🇯🇵 Japanese Small Talk & Introductions
Names, where you're from, and the magic words — 'more slowly, please'. The phrases that turn strangers into conversations. Read them below — then actually say them: recognising a phrase and producing it out loud are different skills, and only one helps you in the moment.
| English | Japanese | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| What's your name? | お名前は何ですか？ | o-namae wa nan desu ka? |
| My name is… | …と申します | … to mōshimasu |
| Nice to meet you | はじめまして | hajimemashite |
| Where are you from? | どちらの出身ですか？ | dochira no shusshin desu ka? |
| I'm from… | …から来ました | … kara kimashita |
| Do you speak English? | 英語を話せますか？ | eigo o hanasemasu ka? |
| I speak a little | 少し話せます | sukoshi hanasemasu |
| I don't understand | わかりません | wakarimasen |
| Can you repeat that? | もう一度お願いします | mō ichido onegai shimasu |
| More slowly, please | ゆっくりお願いします | yukkuri onegai shimasu |
| What do you do? | お仕事は何ですか？ | o-shigoto wa nan desu ka? |
| See you later! | またね！ | mata ne! |
How to make these stick
- Say each phrase out loud three times — your mouth learns separately from your eyes.
- Rehearse the scene: imagine the café or the street corner and act out both sides.
- Then use them in a real conversation — Yap gives you a 30-second spoken role-play with an AI tutor that responds, corrects gently, and never judges.
More Japanese phrases
Greetings & BasicsOrdering Food & DrinksAsking for DirectionsNumbers 1–10Shopping & MoneyEmergencies & HealthDays & Telling TimeHotel & Check-in