· 8 min read
Japanese Phrases for Travel: 33 You'll Use
By Language Lab editorial team
33 Japanese phrases for travel, by situation: trains and taxis, shopping, restaurants, sightseeing and problems. Each one checked against NHK's Easy Japanese.
The most useful Japanese phrases for travel are short patterns you can reuse. To find a place, say its name and add wa doko desu ka, where is it? In a taxi, say the destination and made onegai-shimasu, to there, please. In a shop, Kore wa nan desu ka means what is this, and Kore o kudasai means I'll take this. At a restaurant, Osusume wa nan desu ka asks what they recommend. And when you are lost in the reply, Yukkuri hanashite kudasai means please speak slowly. Every phrase below comes from NHK WORLD-JAPAN's Easy Japanese course, with NHK's own romanisation, in which long vowels are written double, as in arigatoo.
Getting around
| Japanese | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| はるさんハウスはどこですか。 | Haru-san-Hausu wa doko desu ka. | Where is Haru-san House? |
| この電車は池袋に行きますか。 | Kono densha wa Ikebukuro ni ikimasu ka. | Does this train go to Ikebukuro? |
| 猿の温泉までお願いします。 | Saru no onsen made onegai-shimasu. | To the monkey hot spring, please. |
| 忍者博物館まで、どう行ったらいいですか。 | Ninja-Hakubutsukan made, doo ittara ii desu ka. | How can I get to the Ninja Museum? |
| 時計台の中にいます。 | Tokeedai no naka ni imasu. | I'm in the clock tower. |
Swap the place name and keep the rest. The first phrase is NHK's lesson on asking for directions, the second is its lesson on checking where public transport is headed, and the third is its lesson on telling a taxi driver your destination.
Shopping
| Japanese | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| これは何ですか。 | Kore wa nan desu ka. | What is this? |
| このドライヤーはいくらですか。 | Kono doraiyaa wa ikura desu ka. | How much is this hair dryer? |
| お守りはありますか。 | Omamori wa arimasu ka. | Do you have any lucky charms? |
| 手袋が欲しいんですが。 | Tebukuro ga hoshiin desu ga. | I'd like a pair of gloves. |
| これをください。 | Kore o kudasai. | I'll take this. |
| カードは使えますか。 | Kaado wa tsukaemasu ka. | Can I use a credit card? |
The patterns to keep are wa ikura desu ka for a price and wa arimasu ka for whether a shop has something.
Eating out
| Japanese | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| おすすめは何ですか。 | Osusume wa nan desu ka. | What do you recommend? |
| どれが一番おいしいですか。 | Dore ga ichiban oishii desu ka. | Which one is the most tasty? |
| わさびは入れないでください。 | Wasabi wa irenaide kudasai. | Please don't put wasabi in. |
| 生卵は食べられません。 | Nama-tamago wa taberaremasen. | I can't eat raw eggs. |
| いただきます。 | Itadakimasu. | Let's eat. / I'm grateful for this meal. |
| おいしいです。 | Oishii desu. | It's delicious. |
The third and fourth are the ones to adapt if there is something you do not eat: NHK teaches them as asking someone not to put something in your food, and explaining what you can't eat.
Sightseeing
| Japanese | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 写真を撮ってもいいですか。 | Shashin o totte mo ii desu ka. | May I take photos here? |
| 写真を撮りましょう。 | Shashin o torimashoo. | Let's take a photo. |
| チケットを買うことができますか。 | Chiketto o kau koto ga dekimasu ka. | Can we buy tickets? |
| どのくらい待ちますか。 | Donokurai machimasu ka. | How long does it take to get in? (Literally: how long do I wait?) |
| お風呂は何時から何時までですか。 | Ofuro wa nan-ji kara nan-ji made desu ka. | From what time to what time can we use the bath? |
| すごい！ | Sugoi! | This is amazing! |
When something goes wrong
| Japanese | How to say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ゆっくり話してください。 | Yukkuri hanashite kudasai. | Please speak slowly. |
| すみません。よくわかりません。 | Sumimasen. Yoku wakarimasen. | I'm sorry. I don't quite understand. |
| のどが痛いんです。 | Nodo ga itain desu. | My throat hurts. |
| 財布を落としてしまいました。 | Saifu o otoshite shimaimashita. | I lost my wallet. |
| テレビがつかないんですが。 | Terebi ga tsukanain desu ga... | The TV won't turn on. |
| 助けて！ | Tasukete! | Help! |
Everyday courtesy
- ありがとうございます。 Arigatoo gozaimasu. Thank you very much.
- どうぞ。 Doozo. Go ahead. / Here you are.
- わかりました。 Wakarimashita. All right.
- そうですか。 Soo desu ka. Oh, really?
NHK's separate Easy Travel Japanese series, which it describes as phrases to use on trips, adds a handful of all-purpose expressions: sumimasen and domo, each of which it calls a versatile word, doko desu ka for where is, ii desu ka for may I, and daijobu desu ka for is it OK.
How to learn them before you fly
- Learn the pattern, not the sentence. Practise each one with three different place names or objects.
- Say them aloud. Reading silently does not prepare your mouth.
- Test yourself from the English side: cover the Japanese and produce it.
- Spread it out. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Listen to the originals. NHK's lessons come with audio.
Language Lab's Japanese course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can rehearse the station, the shop and the restaurant before you are standing in them.
Frequently asked
What are the most useful Japanese phrases for travel?
Reusable patterns: wa doko desu ka for where is, made onegai-shimasu for a taxi destination, wa ikura desu ka for how much, Kore o kudasai for I'll take this, and Yukkuri hanashite kudasai for please speak slowly.
How do I ask where something is in Japanese?
Say the place and add wa doko desu ka. NHK's example is Haru-san-Hausu wa doko desu ka, where is Haru-san House?
How do I ask how much something costs?
Kono, the thing, wa ikura desu ka. NHK's example is Kono doraiyaa wa ikura desu ka, how much is this hair dryer?
How do I say I can't eat something in Japanese?
Name the food and add wa taberaremasen. NHK's example is Nama-tamago wa taberaremasen, I can't eat raw eggs. To ask for something to be left out, use wa irenaide kudasai.
How do I ask someone to speak slowly?
Yukkuri hanashite kudasai, please speak slowly. If you still do not follow, Sumimasen, yoku wakarimasen means I'm sorry, I don't quite understand.
Why are some words spelled with double vowels, like arigatoo?
This page uses NHK's romanisation, which writes long vowels as double letters. You will see other spellings elsewhere for the same sounds.
Sources: NHK WORLD-JAPAN, Easy Japanese: Conversation lessons, Key Phrases and Bonus Phrases, and Learn Japanese (Easy Travel Japanese); Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: A Shinkansen crossing the Fujikawa Bridge below Mount Fuji, Alpsdake / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
