Japanese Phrases to Learn First When You Arrive from Nepal: Greetings, Shopping, Stations, Hospitals and Emergencies

When you have just arrived in Japan, there are many moments when you do not know what to say, whether you are shopping, at a station or at a hospital. This guide collects expressions by situation, based on expressions that appear in official Japanese teaching materials. Some are arranged so that you can put your own words in place of "○○" or "～". For each expression, we give where it appears in the materials.

We checked the materials and official pages listed below on 10 November 2026. We have kept the forms from the sample conversations in the materials as unchanged as we could. At a real counter, you may not hear the same words in the same way, and the same words may not always be understood. This guide does not guarantee that your Japanese will be understood.

This guide does not cover how to study Japanese or the JLPT (Japanese-Language Proficiency Test). For the JLPT, see the JLPT guide.

What to know first

• You do not need to memorize everything. The Agency for Cultural Affairs teaching materials collection says that you do not have to learn everything listed in its "word and expression sheets." The same collection also explains that what matters is not how many words you have learned, but whether you can carry out the actions of daily life.
• It is fine to ask people to repeat. Lesson 2 of the Japan Foundation (JF) "Irodori" Starter teaches how to ask someone to repeat when you do not understand, as the theme of that lesson. The expressions from this lesson are in chapter 2.
• There is also guidance for the other person on how to speak in plain, easy-to-understand Japanese. The "Plain Japanese Guidelines: Points for Spoken Language" from the Immigration Services Agency and the Agency for Cultural Affairs has checklist items for speaking to foreigners, such as speaking briefly, clearly and slowly, and not using honorific (尊敬語) or humble (謙譲語) forms. However, this is guidance for the speaker (for example, people who support foreign residents). Not everyone will do this.
• For important matters, you do not have to handle them only in Japanese. The same guidelines say that detailed explanations of systems, or medical matters that affect life, can be difficult in plain Japanese alone, and that it is good to use multiple languages or translation devices together and switch as needed.

How to read the tables

• In the "○○" or "～" part, put the words you want to say.
• Romaji is a guide to pronunciation. As in the JF "Irodori," long sounds are written by doubling the letter, as in "oo" and "ee" (example: おはよう = ohayoo).
• The abbreviations in the source column are as follows. "Materials Collection" (教材例集) is the Agency for Cultural Affairs "Standard Curriculum Proposal for Japanese Language Education for 'Foreigners as Residents': Collection of Teaching Material Examples" (2012), and the page numbers are the body page numbers of that collection. "Irodori Starter" and "Irodori Elementary 1" are the Starter (A1) and Elementary 1 of the JF "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan." The number after "Lesson" is the page number printed in the material (example: Lesson 2, p. 11 = L2-11). "FDMA" is the Fire and Disaster Management Agency "Ambulance Use Manual (Japanese version)." The Agency for Cultural Affairs collection is a 2012 document. In this article we use it as examples of Japanese expressions for daily situations. Names of systems and procedures may have changed, so check the latest procedures in the relevant guides and on the pages of public bodies.

1. Greetings and self-introduction

There are also examples of greetings to neighbors in "Let's talk with the neighbors" in the Materials Collection (pp.191-192). Procedures after you move are in the guide to your first 7 days in Japan.

2. When you do not understand

This is a chapter that is very useful to remember first.

The last row is a phrase the Materials Collection lists as a point of its sample conversation. The same collection explains that when it is hard to say, it is enough to point and ask "What is this?" (p.201).

Lesson 2 of Irodori Starter includes an example where someone is told "在留カード、見せてください" and "ここ、名前、書いてください," does not understand, and asks again. This is a common situation in procedures after you arrive.

3. Shopping and eating

Shop staff may say "いらっしゃいませ" or "こちらでおめしあがりですか？" to you. Lesson 6 of Irodori Starter introduces these as "polite expressions used by shop staff." You do not need to say them yourself. It is enough to understand them when you hear them.

4. Stations, buses and directions

For cases when your destination is not understood no matter what, the Materials Collection also presents showing your destination or address written on paper as a reliable method (teaching note on p.141).

5. Hospitals and pharmacies

Detailed steps are in the guide to seeing a doctor in Japan. Here we cover only the words.

The words you are asked or told at hospitals and pharmacies are collected in the table in chapter 7. In the sample conversations in the Materials Collection, the person tells their symptoms while showing a multilingual medical questionnaire (多言語医療問診票). The teaching note of the Materials Collection says that for people who can hardly speak Japanese, it shows first the method of conveying the minimum using a questionnaire or similar.

6. School, part-time work and bank counters

For the rules on part-time work, see the part-time work guide. How to open a bank account is in the guide to your first 7 days in Japan.

Words you may see at city hall and ward office counters

The table of words about government office services in the Materials Collection (pp.172-173) includes the following words. The readings are as written in the Materials Collection.

This Materials Collection is a 2012 document. Words in the same table such as "外国人登録" (alien registration) and "住民基本台帳カード" (Basic Resident Register card) are not the same as today's procedures. For the content of procedures, check the guide to procedures after you arrive. The word "在留カード" (residence card) appears in a conversation in Lesson 2 of Irodori Starter (it is read "ざいりゅうカード").

7. Words to be able to understand when you hear them

The following are expressions that you will often hear from the other person rather than say yourself. If you understand the meaning, you can answer.

The word "保険証" (insurance card) in the materials refers, at counters today, to the "My Number insurance card" (マイナ保険証) or the "certificate of eligibility" (資格確認書). According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the validity of the conventional health insurance card ended on 1 December 2025, and at medical institutions and pharmacies, people who have a My Number insurance card present it, and people who do not have one present a certificate of eligibility. For details, see the guide to seeing a doctor.

8. In an emergency

How to make an emergency call and what to do in an earthquake are in the emergency and disaster guide. Here we give only the short phrases in the official materials.

According to the FDMA manual, after you call 119 and say "救急です" (it is an ambulance case), you are asked in order for the address, the condition and age of the sick person, and the caller's name and contact number. If you do not know the address, the manual says to give landmarks such as a large building or an intersection nearby. Please answer slowly and without panic.

What you are asked on 110 (police) is not covered in this guide. The emergency and disaster guide explains how to choose between 119 and 110.

Tips for using this guide

• You do not need to memorize word for word. Start with "もういちど、おねがいします" and "もうすこし、ゆっくりいってください" in chapter 2, the greetings in chapter 1, and "これ、いくらですか？" in chapter 3.
• You can also write it on paper and show it. If you write your destination or address on paper or on a smartphone screen and show it, you may be understood more easily. The Materials Collection also presents the method of writing your destination on paper beforehand.
• Use the same form in different situations. "○○は、どこですか？" can be used at the toilet and at a sales area alike.
• For detailed study, use the materials themselves. "Irodori" is published as PDFs and audio on the Japan Foundation site. The tables in this article are only a very small part of it.

Frequently asked questions

Can I live in Japan even if I hardly understand Japanese?

The Materials Collection is made on the premise that there are people who live in their communities even before their Japanese becomes good. The idea is that with some kind of help, you can carry out the actions of daily life using Japanese. However, whether your own life will be the same depends on your area and situation. When you do not understand, ask again with the words in chapter 2.

Do I have to use polite language (keigo)?

The expressions in this guide keep the forms in the official materials, and many are in the "です・ます" form. Casual speech between friends and fine distinctions depending on the other person are not covered in this guide. The Plain Japanese Guidelines (points for spoken language) tell the speaker not to use honorific or humble forms, but this is guidance for the person speaking to you.

What should I do if I cannot explain my symptoms well at a hospital?

The teaching note of the Materials Collection says that for people who can hardly speak Japanese, priority should be given to conveying the minimum using a multilingual questionnaire or similar. For details, see "When Japanese is difficult" in the guide to seeing a doctor in Japan.

I called 119 but I cannot speak Japanese.

The FDMA manual says to answer slowly and without panic. If someone nearby can speak Japanese, you can also ask that person to make the call (emergency and disaster guide).

What if I want to study more Japanese?

This guide covers only the expressions you need first. Official sites for study include "Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan" from the Japan Foundation and "Tsunagaru Hirogaru Nihongo de no Kurashi" (Connect and Expand: Life in Japanese) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. For the JLPT, see the JLPT guide.

What to do next

First, read the three expressions in chapter 2 (もういちど、おねがいします / もうすこし、ゆっくりいってください / よくわかりません) aloud. After that, look at the table for the situation you are likely to meet soonest (shopping, a station, a hospital and so on). You can check your first procedures after arrival in the guide to your first 7 days in Japan. For illness or injury, see the guide to seeing a doctor in Japan, and for emergencies, the emergency and disaster guide. You can compare the conditions of each school in the list of Japanese language schools. If you have a question about how to use the site, please contact us. You can send a question through the contact form, but this does not guarantee admission or a visa. This site is free to use.