1. Choose a purpose before choosing a phrase
Imagine arriving at an unfamiliar drawing workshop. You need to find your table and understand what you may use. You are speaking with an organiser you have just met, so the examples use polite beginner forms. They are useful starting choices, not a complete lesson in Japanese honorific language.
Write four prompts in English: greet, ask again, ask permission and thank. Put the Japanese expression beside each prompt after you understand it. During practice, look at the purpose first. That small change encourages you to retrieve a phrase for a reason instead of repeating an entire list in a fixed order.
The Japan Foundation's Marugoto review separates greetings, classroom expressions and introductions by what speakers are doing. Keep that functional distinction. An expression translated as excuse me in one setting may serve a different purpose in another.
2. Begin with a greeting that fits the moment
For this fictional afternoon workshop, begin with こんにちは. A morning version might use おはようございます. Listen to the full expression before reading it from Roman letters. In こんにちは, the final は is pronounced wa; it is not the ordinary ha reading you may remember from a basic kana chart.
Follow the greeting with your name if it is needed: アレックスです means I am Alex. Substitute your own name only after checking a suitable Japanese reading or katakana form. Do not assume that a computer's first transliteration is the only possible choice for a person's name.
Leave room for the organiser's reply. A beginner sometimes rehearses the opening so carefully that they continue talking through the next person's question. Practise the greeting, a pause and a response to your name. If the organiser says something unfamiliar, move to a clarification phrase rather than restarting the greeting.
3. Ask for repetition without pretending to understand
もういちどお願いします asks for something once more. In the workshop situation, it can request repetition of an instruction you have just heard. To ask for slower speech, use もう少しゆっくり言ってください. Learn the latter in chunks if it is too long at first, then reconnect the chunks into one request.
The Marugoto classroom expressions include both repetition and slower-speech requests. They solve different problems. Repetition may be enough when you missed the beginning; slower speech may help when you heard the sounds but could not separate the words.
After the repeat, confirm the part that matters. If the organiser names a table, point to it and check. If you still do not understand, say わかりません and ask for another form of help. Saying わかりました, I understand, should match what actually happened. A smooth recording is less useful than a corrected misunderstanding.
| Need | Japanese expression | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Get someone's attention | すみません。 | Wait for their attention before the question. |
| Hear the instruction again | もういちどお願いします。 | Listen for the missing detail. |
| Ask for a slower repeat | もう少しゆっくり言ってください。 | Check the key word after the repeat. |
| Acknowledge real understanding | わかりました。 | Act on or confirm the instruction. |
| Thank someone for help | ありがとうございます。 | Let the exchange close naturally. |
4. Use すみません with its situation
すみません can attract attention, apologise or acknowledge trouble taken, depending on context. At the workshop desk, say it before asking the organiser a question. If you accidentally interrupt someone, the same expression can take on an apologetic function. Its English translation cannot be fixed independently of what is happening.
The Japan Foundation's Irodori word list gives expressions with meanings and audio-linked pronunciation information. Use a contextual entry or lesson when an expression has several functions. A one-word translation on a flashcard may hide the reason a speaker chose it.
Practise two tiny scenes with a partner: getting the organiser's attention and apologising after speaking over them. Keep the words similar but make the turn-taking fit each scene. You do not need exaggerated bowing or a theatrical apologetic voice. A clear expression and attention to the other person's response are enough for this practice.
5. Ask permission and wait for the answer
Suppose you want to photograph your finished drawing while still in the workshop room. 写真を撮ってもいいですか asks whether you may take a photograph. This is a language exercise, not a claim that photography is allowed in a particular venue. The answer determines what you do.
The Japan Foundation's Erin permission lesson explains the verb te-form plus もいいですか pattern and gives several kinds of reply. Learn one complete expression accurately before trying to attach the ending to any verb you know. The verb form needs checking.
Your partner should sometimes allow the action and sometimes refuse it. A reply such as どうぞ can invite you to go ahead. A hesitant refusal is not permission simply because you did not catch an explicit no. If the response is unclear, clarify it and leave the camera down. That makes listening an essential part of the exercise.
6. Keep the useful phrases recognisable
Take もういちどお願いします slowly enough to preserve its beginning and ending. In もう, the vowel is long. In ゆっくり, small っ marks a held consonant interval; it is not a separate tsu. These details help you recognise the same expression when someone says it at a normal pace.
Use the Irodori word-list audio as a reference for individual expressions and listen to a full lesson exchange for context. Regional pronunciation and delivery can vary. You are learning a usable model, not declaring every different pitch pattern incorrect. Avoid rewriting a Japanese phrase as an English sentence made of approximate sounds.
Read the practice card, then hide it and respond to an English purpose prompt. If you hesitate, reveal only the phrase you need. It is reasonable to keep a small prompt card during an actual beginner conversation; you can gradually reduce that support as the expressions become familiar.
Say it aloud
Three moves at the drawing workshop
7. Run an exchange with one unexpected detail
Make a visitor card and an organiser card. The visitor wants a place to sit and permission to take a photo. The organiser chooses a table and decides whether photographs are allowed in this imaginary setting. Keep the organiser's choices hidden until the exchange begins.
Run the interaction in short turns. Greet, ask the relevant question, listen, clarify if needed and thank the organiser. Your partner can point to a table rather than introduce unfamiliar vocabulary everywhere. The challenge should be choosing and responding appropriately, not decoding a paragraph far beyond your current level.
At the end, ask the visitor two questions in English: which table is yours, and may you take a photo? If either answer differs from the organiser's card, revisit that part of the conversation. Accurate answers show that the phrases helped convey information. They do not establish a formal Japanese level.
8. Review one phrase and one response
Choose the moment that caused the most uncertainty. Was the request incomplete, was a word unrecognisable or did you miss the answer because you were planning your next line? Record that observation beside the phrase. For the next round, change the organiser's decision while keeping the same visitor goal.
The Japanese pronunciation test can help you inspect word accuracy, fluency and completeness in a reading sample. It does not evaluate social appropriateness, permission or individual pitch-accent patterns, and it does not provide CEFR certification. A partner or teacher can comment on those conversational choices.
Keep your next practice small: one reliable expression, one plausible reply and one clarification move. That is enough to create a useful exchange. Expand the set when you need another function, such as introducing a guest or asking where an item is, rather than adding phrases solely to make the list longer.
Free pronunciation practiceRead a Japanese sample in the pronunciation test, then practise your chosen phrase with a partner who gives an unpredictable reply.Test your pronunciation →Frequently asked questions
Can I use こんにちは whenever I say hello?
It is a common daytime greeting. Other greetings fit mornings, evenings and particular relationships. Learn the greeting with its setting and listen to how the person addresses you; one English word does not map onto every Japanese greeting situation.
Is すみません only an apology?
No. It can also get attention or acknowledge an inconvenience or help. The surrounding interaction determines its function. Practise it in a short scene so you know what you are asking the other person to do next.
Does adding お願いします make any sentence polite?
No. Learn complete requests and the grammar that supports them. お願いします is useful in many requests, but it is not a universal replacement for every English please. A teacher can help choose an appropriate expression for a new situation.
What should I do if I understand the question but not the answer?
Ask for repetition or slower speech and confirm the key detail. In a permission request, do not act until the reply is clear. Practising several possible answers makes your prepared question much more useful.
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