Japanese
10 Japanese Words to Teach Your Kids Before a Trip to Japan
Japan is a wonderful place to travel with kids: clean, safe, and full of trains, snacks and cute characters. A few Japanese words make the trip even more special, and the people you meet will love hearing them.
| Japanese | Say it | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | kon-ni-chi-wa | Hello | During the day, to anyone |
| ありがとう | a-ri-ga-tou | Thank you | Add ございます (go-zai-mas) to be extra polite |
| はい | hai | Yes | Answering a question |
| いいえ | i-i-e | No | Politely saying no |
| すみません | su-mi-ma-sen | Excuse me / Sorry | Getting attention or bumping into someone |
| いただきます | i-ta-da-ki-mas | (Said before eating) | Before every meal, hands together |
| おいしい | oi-shii | Delicious! | After the first bite |
| トイレ | toi-re | Toilet | The most important travel word! |
| これください | ko-re ku-da-sai | This one, please | Pointing at a snack or toy |
| バイバイ | bai-bai | Bye-bye | A casual, kid-friendly goodbye |
Tip: いただきます before meals and ごちそうさまでした (go-chi-sou-sa-ma-desh-ta) after meals are lovely habits to practice at home. Kids enjoy the ritual of putting their hands together.
How to practice before the trip
- Pretend konbini: Set up a Japanese convenience store (konbini) with snacks. Practice こんにちは, これください and ありがとう.
- Train announcer: Line up chairs as a train and let your child call out station names like Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.
- Bow practice: A small bow while saying thank you is polite and very cute.
Bonus: three fun words
だいすき (dai-su-ki) = I love it! · いち、に、さん (i-chi, ni, san) = one, two, three · おにぎり (o-ni-gi-ri) = rice ball, the best train snack.
From our shop
Japan Travel Activity Book
Hiragana fun, sushi bingo, bullet-train coloring and a travel journal. Great for the plane ride.
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From our shop
Japanese Flashcards for Kids
40 printable cards: colors, numbers, food, animals and first words, with 5 easy games.
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