Unique Japanese Words and Phrases

There are many Japanese phrases that are impossible to be translated into English, and yet some of them are in fact spoken daily and essential to the Japanese culture. Here are a few of the most important ones to keep in mind:

Before you go: Check out our complete list of unique Japanese words!

• お疲れ様でした (Otsukare sama deshita): This is literally translated into “You are tired.” but could be referred to as “Thank you for your hard work”. It is often said between co-workers as a greeting or to express gratitude toward someone’s work. It can also replace 乾杯 (kanpai, “cheers”) to toast drinks after a long day’s work. (お疲れ “Otsukare” is the short form of “Otsukaresamadeshita”)

• お邪魔します (Ojama shimasu): “Jama”　originally literally means evil devil. However, people say “Ojama shimasu” in Japan whenever they enter into someone’s home or interrupt someone in a sudden. This can b be translated into “sorry for my disturbance”. When you leave, you repeat the phrase but in the past tense: お邪魔しました (ojama shimashita).

• いただきます (Itadakimasu): This literally means “I gratefully receive”. Japanese people say this before they start eating a meal, and it shows gratitude to the people who helped to prepare the meal.

• ごちそうさまでした (Gochisousama deshita): This is what people say after they finish a meal and would like to thank the people tho prepared it afterward (different from “itadakimasu” which is said before).

• よろしくお願いします (Yoroshiku onegai shimasu): Or, to sound more casual, say よろしく (yoroshiku). It’s one of the most important and respectful phrases in Japanese and has many meanings. When you say it to someone you just met, it means “Nice to meet you” but it can also mean “Please take care of me/or something”.

• やばい (Yabai): Yabai is one of the most popular Japanese Slang words today. It literally means dangerous, but is used to refer something that is “amazing”.

• すごい (Sugoi): Similar to “yabai”, “sugoi” also means “awesome” or “cool”. This can be spoken, however, in a more formal setting. The shortened form is すげー (sugeー).

• ウケる (Ukeru) means “that’s funny,” “hilarious,” or “haha!” In fact, if you use Facebook in Japanese, the “Haha” reaction is labeled as “ウケる.”

• なう (Nau) comes from the English word, “now,” and it means the same thing. It’s often used on Twitter, to say something is happening at that very moment.

• 超 (ちょう: Chō) means “very” or “super”, followed by a noun. This is more commonly heard in the Tokyo area. You can say for example ちょかわいい (chō kawaii, “super cute”).

• めっちゃ (Meccha) has the exact same meaning and usage as ちょう but is more common in Kansai dialect.

• まじ (Maji) or まじで (Majide) means “seriously” or “for real.” You say まじ when you’re using it as an exclamation like “Seriously??” You add で when you use it to describe something, like このカレーまじでおいしい! (Kono kareー majide oishii!, “This curry is seriously delicious!”)

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