100 Essential Japanese Travel Phrases for Airports, Trains, Hotels, and Restaurants
Hyaku no ryokō furēzu de, nihon no tabi ga motto surasura.
Travel Japanese does not need to be perfect. It just needs to work before your train leaves, your ramen arrives, or your hotel check-in turns into a game of polite charades.
A lot of travelers learn one dramatic phrase first, then realize what they really needed was “Where is platform 3?” and “Can I pay by card?” Much less cinematic, much more useful. This guide gives you the phrases that actually pull their weight in airports, stations, hotels, restaurants, and all the little in-between moments.
If you want a broader beginner base first, start with 100 Japanese words and phrases to start learning. And if you love asking things correctly instead of pointing at reality with panic, this guide on questions in Japanese is a very good friend to have.
How To Use These Travel Phrases
Each phrase gives you the Japanese, the Rōmaji, the English meaning, and a real example sentence. The examples are short on purpose. When you are tired, carrying a backpack, and pretending not to be lost, short is beautiful.
You do not need to sound fancy. Clear beats fancy every single time.
Airport Phrases
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example (JP) | Example (Rōmaji) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 空港 | Kūkō | Airport | 空港はどこですか。 | Kūkō wa doko desu ka. | Where is the airport? |
| 出発 | Shuppatsu | Departure | 出発ゲートはどこですか。 | Shuppatsu gēto wa doko desu ka. | Where is the departure gate? |
| 到着 | Tōchaku | Arrival | 到着ロビーで待っています。 | Tōchaku robī de matte imasu. | I am waiting in the arrivals lobby. |
| 搭乗券 | Tōjōken | Boarding pass | 搭乗券を見せてください。 | Tōjōken o misete kudasai. | Please show your boarding pass. |
| パスポート | Pasupōto | Passport | パスポートを忘れました。 | Pasupōto o wasuremashita. | I forgot my passport. |
| 手荷物 | Tenimotsu | Carry-on baggage | 手荷物は一つです。 | Tenimotsu wa hitotsu desu. | I have one carry-on bag. |
| 預け荷物 | Azuke nimotsu | Checked baggage | 預け荷物はありますか。 | Azuke nimotsu wa arimasu ka. | Do you have checked baggage? |
| 税関 | Zeikan | Customs | 税関はどこですか。 | Zeikan wa doko desu ka. | Where is customs? |
| 入国審査 | Nyūkoku shinsa | Immigration | 入国審査はあちらです。 | Nyūkoku shinsa wa achira desu. | Immigration is that way. |
| 遅れています | Okurete imasu | Is delayed | フライトが遅れています。 | Furaito ga okurete imasu. | The flight is delayed. |
| 何時ですか | Nanji desu ka | What time is it? | 搭乗は何時ですか。 | Tōjō wa nanji desu ka. | What time is boarding? |
| ここでいいですか | Koko de ii desu ka | Is this the right place? | チェックインはここでいいですか。 | Chekkuin wa koko de ii desu ka. | Is this the right place for check-in? |
| 助けてください | Tasukete kudasai | Please help me | すみません、助けてください。 | Sumimasen, tasukete kudasai. | Excuse me, please help me. |
| 日本語が少しだけ話せます | Nihongo ga sukoshi dake hanasemasu | I can speak a little Japanese | 日本語が少しだけ話せます。 | Nihongo ga sukoshi dake hanasemasu. | I can speak a little Japanese. |
| 英語を話せますか | Eigo o hanasemasu ka | Do you speak English? | 英語を話せますか。 | Eigo o hanasemasu ka. | Do you speak English? |
Train And Station Phrases
Japanese stations are efficient, but they can also feel like a polite maze. Learn the basics and suddenly the signs stop looking like decorative stress.
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example (JP) | Example (Rōmaji) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 駅 | Eki | Station | 駅は近いですか。 | Eki wa chikai desu ka. | Is the station nearby? |
| 切符 | Kippu | Ticket | 東京までの切符をください。 | Tōkyō made no kippu o kudasai. | Please give me a ticket to Tokyo. |
| 片道 | Katamichi | One way | 片道です。 | Katamichi desu. | One way, please. |
| 往復 | Ōfuku | Round trip | 往復でお願いします。 | Ōfuku de onegaishimasu. | Round trip, please. |
| ホーム | Hōmu | Platform | 三番ホームはどこですか。 | San-ban hōmu wa doko desu ka. | Where is platform 3? |
| 電車 | Densha | Train | この電車は京都に行きますか。 | Kono densha wa Kyōto ni ikimasu ka. | Does this train go to Kyoto? |
| 新幹線 | Shinkansen | Bullet train | 新幹線の切符を予約しました。 | Shinkansen no kippu o yoyaku shimashita. | I reserved a Shinkansen ticket. |
| 各駅停車 | Kakueki teisha | Local train | これは各駅停車ですか。 | Kore wa kakueki teisha desu ka. | Is this a local train? |
| 急行 | Kyūkō | Express train | 急行はここに止まりますか。 | Kyūkō wa koko ni tomarimasu ka. | Does the express train stop here? |
| 乗り換え | Norikae | Transfer | 新宿で乗り換えです。 | Shinjuku de norikae desu. | You transfer at Shinjuku. |
| 出口 | Deguchi | Exit | 東出口はどこですか。 | Higashi deguchi wa doko desu ka. | Where is the east exit? |
| 入口 | Iriguchi | Entrance | 入口は反対側です。 | Iriguchi wa hantai-gawa desu. | The entrance is on the other side. |
| 遅れ | Okure | Delay | 電車に遅れがあります。 | Densha ni okure ga arimasu. | There is a train delay. |
| 一番線 | Ichibansen | Track 1 | 電車は一番線から出ます。 | Densha wa ichibansen kara demasu. | The train leaves from track 1. |
| いくらですか | Ikura desu ka | How much is it? | 大阪までいくらですか。 | Ōsaka made ikura desu ka. | How much is it to Osaka? |
Hotel Phrases
Hotels are where polite Japanese really shines. You do not need to memorize every formal phrase. A few key words and one calm face will do a lot of heavy lifting.
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example (JP) | Example (Rōmaji) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 予約 | Yoyaku | Reservation | 予約があります。 | Yoyaku ga arimasu. | I have a reservation. |
| チェックイン | Chekkuin | Check-in | チェックインをお願いします。 | Chekkuin o onegaishimasu. | I would like to check in. |
| チェックアウト | Chekkuauto | Check-out | チェックアウトは何時ですか。 | Chekkuauto wa nanji desu ka. | What time is check-out? |
| 一泊 | Ippaku | One night | 一泊だけです。 | Ippaku dake desu. | It is only for one night. |
| 二泊 | Nihaku | Two nights | 二泊します。 | Nihaku shimasu. | I am staying two nights. |
| 部屋 | Heya | Room | この部屋は静かですか。 | Kono heya wa shizuka desu ka. | Is this room quiet? |
| 鍵 | Kagi | Key | 鍵をなくしました。 | Kagi o nakushimashita. | I lost the key. |
| 朝食 | Chōshoku | Breakfast | 朝食は何時からですか。 | Chōshoku wa nanji kara desu ka. | What time does breakfast start? |
| 禁煙 | Kin’en | Non-smoking | 禁煙の部屋はありますか。 | Kin’en no heya wa arimasu ka. | Do you have a non-smoking room? |
| 喫煙 | Kitsuen | Smoking | 喫煙ルームですか。 | Kitsuen rūmu desu ka. | Is it a smoking room? |
| 荷物 | Nimotsu | Luggage | 荷物を預けたいです。 | Nimotsu o azuketai desu. | I would like to leave my luggage. |
| タオル | Taoru | Towel | タオルをもう一枚ください。 | Taoru o mō ichimai kudasai. | Please give me one more towel. |
| Wi-Fi | Waifai | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fiのパスワードは何ですか。 | Waifai no pasuwādo wa nan desu ka. | What is the Wi-Fi password? |
| お湯 | Oyu | Hot water | お湯が出ません。 | Oyu ga demasen. | There is no hot water. |
| 問題があります | Mondai ga arimasu | There is a problem | 部屋に問題があります。 | Heya ni mondai ga arimasu. | There is a problem with the room. |
Restaurant Phrases
Food Japanese is worth learning fast. It gets you fed, helps with allergies, and reduces the odds of ordering something mysterious unless mystery is the goal, which, fair enough, sometimes it is.
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example (JP) | Example (Rōmaji) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| レストラン | Resutoran | Restaurant | この近くにいいレストランはありますか。 | Kono chikaku ni ii resutoran wa arimasu ka. | Is there a good restaurant near here? |
| 予約 | Yoyaku | Reservation | 二人で予約しています。 | Futari de yoyaku shite imasu. | I have a reservation for two. |
| メニュー | Menyū | Menu | メニューをお願いします。 | Menyū o onegaishimasu. | Menu, please. |
| おすすめ | Osusume | Recommendation | おすすめは何ですか。 | Osusume wa nan desu ka. | What do you recommend? |
| 水 | Mizu | Water | 水をください。 | Mizu o kudasai. | Water, please. |
| お茶 | Ocha | Tea | お茶もお願いします。 | Ocha mo onegaishimasu. | Tea as well, please. |
| ください | Kudasai | Please give me | これをください。 | Kore o kudasai. | Please give me this. |
| お願いします | Onegaishimasu | Please / I’d like | ラーメンをお願いします。 | Rāmen o onegaishimasu. | Ramen, please. |
| 美味しい | Oishii | Delicious | とても美味しいです。 | Totemo oishii desu. | It is very delicious. |
| 辛い | Karai | Spicy | これは辛いですか。 | Kore wa karai desu ka. | Is this spicy? |
| 肉 | Niku | Meat | 私は肉を食べません。 | Watashi wa niku o tabemasen. | I do not eat meat. |
| 魚 | Sakana | Fish | 魚は大丈夫です。 | Sakana wa daijōbu desu. | Fish is okay. |
| アレルギー | Arerugī | Allergy | ピーナッツのアレルギーがあります。 | Pīnattsu no arerugī ga arimasu. | I have a peanut allergy. |
| お会計 | Okaikei | Bill / check | お会計をお願いします。 | Okaikei o onegaishimasu. | The bill, please. |
| カードで払えますか | Kādo de haraemasu ka | Can I pay by card? | カードで払えますか。 | Kādo de haraemasu ka. | Can I pay by card? |
Essential Polite Phrases For Anywhere
These are the social glue phrases. Small words, huge usefulness. Learn them early and use them often.
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example (JP) | Example (Rōmaji) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| すみません | Sumimasen | Excuse me / sorry | すみません、駅はどこですか。 | Sumimasen, eki wa doko desu ka. | Excuse me, where is the station? |
| ありがとうございます | Arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you | ありがとうございます、助かりました。 | Arigatō gozaimasu, tasukarimashita. | Thank you, that helped. |
| お願いします | Onegaishimasu | Please | これでお願いします。 | Kore de onegaishimasu. | This one, please. |
| 大丈夫です | Daijōbu desu | It is okay / no thank you | 水は大丈夫です。 | Mizu wa daijōbu desu. | Water is okay, no thank you. |
| わかりません | Wakarimasen | I do not understand | すみません、よくわかりません。 | Sumimasen, yoku wakarimasen. | Sorry, I do not really understand. |
| もう一度お願いします | Mō ichido onegaishimasu | One more time, please | もう一度お願いします。 | Mō ichido onegaishimasu. | One more time, please. |
| ゆっくりお願いします | Yukkuri onegaishimasu | Please speak slowly | ゆっくりお願いします。 | Yukkuri onegaishimasu. | Please speak slowly. |
| どこですか | Doko desu ka | Where is it? | トイレはどこですか。 | Toire wa doko desu ka. | Where is the restroom? |
| トイレ | Toire | Restroom | トイレを探しています。 | Toire o sagashite imasu. | I am looking for the restroom. |
| 写真 | Shashin | Photo | 写真を撮ってもいいですか。 | Shashin o totte mo ii desu ka. | May I take a photo? |
| 今 | Ima | Now | 今、今行きます。 | Ima, ima ikimasu. | I am going now. |
| 後で | Ato de | Later | 後で戻ります。 | Ato de modorimasu. | I will come back later. |
| 右 | Migi | Right | 銀行は右です。 | Ginkō wa migi desu. | The bank is on the right. |
| 左 | Hidari | Left | ホテルは左です。 | Hoteru wa hidari desu. | The hotel is on the left. |
| まっすぐ | Massugu | Straight ahead | ここをまっすぐ行ってください。 | Koko o massugu itte kudasai. | Please go straight here. |
More Everyday Travel Phrases
To reach 100 solid essentials, here are 25 more phrases that come up constantly when moving around Japan. These are especially handy for shopping, directions, schedules, and those tiny practical questions that somehow decide your whole afternoon.
| Kanji | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example (JP) | Example (Rōmaji) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 今何時ですか | Ima nanji desu ka | What time is it now? | 今何時ですか。 | Ima nanji desu ka. | What time is it now? |
| 開いていますか | Aite imasu ka | Is it open? | この店は開いていますか。 | Kono mise wa aite imasu ka. | Is this shop open? |
| 閉まっています | Shimatte imasu | Is closed | もう閉まっています。 | Mō shimatte imasu. | It is already closed. |
| 近い | Chikai | Near | コンビニは近いですか。 | Konbini wa chikai desu ka. | Is the convenience store near? |
| 遠い | Tōi | Far | 空港は遠いですか。 | Kūkō wa tōi desu ka. | Is the airport far? |
| 早い | Hayai | Early / fast | 次の電車は早いです。 | Tsugi no densha wa hayai desu. | The next train is fast. |
| 遅い | Osoi | Late / slow | このバスは少し遅いです。 | Kono basu wa sukoshi osoi desu. | This bus is a little late. |
| 待ってください | Matte kudasai | Please wait | 少し待ってください。 | Sukoshi matte kudasai. | Please wait a moment. |
| 急いでいます | Isoide imasu | I am in a hurry | すみません、急いでいます。 | Sumimasen, isoide imasu. | Excuse me, I am in a hurry. |
| ここに書いてください | Koko ni kaite kudasai | Please write it here | 名前をここに書いてください。 | Namae o koko ni kaite kudasai. | Please write your name here. |
| 見せてください | Misete kudasai | Please show me | 地図を見せてください。 | Chizu o misete kudasai. | Please show me the map. |
| 地図 | Chizu | Map | 地図はありますか。 | Chizu wa arimasu ka. | Do you have a map? |
| 住所 | Jūsho | Address | ホテルの住所を見せます。 | Hoteru no jūsho o misemasu. | I will show the hotel address. |
| 名前 | Namae | Name | 名前は何ですか。 | Namae wa nan desu ka. | What is your name? |
| 現金 | Genkin | Cash | 現金だけですか。 | Genkin dake desu ka. | Is it cash only? |
| 両替 | Ryōgae | Currency exchange | 両替できますか。 | Ryōgae dekimasu ka. | Can I exchange money? |
| 領収書 | Ryōshūsho | Receipt | 領収書をください。 | Ryōshūsho o kudasai. | Please give me a receipt. |
| 袋 | Fukuro | Bag | 袋をお願いします。 | Fukuro o onegaishimasu. | A bag, please. |
| 大きい | Ōkii | Big | もっと大きいサイズはありますか。 | Motto ōkii saizu wa arimasu ka. | Do you have a bigger size? |
| 小さい | Chiisai | Small | もっと小さいのはありますか。 | Motto chiisai no wa arimasu ka. | Do you have a smaller one? |
| 高い | Takai | Expensive / high | 少し高いですね。 | Sukoshi takai desu ne. | It is a little expensive, huh. |
| 安い | Yasui | Cheap | これは安いです。 | Kore wa yasui desu. | This is cheap. |
| 人気 | Ninki | Popular | この店は人気ですか。 | Kono mise wa ninki desu ka. | Is this place popular? |
| 空いています | Aite imasu | Not crowded / available | 今は空いています。 | Ima wa aite imasu. | It is not crowded now. |
| 混んでいます | Konde imasu | Crowded | 電車が混んでいます。 | Densha ga konde imasu. | The train is crowded. |
Quick Notes That Save You Trouble
- ください
Kudasai
“Please give me…” Good for ordering or asking for an item. - お願いします
Onegaishimasu
A softer, very useful “please.” Great for requests in general. If you want more on polite asking, this guide on how to say please in Japanese clears up the nuance nicely. - すみません
Sumimasen
This one does everything. Excuse me, sorry, get attention, soften a request. Tiny phrase, absurdly powerful. - 大丈夫です
Daijōbu desu
Can mean “that’s fine,” “I’m okay,” or “no thank you,” depending on context. Useful, but a little slippery. Japanese loves efficiency like that. - ありますか
Arimasu ka
“Do you have…?” or “Is there…?” Learn this and suddenly many sentences become easy.
Mini Practice For Real Travel Situations
Try saying these out loud. Yes, out loud. Silent studying feels productive right up until an actual person answers back.
- 空港はどこですか。
Kūkō wa doko desu ka.
Where is the airport? - この電車は京都に行きますか。
Kono densha wa Kyōto ni ikimasu ka.
Does this train go to Kyoto? - 予約があります。
Yoyaku ga arimasu.
I have a reservation. - 禁煙の部屋はありますか。
Kin’en no heya wa arimasu ka.
Do you have a non-smoking room? - おすすめは何ですか。
Osusume wa nan desu ka.
What do you recommend? - カードで払えますか。
Kādo de haraemasu ka.
Can I pay by card? - ゆっくりお願いします。
Yukkuri onegaishimasu.
Please speak slowly. - もう一度お願いします。
Mō ichido onegaishimasu.
One more time, please.
Travel Phrase Cheat Sheet
- Where is…? → どこですか
Doko desu ka - Please → お願いします / ください
Onegaishimasu / Kudasai - How much? → いくらですか
Ikura desu ka - I do not understand → わかりません
Wakarimasen - One more time, please → もう一度お願いします
Mō ichido onegaishimasu - Excuse me → すみません
Sumimasen - Thank you → ありがとうございます
Arigatō gozaimasu - I have a reservation → 予約があります
Yoyaku ga arimasu - The bill, please → お会計をお願いします
Okaikei o onegaishimasu - Can I pay by card? → カードで払えますか
Kādo de haraemasu ka
If you want to build on this with more daily essentials, visit the main Learn Japanese hub or keep going with useful survival language like how to say excuse me in Japanese. Those little connector phrases matter more than people think.
The big takeaway: learn the travel phrases that solve real problems first. A neat accent is nice. Being able to find your platform, check into your hotel, and ask for the bill without accidental chaos is nicer. Start with these 100, use them shamelessly, and your trip will feel a lot smoother very quickly.
