Starting Japanese can feel overwhelming with three writing systems and complex grammar. The fastest way to feel progress? Learn the 100 most useful words first. These will let you understand signs, menus, and basic conversations in Japan.
Essential Greetings (10 words)
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | hello (daytime) |
| おはようございます | ohayou gozaimasu | good morning |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | good evening |
| ありがとうございます | arigatou gozaimasu | thank you |
| すみません | sumimasen | excuse me / sorry |
| はい | hai | yes |
| いいえ | iie | no |
| お願いします | onegaishimasu | please |
Numbers 1-10
| Japanese | Romaji | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 一 (いち) | ichi | 1 |
| 二 (に) | ni | 2 |
| 三 (さん) | san | 3 |
| 四 (よん) | yon | 4 |
| 五 (ご) | go | 5 |
| 六 (ろく) | roku | 6 |
| 七 (なな) | nana | 7 |
| 八 (はち) | hachi | 8 |
| 九 (きゅう) | kyuu | 9 |
| 十 (じゅう) | juu | 10 |
Essential Daily Words
- 水 (みず / mizu) — water
- 食べ物 (たべもの / tabemono) — food
- 電車 (でんしゃ / densha) — train
- 駅 (えき / eki) — station
- 学校 (がっこう / gakkou) — school
- 仕事 (しごと / shigoto) — work/job
- 家 (いえ / ie) — house/home
- 友達 (ともだち / tomodachi) — friend
- 時間 (じかん / jikan) — time
- お金 (おかね / okane) — money
TheLernen has 1000+ Japanese words organized by category with hiragana, romaji, and audio. Start learning with spaced repetition — free, no account needed.
How many Japanese words do I need to start speaking?
A few hundred words is enough for basic conversation. The most common 100 words — greetings, pronouns, everyday verbs and question words — appear constantly, so learning them first is the fastest path to understanding and being understood.
Should I learn Japanese words in romaji or kana?
Learn them in kana (hiragana and katakana) as early as you can. Relying on romaji slows your reading and can lock in poor pronunciation. Once you know hiragana, studying vocabulary in kana strengthens your reading and your words at the same time.
Which words should a beginner learn first?
Prioritise high-frequency function words and everyday verbs: kore/sore (this/that), desu (to be), shimasu (to do), tabemasu (to eat), plus greetings and numbers. These appear in almost every sentence and unlock the most conversations per word learned.
Start with the 100 most common Japanese words in kana — everyday verbs, pronouns and greetings — and review them with spaced repetition to start speaking sooner.
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1000 most important words. AI explanations. Spaced repetition. Fast start.