Top 5 Classroom Phrases in Japanese
It's the first day of Japanese class. You sit down nervously, looking around you for someone you know, and suddenly the teacher walks in. Without missing a beat, she launches into a lengthy diatribe of Japanese. You don't understand a single Japanese word.
You slink down in your seat and glue your eyes to the completely Japanese book in front of you, hoping to go unnoticed. As her footsteps get closer to your desk (why did you have to sit in the front row?), she taps on your desk and says, " ripīto shite kudasai ." What the heck does that mean?
This Japanese All About lesson will teach you about all the phrases you'll regularly hear in your Japanese class, so when your Japanese teacher sneaks up on you, you'll be ready.
Never again will you be caught by surprise in any Japanese classroom. Maybe you should share this Japanese lesson with some of your classmates too, just in case. Visit us at
GengoLanguages.com where you will find many more fantastic Japanese lessons and learning resources! Leave us a message while you are there!
Top 5 Classroom Phrases in Japanese
In this lesson, we'll teach you the top five useful classroom phrases in Japanese, and then some!
1. "Please say it." / "Please repeat."
Itte kudasai ( 言っ てください ) means "please say it." As a variation, you might also hear ripīto shite kudasai ( リピートしてください ), which means "please repeat (after me)," when teachers want you to repeat exactly what they have said.
2. "Please look."
Mite kudasai ( 見てください ) means "please look," and when an object comes before the phrase, it means "please look at (object).
For example, howaito bōdo, mite kudasai ( ホワイ
トボード、見てください ) means "please look at the whiteboard".
3. "Please read."
Yonde kudasai ( 読んでください ) means "please read."
You can expect to hear this phrase if a teacher wants you to practice reading some word, phrase, or passage.
For example, tekisuto, yonde kudasai ( テキスト、読んでください ) means "please read your textbook".
4. "Please write it."
Kaite kudasai ( 書いてください ) means "please write it.".
Teachers may use this phrase when they want you to practice writing some hiragana , katakana , or even kanji !
5. "Do you understand?"
The most direct translation is wakarimasu ka ? ( 分かりますか？ ).
Other variations Japanese teachers often use include daijōbu desu ka ? ( 大丈夫ですか？ ) and ii desu ka ? ( いいですか？ ), which both literally translate to "Is it/everything okay?"
Teachers often use these questions to confirm understanding. If teachers want to ask whether there are any questions, they might also ask shitsumon arimasu ka ? ( 質問ありま
すか？ ), which means "Are there any questions?"