Japanese Language

I'm working in translation industry so I'm dealing with many languages in my daily work.

Japanese is one of the complex languages.
It's very different from English grammatically and the expression is very much affected by Japanese culture,.
Literal translation from English to Japanese (or vice versa) doesn't make any sense sometimes.
That's the reason why many of Japanese cannot communicate in English.

I heard that language barrier is higher than Thai language. (Thai is also one of the complex languages.)

Now many Japanese people improve their English skill and more people can communicate in English compared to, say, 10 years ago, people still feel comfortable to use Japanese.
(of course there are some exception :))

I myself feel more comfortable to use Japanese than English, though, I spent many years outside of Japan, and I communicate and speak in English in my daily life.
I prefer to read in Japanese and listen in Japanese.
And my English skill cannot be improved to even nearly perfect forever unfortunately...


So, if you are thinking to travel to Japan, it's a good idea to know some simple phrases to communicate with local people.

Here's some useful words - my hubby uses often in Japan. ;)

1. A-ri-ga-tou（ありがとう）
Thank you

2. Su-mi-ma-sen（すみません）
I'm sorry
Excuse me

3. Wa-ka-ri-ma-sen（わかりません）
I don't know

4. Kon-ni-chi-wa（こんにちは）
Hello
Good afternoon

5. Sa-yo-na-ra（さようなら）
Good-bye


These are the basic 5 words worth memorising before you visit Japan.