Japanese Vocabulary

The Japanese vocabulary is the backbone for learning. Below we picked 70% of the most commonly used words. Therefore memorizing them will give you a 70% boost in the language. This is the smarter way of online learning. Learn only what you need. We start with commonly used numbers.

One: 一  [ichi]	Two: ニ  [ni]
Three: 三  [san]	Four: 四  [yon]
Five: 五  [go]	Six: 六  [roku]
Seven: 七  [nana]	Eight: 八  [hachi]
Nine: 九  [kyuu]	Ten: 十  [juu]
First: 最初の  [saisho no]	Second: 2番目の  [ni banme no]

Time Expressions

Days of the week and time expressions:

Monday: 月曜日  [getsuyoubi]	Tuesday: 火曜日  [kayoubi]
Wednesday: 水曜日  [suiyoubi]	Thursday: 木曜日  [mokuyoubi]
Friday: 金曜日  [kinyoubi]	Saturday: 土曜日  [doyoubi]
Sunday: 日曜日  [nichiyoubi]	Now: 今  [ima]
Yesterday: 昨日  [kinou]	Today: 今日  [kyou]
Tonight: 今夜  [konya]	Tomorrow: 明日  [ashita]

Most popular fruits and vegetables:

Fruits: フルーツ  [furūtsu]	Apples: リンゴ  [ringo]
Bananas: バナナ  [banana]	Tomatoes: トマト  [tomato]
Potatoes: ジャガイモ  [jagaimo]	Onions: 玉葱  [tamanegi]

Red: 赤い   [akai]	Green: 緑の  [midori no]
Blue: 青い   [aoi]	White: 白い   [shiroi]
Black: 黒い   [kuroi]	Grey: 灰色の  [haiiro no]

Some words related to food:

Breakfast: 朝ご飯  [asa gohan]	Lunch: 昼ご飯  [hiru gohan]
Dinner: 晩ご飯  [ban gohan]	Milk: 牛乳  [gyuunyuu]
Coffee: コーヒー  [kōhī]	Bread: パン  [pan]

Weather terms and sensations:

Sunny: 日のよく照る  [hi no yoku teru]	Windy: 風の強い  [kaze no tsuyoi]
Rainy: 雨降りの  [amefuri no]	Snowy: 雪の多い  [yuki no ooi]
Cold: 冷たい  [tsumetai]	Hot: 熱い  [atsui]

Words related to family and relatives:

Boy: 少年  [shounen]	Girl: 少女  [shoujo]
Son: 息子  [musuko]	Daughter: 娘  [musume]
Brother: 兄弟  [kyoudai]	Sister: 姉妹  [shimai]
Man: 男性  [dansei]	Woman: 女性  [josei]
Father: 父親  [chichioya]	Mother: 母親  [hahaoya]
Grandfather: 祖父  [sofu]	Grandmother: 祖母  [sobo]

Locations in the house which are talked about more during the day:

House: 家  [ie]	Toilet: トイレ  [toire]
Room: 部屋  [heya]	Bedroom: 寝室  [shinshitsu]
Kitchen: 台所  [daidokoro]	Table: テーブル  [tēburu]

Animals and pets popular to everyone:

Cat: 猫  [neko]	Dog: 犬  [inu]
Mouse: ネズミ  [nezumi]	Bird: 鳥  [tori]
Cow: 牛  [ushi]	Horse: 馬  [uma]

The clothes most worn by most people:

Socks: 靴下  [kutsushita]	Shoes: 靴  [kutsu]
Trousers: ズボン  [zubon]	Shirt: シャツ  [shatsu]
Sweater: セーター  [sētā]	Coat: コート  [kōto]

Most popular languages in the world:

English: 英語  [eigo]	French: フランス語  [furansugo]
German: ドイツ語  [doitsu go]	Spanish: スペイン語  [supein go]
Italian: イタリア語  [itaria go]	Portuguese: ポルトガル語  [porutogaru go]
Greek: ギリシャ語  [girisha go]	Russian: ロシア語  [roshia go]
Arabic: アラビア語  [arabia go]	Hindi: ヒンディー語  [hindī go]
Chinese: 中国語  [chuugoku go]	Japanese: 日本語  [nihongo]

Travel Vocabulary

Most popular terms when traveling:

Taxi: タクシー  [takushī]	Bus: バス  [basu]
Hotel: ホテル  [hoteru]	Reservation: 予約  [yoyaku]
Airport: 空港  [kuukou]	Passport: パスポート  [pasupōto]

Words you can use in class or talking about school:

Student: 学生  [gakusei]	Teacher: 教師  [kyoushi]
Pen: ペン  [pen]	Books: 本  [hon]
Page: ページ  [pēji]	Dictionary: 辞書  [jisho]

Body parts which are talked about more often:

Hand: 手  [te]	Feet: 足  [ashi]
Hair: 髪  [kami]	Eye: 目  [me]
Mouth: 口  [kuchi]	Nose: 鼻  [hana]

Emergency vocabulary to ask for help or offer help when needed:

Ambulance: 救急車  [kyuukyuu sha]	Doctor: 医師  [ishi]
Hospital: 病院  [byouin]	Pharmacy: 薬局  [yakkyoku]
Police: 警察  [keisatsu]	Stomach Ache: 胃痛  [itsuu]

As you can see, this Japanese vocabulary is something you will need every day. You can use our Vocabulary Trainer to help you memorize these words.