Linguanaut (as well as google translate) is an easy site for learning simple phrases so you aren’t a complete alien when traveling. Here are some for Japanese:
| English Greetings | Japanese Greetings: |
| Hi! | Kon’nichiwa ãããĢãĄã¯ |
| Good morning! | Ohayou gozaimasu. ãã¯ããããããžã |
| Good evening! | Konbanwa ããã°ã㯠|
| Welcome! (to greet someone) | Irasshaimase!.ãããŖããã |
| How are you? | Genkidesu ka? å æ°ã§ããīŧ |
| I’m fine, thanks! | Watashi wa, okage de daijÅbudesuyo!į§ã¯ããããã§å¤§ä¸å¤Ģã§ãã |
| And you? | Anatawa?à à à ÃŖÂâÃŖÂÂĒÃŖŸÃŖ¯ïÂŧŸ |
| Good/ So-So. | Genki desu. / maa-maa desu.å æ°ã§ã/ ÃŖžÃŖÂâÃŖžÃŖÂâÃŖ§ÃŖÂâĸÃŖâŦâ |
| Thank you (very much)! | Arigatou! ãããã¨Â |
| You’re welcome! (for “thank you”) | Dou itashi mashite.ãŠãããããžããĻ |
| I missed you so much! | Anata ga inakute sabishikattadesu!. ããĒã |
| What’s new? | Shinchaku jÅhÅ? æ°įæ å ą? |
| Nothing much | Kawari nai desu.à à à ÃĨ¤â°ÃŖâÂÃŖâÅ ÃŖÂÂĒÃŖÂâÃŖ§ÃŖÂâĸÃŖâŦâ |
| Good night! | Oyasumi nasai.ÃããããŋãĒããâ |
| See you later! | Ja, mata (ãããžã)Â |
| Good bye! | SayÅnara!ããããĒã |
Or in Vietnamese, here are some phrases, but you have to understand pronunciation (dead link) or ling-app.com first, these are reasonable close to chinese (e.g., neutral tone 5, rising 2, falling 4, questioning is 3, but no long tone. These tones are denoted by various marks on the vowels, most are above, but there is one that is below
| Mid-Level Tone (Thanh Ngang | ma | flat and even like “sing” | ghost |
| High Rising Tone (Thanh Sáē¯c) | MÃĄ | Tone mark is dáēĨu sáē¯c like “what???” | mother |
| Low Falling (Thanh Huyáģn) | MÃ | Low and then falls lower like “umm” | that or which |
| Low Rising Tone (Thanh Háģi) | MáēŖ | Low rising, like “really?” | tomb |
| High Broken tone (Thanh NgÃŖ) | MÃŖ | Like high rising, but you suddenly stop at the end (difficultâ, the mark is a tilde ~ | horse |
| Heavy Tone (Thanh Náēˇng) | MáēĄ | Tone mark is a dot underneath the vowel, very low and stays low |
Then there are the various sounds and vowel pronunciation, I find it easier to just learn whole words, but this is for people who like to deconstruct. There are both single vowels and vowel clusters:
| a | as in ‘father’ |
| ÃÂŖ | as a with longer pronounciation |
| ÃÂĸ | as a in ‘black’ |
| ai | as in ‘buy‘ |
| ao | as in ‘now‘ |
| au | as in ‘Australia’ |
| ÃÂĸu | as in ‘go‘ |
| ay | as in ‘day‘ |
| ÃÂĸy | as inà ‘David’ |
| e | as in ‘Claire’ |
| ÃÂĒ | as in ‘CafÊ‘ |
| i | as in ‘see‘ |
| ia | as in ‘Asia‘ |
| ie | as in ‘yes’ |
| o | as in ‘door’ |
| oa | as in French ‘moi‘ |
| oÃÂŖ | as in ‘lack’ |
| oai | as in ‘why‘ |
| oay | as in ‘Uruguay‘ |
| oe | as inà ‘where‘ |
| oi | as in ‘choice’ |
| ô | as inà ‘Bordeaux’ |
| ôi | as in ‘toy‘ |
 | as in ‘teacher‘ |
 | like “er-ee“ |
| u | as in ‘zoo‘ |
 | slightly likeà “Mercury” |
| ua | as inà ‘Ecuador’ |
 | between “oo” and “ah“ |
| uÃÂĒ | as in ‘question’ |
| ui | like “oo-ee“ |
| uôi | as in “way-ee“ |
 | as in ‘queue‘ |
 | as in ‘queue‘ |
 | as in ‘queue-ee‘ |
 | as in ‘new‘ |
| uy | as u in French or ÃÂŧ in German |
| uya | as French ‘culture‘ |
| uyen | as in ‘when’ |
| uyu | as in ‘new‘ |
| y | as in ‘see‘ |
| ye | as in ‘yen’ |
| yeu | as in ‘yeoman’ |
And consonants are like english except for
| d | like ‘z‘ as in ‘zero’ |
| ð | is the Englishà ‘d‘ |
| gh | like normal ‘g‘ as in ‘go’ |
| gi | like ‘y‘ in ‘yes’ |
| kh | like German ‘ch‘ as in ‘ich‘ |
| nh | like French ‘gn‘ in ‘champaigne’ |
| ng, ngh | as in ‘nguyen’ |
| ph | likeà normal ‘f‘ as in ‘fur’ |
| tr | as in ‘try’ |
| v | sometime pronounced as ‘y‘ too |
And here are some basic phrases from Local Insider and Intrepid Guide
| English Phrases | Vietnamese Phrases |
|---|---|
| English Greetings | Vietnamese Greetings: |
| Hi! | Chà o |
| Good morning! | Chà o buáģi sÃĄng |
| Good evening! | ChÃēc Ngáģ§ Ngon |
| Welcome! (to greet someone) | kháģe không?! |
| How are you? | báēĄn kháģe không |
| I’m fine, thanks! | Tôi kháģe cáēŖm ÆĄn! |
| And you? | và báēĄn? |
| Good/ | tôi áģn |
| Thank you (very much)! | CÃĄm ÆĄn |
| You’re welcome! (for “thank you”) | không cÃŗ chi |
| Hey! Friend! | nà y! báēĄn bè! |
| I missed you so much! | anh nháģ em ráēĨt nhiáģu? |
| What’s new? | cÃŗ gÃŦ máģi? |
| Nothing much | không cÃŗ gÃŦ nhiáģu |
| Good night! | chÃēc ngáģ§ ngon |
| See you later! | háēšn gáēˇp láēĄi! |
| Good bye! | TáēĄm biáģt! |
| Asking for Help and Directions | |
| I’m lost | Tôi báģ láēĄc |
| Can I help you? | Tôi cÃŗ tháģ giÃēp báēĄn? |
| Can you help me? | BáēĄn cÃŗ tháģ giÃēp tôi ÄÆ°áģŖc không? |
| Where is the (bathroom/ pharmacy)? | nhà váģ sinh áģ ÄÃĸu? hiáģu thuáģc áģ ÄÃĸu? |
| Go straight! then turn left/ right! | Äi tháēŗng! ráēŊ trÃĄi, ráēŊ pháēŖi |
| I’m looking for john. | tôi Äang tÃŦm phÃ˛ng táē¯m |
| One moment please! | Là m ÃÂĄn ÃâÃĄÂģÂŖi mÃĄÂģâĸt lÃÂĄt! |
| Hold on please! (phone) | xin ÄáģŖi máģt chÃēt |
| How much is this? | cÃĄi nà y bao nhiÃĒu? |
| Excuse me …! (to ask for something) | xin láģi |
| Excuse me! ( to pass by) | xin láģi |
| Come with me! | Äi váģi tôi! |
Introduction
| How to Introduce Yourself | |
|---|---|
| Do you speak (English/ Vietnamese)? | báēĄn cÃŗ nÃŗi ÄÆ°áģŖc tiáēŋng Viáģt không? báēĄn cÃŗ nÃŗi tiáēŋng Anh không? |
| Just a little. | cháģ máģt chÃēt |
| What’s your name? | báēĄn tÃĒn là gÃŦ? |
| My name is … | tÃĒn tôi là |
| Mr…/ Mrs./ MissÃĸâŦÂĻ | Ãng/BÃ ?/Em |
| Nice to meet you! | RáēĨt vui ÄÆ°áģŖc gáēˇp báēĄn |
| You’re very kind! | BáēĄn tháēt táģt báģĨng |
| Where are you from? | BáēĄn Äáēŋn táģĢ ÄÃĸu? |
| I’m from (the U.S/ Vietnam) | tôi Äáēŋn táģĢ máģš tôi Äáēŋn táģĢ viáģt nam |
| I’m (American) | tôi là ngÆ°áģi Máģš |
| Where do you live? | ban song o dau? |
| I live in (the U.S/ Vietnam) | Tôi sáģng áģ máģš Tôi sáģng áģ Viáģt Nam |
| Did you like it here? | BáēĄn cÃŗ thÃch nÃŗ áģ ÄÃĸy? |
| Vietnam is a wonderful country | viáģt nam là máģt ÄáēĨt nÆ°áģc tuyáģt váģi |
| What do you do for a living? | BáēĄn là m gÃŦ Äáģ sáģng? |
| I work as a (translator/ businessman) | tôi là m viáģc nhÆ° máģt dáģch giáēŖ |
| I like Vietnamese | tôi thÃch tiáēŋng viáģt |
| I’ve been learning Vietnamese for 1 month | tôi ÄÃŖ háģc tiáēŋng viáģt ÄÆ°áģŖc máģt thÃĄng. |
| Oh! That’s good! | áģ, tháēt táģt! |
| How old are you? | báēĄn bao nhiÃĒu tuáģi? |
| I’m (twenty, thirty…) years old. | tôi hai mÆ°ÆĄi tuáģi tôi ba mÆ°ÆĄi tuáģi |
| I have to go | tôi pháēŖi Äi |
| I will be right back! | Tôi sáēŊ tráģ láēĄi ngay |
| Wish Someone Something | |
| Good luck! | chÃēc may máē¯n! |
| Happy birthday! | chÃēc máģĢng sinh nháēt |
| Happy new year! | chÃēc máģĢng nÄm máģi |
| Merry Christmas! | GiÃĄng sinh vui váēģ |
| Congratulations! | Xin chÃēc máģĢng! |
| Enjoy! (for meals…) | Än ngon miáģng nhÊ |
| I’d like to visit Vietnam one day | Tôi muáģn Äáēŋn thÄm Viáģt Nam và o máģt ngà y nà o ÄÃŗ |
| Say hi to John for me | nÃŗi xin chà o john giÚm tôi |
| Bless you (when sneezing) | Ban phÆ°ÆĄÍc cho anh! |
| Good night and sweet dreams! | chÃēc ngáģ§ ngon và cÃŗ nháģ¯ng giáēĨc mÆĄ ngáģt ngà o |
| Solving a Misunderstanding | |
| I’m Sorry! (if you don’t hear something) | Xin lÃĄÂģâi, nhÃĄÂē¯c lÃĄÂēÂĄi ÃâÃÂ°ÃĄÂģÂŖc không? |
| Sorry (for a mistake) | Xin lÃĄÂģâi! |
| No Problem! | Không cÃŗ váēĨn Äáģ |
| Can You Say It Again? | báēĄn cÃŗ tháģ nÃŗi láēĄi không? |
| Can You Speak Slowly? | ban cÃŗ tháģ nÃŗi cháēm láēĄi không?? |
| Write It Down Please! | xin vui lÃ˛ng ghi láēĄi nÃŗ |
| I Don’t Understand! | tôi không hiáģu |
| I Don’t Know! | tôi không biáēŋt |
| I Have No Idea. | tôi không cÃŗ ÃŊ kiáēŋn |
| What’s That Called In Vietnamese? | tiáēŋng viáģt gáģi là gÃŦ |
| What Is This? | CÃĄi nà y là cÃĄi gÃŦ? |
| My Vietnamese is bad. | tiáēŋng viáģt cáģ§a tôi tháēt táģ. |
| Vietnamese Expressions and Words | |
| Good/ Bad/ So-So. | TÃĄÂģât / xÃĄÂēÂĨu / bÃÂŦnh thÃÂ°ÃĄÂģÂng |
| Big/ Small | LÃĄÂģâēn / nhÃĄÂģÂ |
| Today/ Now | Hôm nay / bÃÂĸy giÃĄÂģ |
| Tomorrow/ Yesterday | Ngà y mai / hôm qua |
| Yes/ No | CÃÂŗ, vÃÂĸng, ÃâÃÂēng vÃĄÂēÂy, ÃĄÂģÂĢ / không |
| Here you go! (when giving something) | CÃĄÂģ§a bÃĄÂēÂĄn ÃâÃÂĸy. |
| Do you like it? | BÃĄÂēÂĄn thÃÂch nÃÂŗ chÃĄÂģŠ? |
| I really like it! | Tôi thÃĄÂēÂt sÃĄÂģÂą thÃÂch nÃÂŗ. |
| I’m hungry/ thirsty. | Tôi ÃâÃÂŗi / khÃÂĄt |
| In The Morning/ Evening/ At Night. | Và o buÃĄÂģâĸi sÃÂĄng / tÃĄÂģâi/ ban ÃâÃÂĒm |
| This/ That. Here/There | CÃÂĄi nà y / cÃÂĄi kia. ÃĄÂģÅž ÃâÃÂĸy / ÃĄÂģŸ ÃâÃÂŗ |
| Me/ You. Him/ Her. | Tôi / bÃĄÂēÂĄn. Anh ÃĄÂēÂĨy / cô ÃĄÂēÂĨy |
| Really! | ThÃĄÂēÂt sao?, VÃĄÂēÂy à ? |
| Look! | NhÃÂŦn kÃÂŦa! |
| Hurry up! | Nhanh lÃÂĒn! |
| What? Where? | GÃÂŦ cÃÂĄ? ÃĄÂģŸ ÃâÃÂĸu? |
| What time is it? | MÃĄÂēÂĨy giÃĄÂģÂ rÃĄÂģâi? |
| It’s 10 o’clock. 07:30pm. | 10 giÃĄÂģÂ. 7 giÃĄÂģÂ 30 phÃÂēt chiÃĄÂģÂu |
| Give me this! | ÃÂða cho tôi cÃÂĄi nà y! |
| I love you! | Tôi yÃÂĒu bÃĄÂēÂĄn! |
| I feel sick. | Tôi cÃĄÂēÂŖm thÃĄÂēÂĨy mÃĄÂģâĄt. |
| I need a doctor | Tôi cÃĄÂē§n ÃâÃĄÂēÂŋn bÃÂĄc sÊ. |
| One, Two, Three | MÃĄÂģâĸt, hai, ba |
| Four, Five, Six | BÃĄÂģân, nÃÆm, sÃÂĄu |
| Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten | |
