So you've landed in the Neon City and you're ready to hit the town. You've got your basic "Konnichiwa"s and "arigato gozaimas"s down and you're ready for something a little more interesting to spice it up. I'm here to teach you some gaijin (foreigner) friendly words and phrases to make you sound a little cooler and maybe even make you a Japanese friend or two.
I should also note these phrases are most effective when used in Shinjuku, Roppongi, Shibuya or Ginza between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am.
"Suimasen"
Meaning: "excuse me,""sorry," "pardon me"; for getting someone's attention
If you've learned any survival Japanese, you've probably seen the word "sumimasen." It's spelled in Japanese as such but actual Japanese speakers drop the first 'm'. You can use this if you bump into someone, step on someone's foot, or are trying to call the waiter. This is just an all-around good phrase to know, no matter what time it is.
"Osake o nomimasuka?"
Meaning: "Would you like to drink (alcohol)?"
While there are other more colloquial ways to ask someone to drink with you, this is a pretty safe bet. If using this phrase at a conbini (convenience store) I would recommend Strong Zero as your drink of choice, any flavor except for grapefruit unless you're truly a glutton for regret.
"Toireto wa doko desuka?"
Meaning: "Where is the bathroom?"
This is pretty straightforward. Although I should mention this can be used in clubs, bars, at karaoke and even in some conbinis.
"Kore wa ikura desuka?"
Meaning: "How much is this?"
You can use this at the bar, in conbinis, basically anywhere, it works best if you also point to the name of the object in question. At most clubs though women will get a drink ticket with the price of the entrance so you may not even need this!
"Dansu shitai desuka?"
Meaning: "Would you like to dance?"
Another phrase that probably has a more colloquial version but this works just fine!
"Nihongo eh chotto..."
Meaning: "My Japanese isn't very good."
Use this if you're asked if you speak Japanese and you don't speak any Japanese. Use also if you speak a little bit. Also if you're pretty good at Japanese, or even actually fluent. Basically, if you're a foreigner you should always say something like this when asked about your Japanese ability because it's very humble and Japanese is nothing if not humble.
"America karakimashita"/ "Americajin des"
Meaning: "I'm from America" or "I'm American"
If you're not American just replace this with whatever country you're from. You can just say the name regularly and add "jin" at the end.
"Sugoi"/"Sugei"
Meaning: "Wow!"
This is the most important and useful word second only to "suimasen." You will hear this at least five times on any given night out. "Sugoi" is used by women and "sugei" for men but you're also a foreigner and who needs gendered words anyways. Also applicable during the daytime as well as the night.
"Kono densha wa Shinjuku ni ikimasuka?"
Meaning: "Does this train go to Shinjuku?"
You can replace Shinjuku with whatever stop you need to go to. Probably the most important phrase you'll need for the end of the night. You can use this whenever but you'll probably just be able to navigate with Google Maps. In case of your phone or your friend's phone dying, this is a good phrase to have in your back pocket for any Metro workers or sober-passing bystanders.
The minimum wage is not a living wage.
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