It can be tricky to know what to say when meeting people for the first time. Some people have difficulty with this even in their own tongue. If you are in Japan, you should get to know some phrases that you can use when you meet people and can use to find out more about them.
'Onamae wa nan desu ka?' can be used to ask their name. If the person is from Japan, you can ask 'Nihon no dochira desu ka?', which means 'Where in Japan are you from?'
Next, you may want to ask about their family. e.g. to ask How many brothers or sisters do you have?, you can say Nan-nin kyoudai desu ka? To understand the answer, you will need to know words like sister 'Imoto' - younger sister, 'Ane' - older sister, and brother 'Ani' - older brother and 'Ototo' - younger brother.
Hobbies are always a good topic to get the exchange going. 'Shumi wa nan desu ka?' - means 'What are your hobbies'. The answers may be 'ryokou desu' - travelling, 'dokusho' - reading, 'uta o utau koto desu' - singing, 'supootsu o suru koto desu' - playing sports, 'terebi o miru koto desu' - watching television.
If you are looking to get personal, you can ask if the person has a girlfriend or boyfriend by using 'Kareshi/ Kanojyo wa imasuka?' where 'Kareshi' means boyfriend and 'Kanojyo' means girlfriend. The reply may be 'Watashi wa dokushin desu ', which means 'I am single'. You may also like to ask their age 'Anata wa nan-sai desu ka?' and where they live 'Anata wa doko ni sunde imasu ka?'. Many Japanese people don't really like to share personal information though, so you should proceed with caution if asking personal questions. - 30216
'Onamae wa nan desu ka?' can be used to ask their name. If the person is from Japan, you can ask 'Nihon no dochira desu ka?', which means 'Where in Japan are you from?'
Next, you may want to ask about their family. e.g. to ask How many brothers or sisters do you have?, you can say Nan-nin kyoudai desu ka? To understand the answer, you will need to know words like sister 'Imoto' - younger sister, 'Ane' - older sister, and brother 'Ani' - older brother and 'Ototo' - younger brother.
Hobbies are always a good topic to get the exchange going. 'Shumi wa nan desu ka?' - means 'What are your hobbies'. The answers may be 'ryokou desu' - travelling, 'dokusho' - reading, 'uta o utau koto desu' - singing, 'supootsu o suru koto desu' - playing sports, 'terebi o miru koto desu' - watching television.
If you are looking to get personal, you can ask if the person has a girlfriend or boyfriend by using 'Kareshi/ Kanojyo wa imasuka?' where 'Kareshi' means boyfriend and 'Kanojyo' means girlfriend. The reply may be 'Watashi wa dokushin desu ', which means 'I am single'. You may also like to ask their age 'Anata wa nan-sai desu ka?' and where they live 'Anata wa doko ni sunde imasu ka?'. Many Japanese people don't really like to share personal information though, so you should proceed with caution if asking personal questions. - 30216
About the Author:
Of course you have to know how to pronounce the language. To learn Japanese phrases and the correct pronunciation, visit http://www.learn-hiragana-katakana.com
