The 300 most common Japanese words

at · in · on · to

you said · he said · she said · they said

and · (and) then · because (of) · so

indicates sentence topic · indicates contrast with another option (stated or unstated) · adds emphasis

yes · indeed · well · ha!

indicates the subject of a sentence · indicates possession · but · however

partial equivalent of the "no" particle in standard Japanese

indicates direct object of action · indicates subject of causative expression · indicates an area traversed · indicates time (period) over which action takes place

did · (have) done · (please) do

indicates word or phrase being defined · used for quoting (thoughts, speech, etc.) · with · (not) as much as

at · in · at · when

without doing ...

Japanese cherry birch (Betula grossa) · yellow catalpa (Catalpa ovata) · Japanese mallotus (Mallotus japonicus) · printing block

and · besides · moreover · what's more

Japanese dock (Rumex japonicus)

did · (have) done

if · when · and · as well as

Turkey

promoted pawn

don't · do · hey · listen

nonexistent · not being (there) · unowned · not had

too · also · in addition · as well

not

emphatic suffix

earthquake

be · is

indicates a question · indicates an embedded question · indicates an indirect question · or

counter used with Sino-Japanese words

yes · yeah · uh huh · huh?

not

some

probably · will · intend to · would like to have done (for me)

from · since · at · through (e.g. a window, door)

be · is

to do · to carry out · to perform · to cause to become

to pickpocket · to steal

hey · you · hey · hey

trout · sea trout

-ness · indicates assertion · come (on) · come now

thing · matter · incident · occurrence

particle indicating a command · particle indicating mild enthusiasm · particle indicating a gentle interrogative · particle used to soften a judgment or conclusion

to be needed · to be necessary · to be required · to be wanted

to be (of animate objects) · to exist · to stay · to be ...-ing

to calm down

right? · isn't it? · doesn't it? · don't you?

nonexistent · not being (there) · not having · not

to be ...-ing · to have ...-ed · to be ...-ed

to be · to exist · to live · to have

a certain ... · some ...

rabbit · hare · coney · cony

indicates speculation · indicates will · indicates invitation

eel (esp. the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica)

Ukraine

soft rush (Juncus effusus var. decipiens) · common rush

strengthens a question, assertion, etc.

-ian (e.g. Italian) · -ite (e.g. Tokyoite) · -er (e.g. performer, etc.) · person working with ...

person · someone · somebody · human beings

counter for people

person

such things as ... · and ... and · the minute (that) ... · no sooner than ...

day · days · sun · sunshine

Sunday · nth day (of the month) · counter for days · Japan

day of month · counter for days

nth day (of the month) · counter for days

Nichi

Ni

Hi

good · excellent · fine · nice

what was said · what it means · origin of a story (or tradition, etc.)

better · preferable · less objectionable · least-worst

please · used to increase the politeness of a greeting

appearing that · seeming that · looking like · having the appearance of

this · last (couple of years, etc.) · these · past

in that way · thus · such · so

if ... then · when · and · why don't you ...?

if · when · after · when it comes to ...

but · however · although

honorific/polite/humble prefix

oh! (expression of slight surprise)

appearing ... · looking ... · way to ... · method of ...ing

this · this one · this person · now

nicely · properly · well · skillfully

hey · oi · come on · look

carbuncle

(I) will · (I) shall · let's · (I) wonder (if)

hey · yo · hi · come on

then · well · so · well then

be · is · isn't it?

year · age · years · past one's prime

year · counter for years (e.g. of an era), grades (e.g. school) · period of an apprentice's contract (usu. ten years)

counter for years

that · the · part (as in "part two") · um ...

Thailand

sea bream (esp. Pagrus major) · porgy

only · just · merely · simply

want to do ... · would like to do ... · indicates emphasis · very ...

until (a time) · till · to · up to

-ical · -ive · -al · -ic

mark · target · object · subject

to bear fruit

to become · to get · to grow · to turn

that is in · who is called · that is called · that is

if · in case · if it is the case that · if it is true that

person

oak (esp. Quercus serrata)

person · -er · expert · geisha

Moon · month · moonlight · (a) moon

month (of the year)

Monday

looking · viewing · (please) try (to)

view (of life, etc.) · outlook

called · named · that says · that

inside · within · while (e.g. one is young) · during

inside · interior · among · within

medium (size) · average (grade, level, etc.) · middle · in

(all) through (e.g. the night) · throughout (e.g. the year) · all ... long · within (e.g. the week)

red dragon tile · winning hand with a pung (or kong) of red dragon tiles

Naka

what · you-know-what · that thing · whatsit

that · it · then · that point (in time)

but · however · though · nevertheless

what · how many · many · a lot of

there! · look! · go on! · right!

indicates passive voice (incl. the "suffering passive") · indicates the potential form · indicates spontaneous occurrence · used as an honorific for others' actions

I · me

I · me

seems · I think · I guess · I wonder

I · me · personal (affairs, etc.) · private

I · me

I · me

I · me

I · me · you

I · me

private affairs · personal matter

I · me

I · me

I · me

I · me

I · me

good · advantage · benefit · welfare

the same (age, social status) · peer

time · hour · moment · occasion

hour · o'clock · (specified) time · when ...

indicates emotion or admiration · indicates emphasis · I · me

time for ... · time to ... · good time to ... · opportunity to ...

ant

indicates reason or excuse · indicates dissatisfaction · indicates desire to be pampered or indulged

existing (at the present moment) · alright · acceptable · passable

huh? · eh? · what? · oh

one · for one thing · only · (not) even

one · 1 · best · first

to · towards · for

one · one

one

most · best

one · same (mind, path, etc.)

now · the present time · just now · soon

direction · way · side · area (in a particular direction)

Mr · Mrs · Miss · Ms

because · as · since · so

direction · way · person · lady

Mr · Mrs · Miss · Ms

ah · oh · hey!

the current ... · this · today's ...

Sirs · Mesdames · around (the time that, etc.) · about

surrounding area · vicinity · seashore · seaside

Imaichi

as (i.e. in the role of) · for (i.e. from the viewpoint of) · apart from ... (used to change the topic) · even (e.g. "not even a single person")

so · really · seeming

did · (have) done

because · since

Japan

et cetera · etc. · and the like · and so forth

myself · yourself · oneself · himself

long-vowel mark

than · rather than · instead of · over

I · me

and the like · such as · among other things · and so on

point · tip · end · nozzle

last (i.e. immediately preceding) · previous · ex- · former

in front (of) · before (e.g. a building) · before · earlier

I · me

spirit · mind · heart · nature

seeming · giving the appearance of · giving one the feeling of

-like nature · -like disposition · -ish temperament

sign · indication · trace · touch

time · hour · period · class

how · in what way · how about

whoa (command used to stop a horse, etc.)

again · once more · once again · another time

it seems · I think · I guess · I wonder

already · yet · by now · now

eye · eyeball · eyesight · sight

order · item (of a budget revision, etc.) · counter for played stones · counter for surrounded points

to be able to do · to be possible · to be permitted (to do) · to be good at

eh? · what? · oh? · yes

talk · speech · chat · conversation

or something · for instance ... (though there are other suitable options) · ... or ... · as soon as

to be · to be (at a location) · sum of money

counter for stories, episodes of TV series, etc.

style · way · shape · form

coming out · going out · outflow · efflux

individual concrete phenomenon (as opposed to a general principle)

coming out · emerging · being born into (a certain family) · being a native of (a particular place)

nominalizing suffix · pretending to ... · playing make-believe ...

to think · to consider · to believe · to reckon

s (pluralizing suffix) · 's (possessive suffix)

(does) not ..., and · (does) not ..., so · not (doing) · without (doing)

duck · easy mark · sucker · sitting duck

house · residence · dwelling · home

one's house · one's home · one's family · one's household

house · family

minute (unit of time) · fun (one tenth of a monme, 5.787 grains)

part · portion · share · amount

may · might · perhaps · may be

one-tenth · one percent (one-tenth of a wari) · 3 mm (one-tenth of a sun) · 2.4 mm (one-tenth of a mon, a traditional unit used to measure shoe sizes)

shop · store · restaurant · someone who sells (something) or works as (something)

-ist · -er

's house · 's home

's house · 's home

Uchi

-ing and -ing (e.g. "coming and going") · doing such things as ... · expresses a command · to be

yen (currency of Japan) · circle

circle · entirety · whole · full

honorific/polite/humble prefix · honorific suffix

behind · rear · after · later

back · behind · rear

buttocks · behind · rump · bottom

later · afterwards · future · after one's death

after

rear · back · behind

although · despite · even though · and yet

-like · sort of · similar to · resembling

two · 2

good · excellent · fine · nice

please (give me) · please (do for me)

liking · being fond of · to one's liking · to one's taste

pluralizing suffix (esp. for people and animals; formerly honorific)

nature (of a person) · disposition · temperament · nature (of something)

love of · affection for · enthusiast for · lover of

two

two

Futa

here · this place · this point · here

nature (of a person) · sex · gender · sex (i.e. sexual attraction, activity, etc.)

adds force or indicates command

large · big · great · major

large · big · great · huge

one's nature · one's destiny · custom · tradition

great · grand · large · greater (of equal court ranks)

big · large · great · greater (of equal court ranks)

nature · disposition · temperament · character

disposition · nature · character

nth year in the Taishō era (1912.7.30-1926.12.25)

Oo

thinking · thought · view · opinion

counter for occurrences · a time · an instance · inning (baseball)

above · over · up · top

upper reaches (of a river) · upper stream · top · upper part

from the standpoint of · from the viewpoint of · with respect to · in terms of

upper · upward · outer · surface

Uwa

Kano

Kami

Kamino

Kamura

Kan

feeling · sense · impression

number · amount

often · again and again · frequently · repeatedly

several · a few · a number of · number

necessary · needed · essential · indispensable

next (year, spring, etc.) · coming · since (e.g. last month) · for (e.g. 20 years)

how ...! · what ...! · what? · what's that?

such · that sort of · that kind of · like that

10,000 · ten thousand · myriad · everything

pluralizing suffix · or so · rough indicator of direction, location, amount, etc. · nominalizing suffix

things like · something like · someone like · such a thing as

completely · absolutely · totally

small spiral-shelled snail · spiral shellfish

probably · (it) seems · I suppose · right?

Ara

the world · society · the universe · sphere

other (esp. people and abstract matters)

origin · source · beginning · basis

who

a little · a bit · slightly · just a minute

another place · some other place · somewhere else · outside

book · volume · script · this

Moto

Motoichi

that · that thing · that person · then

thank you · thanks

general-purpose counter · ... years old

indicates two contrasting actions · indicates possessive (often found in place names and compound words)

called · known as · that · to say

let there be ... · may it be ... · please do ...

prefix for forming ordinal numbers

nicely · properly · well · skillfully

change to ... · becoming ... · making into ... · -ization