Basic Japanese Questions for Travelers and Everyday Talk

You can walk across half of Tokyo on greetings alone. The moment that actually freezes people is the first real question: how much is this, which train goes where, who is that, could you say that again?

There are endless ways to ask things in Japanese. This list keeps the everyday ones—travel, small talk, shopping, and a few casual lines—so you can build answers from a solid base instead of guessing under pressure.

One practical detail: lines ending in ですか / desu ka? sound polite with staff and new people. Shorter lines with の？ / no? feel casual, closer to friends. Swap the register to match the room, not the phrasebook page.

Contents 5

Meeting someone and small talk

What is your name?

名前は何ですか。
(o)namae wa nan desu ka?

Who is this person?

あの人は誰ですか。
ano hito wa dare desu ka?

Where do you live?

どこに住んでいますか。
doko ni sunde imasu ka?

What do you do for a living?

仕事は何ですか。
shigoto wa nan desu ka?

How is it?

どうですか。
dou desu ka?

How's the weather?

天気はどうですか。
tenki wa dou desu ka?

Are you hungry?

お腹が空いていますか。
onaka ga suite imasu ka?

Where did you come from?

どこから来たの？
doko kara kita no?

Travel, trains, shops, and photos

What is this?

これは何ですか。
kore wa nan desu ka?

How much does this cost?

これはいくらですか。
kore wa ikura desu ka?

Where is the restroom?

トイレはどこですか。
toire wa doko desu ka?

Does this train go to [Shibuya]?

この電車は「渋谷」へ行きますか？
kono densha wa [Shibuya] e ikimasu ka?

How long does it take to get to [Shinjuku]?

「新宿」までどのくらいかかりますか？
[Shinjuku] made dono gurai kakarimasu ka?

Could you take a picture?

写真を撮ってもらえませんか？
shashin o totte moraemasen ka?

It's my first time here—do you know any good places to eat nearby?

初めて来たのですが、この辺りで美味しいお店を知っていますか。
hajimete kita no desu ga, kono atari de oishii omise o shitte imasu ka?

What is the problem? / What happened?

どうしたんですか。
doushitan desu ka?

Casual chat

What are you doing?

何してるの？
nani shiteru no?

Where did you get those clothes?

その服どこで買ったの？
sono fuku doko de katta no?

What are you drinking?

何飲んでるの？
nani nonderu no?

Do you have a boyfriend?

彼氏いる？
kareshi iru?

That last one is blunt even among friends. In Japan, personal questions land softer if you already know the person—or if you skip them with strangers entirely.

Opinions, clarity, and agreement

What do you think?

どう思われますか。
dou omowaremasu ka?

What do you think about this?

そのことをどう思われますか。
sono koto o dou omowaremasu ka?

Have you ever felt this way?

そのように感じたことがありますか。
sono you ni kanjita koto ga arimasu ka?

Did you notice this?

このことに気づきましたか。
kono koto ni kidzukimashita ka?

Do you agree?

同意されますか。
doui saremasu ka?

Could you write this down for me?

ここに書いていただけますか。
koko ni kaite itadakemasu ka?

Could you repeat that?

もう一度言っていただけますか。
mou ichido itte itadakemasu ka?

How do you answer these questions?

If the answer is one word, say it and add です (desu) when you want a polite finish: Tōkyō desu, gakusei desu, hai, oishii desu.

If the answer needs a verb, conjugate it—and listen for how formal the other person is speaking. For a wider set of lines you can drop into a real conversation, start with our phrases for conversation in Japanese.

Want more building blocks before the trip? Useful next stops: restaurant Japanese, a tourist word list, romantic and flirty lines, and basic expressions for conversation.