Vegetables are good for you.
果物	kudamono	Fruit	果物が大好きです。	I love fruit.
卵	tamago	Egg	卵を二つ使います。	I use two eggs.
パン	pan	Bread	朝はパンを食べます。	I eat bread in the morning.
寿司	sushi	Sushi	寿司を食べたいです。	I want to eat sushi.
飲み物	nomimono	Drink	飲み物は何がいいですか。	What would you like to drink?

Question Words

Question words turn a pile of vocabulary into real conversation.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
何	nani	What	これは何ですか。	What is this?
誰	dare	Who	あの人は誰ですか。	Who is that person?
どこ	doko	Where	トイレはどこですか。	Where is the toilet?
いつ	itsu	When	いつ帰りますか。	When are you going back?
どうして	dōshite	Why	どうして遅れたのですか。	Why are you late?
いくら	ikura	How much	これはいくらですか。	How much is this?
どうやって	dō yatte	How	どうやって行きますか。	How do you get there?

Handy Everyday Phrases

A few set phrases will carry you through most beginner situations.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
わかりません	wakarimasen	I don’t understand	すみません、わかりません。	Sorry, I don’t understand.
大丈夫です	daijōbu desu	It’s okay / I’m fine	大丈夫です、心配しないで。	It’s okay, don’t worry.
いただきます	itadakimasu	Said before eating	いただきます。	Thanks for the food (let’s eat).
ごちそうさまでした	gochisōsama deshita	Said after eating	ごちそうさまでした。	Thank you for the meal.
はじめまして	hajimemashite	Nice to meet you	はじめまして、リサです。	Nice to meet you, I’m Lisa.
もう一度お願いします	mō ichido onegaishimasu	One more time, please	もう一度お願いします。	Once more, please.
ゆっくりお願いします	yukkuri onegaishimasu	Slowly, please	ゆっくりお願いします。	Slowly, please.

Saying “I Love You” in Japanese (Kokuhaku)

One of the most searched questions among beginners is how to say “I love you” in Japanese. A kokuhaku (告白) is the confession where one person tells another how they feel, and the words depend on how strong the feeling is.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
好きです	suki desu	I like / love you	あなたが好きです。	I like you.
大好きです	daisuki desu	I really love you	あなたが大好きです。	I really love you.
愛してる	aishiteru	I love you (deep)	ずっと愛してる。	I’ll always love you.
付き合ってください	tsukiatte kudasai	Will you go out with me?	私と付き合ってください。	Please go out with me.
告白	kokuhaku	A confession of love	彼に告白しました。	I confessed to him.

If someone says suki desu to you, a warm reply is watashi mo (私も, “me too”) or watashi mo suki desu. To turn someone down gently, gomennasai (ごめんなさい) softens the no.

Japanese Slang 

Beginner textbooks skip slang, but you’ll meet these constantly in real life, on social media, and in anime.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Example	Translation
草	kusa	“lol” (lit. grass)	それは草。	That’s hilarious (lol).
やばい	yabai	Crazy / amazing / terrible	このケーキ、やばい。	This cake is amazing.
マジ	maji	Seriously / for real	マジで？	For real?
やだ	yada	No way / yuck	やだ、行きたくない。	No way, I don’t want to go.
うける	ukeru	That’s hilarious	それ、うける。	That’s so funny.

Kusa literally means “grass” and is used like “lol”, because rows of w (from warau, to laugh) look like blades of grass. You’ll also hear oi oi oi, a “hey, come on” reaction to something surprising or ridiculous.

Start Your Japanese Journey with Nihongo Online School

These top beginner Japanese words are your foundation, but words only become conversation when you use them in real situations. That’s how our beginner course is built. 

Following the trusted Minna no Nihongo Shokyū textbook, it takes you from zero to JLPT N5 level through everyday scenarios, and the vocabulary on this page maps directly onto the lessons.

Your greetings and self-introduction words show up in the very first lessons, the numbers and time words power the lessons on schedules and shopping, and the verbs and adjectives let you talk about your daily life, your likes and dislikes, your family, and your hobbies. Each lesson starts from a simple sentence pattern and grows step by step, building speaking, listening, reading, and writing through guided practice and homework from your teacher.

At Nihongo Online School, every lesson is fully tailored to your level and pace, with a native teacher who corrects you as you go.