The 100 most common Japanese words

Japanese conversation leans on a small core of particles, verbs, and everyday nouns, and this list collects the hundred you will meet first and most often. Each word comes with a natural polite-style example sentence, because in Japanese the grammar around a word matters as much as the word itself.

How to use this list

Do not work through this list top to bottom. Read down it and mark only the words you could not have produced yourself. Those are your list. The rest are already yours, and reviewing them is wasted effort better spent on words you actually meet in reading, conversation, or subtitles.

The 100 words

#	Japanese	English	In use
1	の	of, 's (possessive particle)	これは私の本です。This is my book.
2	は	as for (topic particle)	私は学生です。I am a student.
3	に	to, at, in (particle)	毎日七時に起きます。I get up at seven every day.
4	が	subject marker (particle)	雨が降っています。It is raining.
5	を	object marker (particle)	昨日、映画を見ました。I watched a movie yesterday.
6	と	and, with (particle)	母と買い物に行きました。I went shopping with my mother.
7	で	at, by, with (particle)	電車で会社に行きます。I go to the office by train.
8	だ / です	to be (copula)	今日はいい天気です。The weather is nice today.
9	も	also, too (particle)	私も行きたいです。I want to go too.
10	する	to do	毎日、日本語の勉強をします。I study Japanese every day.
11	か	question marker (particle)	これはあなたの傘ですか。Is this your umbrella?
12	ある	to exist, there is (things)	机の上に本があります。There is a book on the desk.
13	いる	to exist, there is (people, animals)	庭に猫がいます。There is a cat in the garden.
14	ない	not, there is not	今日は時間がないので、明日行きます。I do not have time today, so I will go tomorrow.
15	何	what	これは何ですか。What is this?
16	私	I, me	私は東京に住んでいます。I live in Tokyo.
17	これ	this	すみません、これをください。Excuse me, I will take this one.
18	それ	that	それはいい考えですね。That is a good idea.
19	この	this (before a noun)	このケーキはおいしいですね。This cake is delicious.
20	その	that (before a noun)	その店は駅の近くにあります。That shop is near the station.
21	から	from, because (particle)	家から駅まで歩きます。I walk from my house to the station.
22	なる	to become	来年、二十歳になります。I will turn twenty next year.
23	言う	to say	彼は「ありがとう」と言いました。He said, "Thank you."
24	思う	to think	明日は雨だと思います。I think it will rain tomorrow.
25	行く	to go	週末に海へ行きます。I am going to the beach this weekend.
26	見る	to see, to watch	毎晩テレビを見ます。I watch TV every night.
27	来る	to come	今日、友達がうちに来ます。A friend is coming to my house today.
28	分かる	to understand	この言葉の意味が分かりますか。Do you understand the meaning of this word?
29	こと	thing, matter (intangible)	日本のことをもっと知りたいです。I want to know more about Japan.
30	もの	thing (tangible)	甘いものが好きですか。Do you like sweet things?
31	時	time, when	子どもの時、大阪に住んでいました。When I was a child, I lived in Osaka.
32	人	person	あの人は誰ですか。Who is that person?
33	今	now	今、何時ですか。What time is it now?
34	いい	good, nice	その靴、いいですね。Those shoes are nice.
35	できる	can, to be able to	彼は料理ができます。He can cook.
36	知る	to know	その話は知りませんでした。I did not know about that.
37	まで	until, as far as (particle)	銀行は三時までです。The bank is open until three.
38	でも	but	疲れました。でも、楽しかったです。I am tired. But it was fun.
39	もう	already	もう昼ご飯を食べましたか。Have you already eaten lunch?
40	まだ	still, not yet	宿題はまだ終わっていません。I have not finished my homework yet.
41	また	again	また明日会いましょう。See you again tomorrow.
42	とても	very	この映画はとても面白いです。This movie is very interesting.
43	よく	often, well	週末はよく公園に行きます。I often go to the park on weekends.
44	どこ	where	トイレはどこですか。Where is the bathroom?
45	誰	who	誰が来ますか。Who is coming?
46	いつ	when	誕生日はいつですか。When is your birthday?
47	どう	how	新しい仕事はどうですか。How is your new job?
48	あなた	you	あなたの名前は何ですか。What is your name?
49	彼	he, him	彼は医者です。He is a doctor.
50	彼女	she, her	彼女は英語が上手です。She is good at English.
51	ここ	here	ここに座ってもいいですか。May I sit here?
52	そこ	there	そこに置いてください。Please put it there.
53	あの	that over there (before noun)	あの建物は図書館です。That building is the library.
54	あれ	that over there	あれは富士山ですか。Is that Mount Fuji?
55	食べる	to eat	朝ご飯にパンを食べます。I eat bread for breakfast.
56	飲む	to drink	毎朝コーヒーを飲みます。I drink coffee every morning.
57	聞く	to listen, to ask	電車で音楽を聞きます。I listen to music on the train.
58	話す	to speak, to talk	日本語を少し話します。I speak a little Japanese.
59	読む	to read	寝る前に本を読みます。I read a book before going to bed.
60	書く	to write	友達に手紙を書きました。I wrote a letter to my friend.
61	買う	to buy	スーパーで牛乳を買いました。I bought milk at the supermarket.
62	使う	to use	仕事でパソコンを使います。I use a computer for work.
63	作る	to make	晩ご飯にカレーを作りました。I made curry for dinner.
64	出る	to leave, to go out	毎朝八時に家を出ます。I leave the house at eight every morning.
65	入る	to enter, to go in	どうぞ、中に入ってください。Please come in.
66	会う	to meet	駅の前で友達に会いました。I met a friend in front of the station.
67	待つ	to wait	ここで少し待ってください。Please wait here for a moment.
68	帰る	to return home	今日は早く家に帰ります。I am going home early today.
69	住む	to live, to reside	姉は京都に住んでいます。My older sister lives in Kyoto.
70	好き	to like (na-adjective)	私は犬が好きです。I like dogs.
71	大きい	big, large	この町には大きい公園があります。There is a big park in this town.
72	小さい	small	もっと小さいサイズはありますか。Do you have a smaller size?
73	新しい	new	新しい携帯電話を買いました。I bought a new cell phone.
74	高い	expensive, tall, high	このレストランは少し高いです。This restaurant is a little expensive.
75	安い	cheap	この店は安くておいしいです。This place is cheap and tasty.
76	多い	many, a lot of	この駅は人が多いです。There are a lot of people at this station.
77	早い	early, fast	明日は朝が早いので、もう寝ます。I have an early morning tomorrow, so I am going to bed.
78	おいしい	delicious, tasty	このラーメンはとてもおいしいです。This ramen is really good.
79	楽しい	fun, enjoyable	旅行はとても楽しかったです。The trip was a lot of fun.
80	忙しい	busy	今週は仕事が忙しいです。I am busy with work this week.
81	少し	a little	もう少しゆっくり話してください。Please speak a little more slowly.
82	たくさん	a lot, many	京都で写真をたくさん撮りました。I took a lot of pictures in Kyoto.
83	ちょっと	a bit, a moment	ちょっと待ってください。Please wait a moment.
84	いつも	always	いつもこの店でパンを買います。I always buy bread at this shop.
85	今日	today	今日は少し寒いです。It is a little cold today.
86	明日	tomorrow	明日、友達と映画を見に行きます。I am going to see a movie with a friend tomorrow.
87	昨日	yesterday	昨日は一日中家にいました。I was at home all day yesterday.
88	朝	morning	朝はいつも六時に起きます。I always get up at six in the morning.
89	夜	night, evening	夜は家族とご飯を食べます。In the evening I eat dinner with my family.
90	時間	time, hour	今日は時間がたくさんあります。I have a lot of time today.
91	日	day	暑い日はプールに行きます。On hot days I go to the pool.
92	年	year	新しい年が始まりました。The new year has begun.
93	家	house, home	週末は家でゆっくりします。On weekends I relax at home.
94	仕事	work, job	仕事は九時に始まります。Work starts at nine.
95	学校	school	学校まで自転車で行きます。I go to school by bicycle.
96	友達	friend	友達とカフェでコーヒーを飲みました。I drank coffee with a friend at a cafe.
97	お金	money	銀行でお金を下ろしました。I withdrew money at the bank.
98	水	water	すみません、お水をください。Excuse me, some water, please.
99	電車	train	電車が駅に着きました。The train arrived at the station.
100	駅	station	駅の前にコンビニがあります。There is a convenience store in front of the station.

The ones English speakers get wrong

は vs. が

Both attach to the noun at the front of a sentence, but they do different jobs. は sets the topic, the background the sentence is about: 私は学生です presents you and then comments on you. が points at the subject as new or important information: 誰が来ますか asks which person, so the answer needs が. A useful first rule: use は for what is already known, and が for the one thing you are singling out.

いる vs. ある

Japanese splits 'there is' into two verbs. いる is for people and animals: 庭に猫がいます, there is a cat in the garden. ある is for objects, places, and abstract things: 机の上に本があります, there is a book on the desk. Using ある for a person sounds like you are describing furniture, so this pair is worth drilling until the choice is automatic.

分かる vs. 知る

Both translate as 'to know', but they divide the territory. 知る is having or acquiring information: その話は知りませんでした means the news never reached me. 分かる is comprehension, something making sense to you: 意味が分かります means the meaning is clear. Note that 分かる takes が rather than を, so it is 日本語が分かります, not 日本語を分かります.

あなた: the pronoun trap

Textbooks translate あなた as 'you', but Japanese speakers rarely say it, and overusing it can sound distant or even rude. In real conversation the subject is simply dropped when it is obvious, or the listener's name plus さん is used instead. So treat あなた as a word you will recognize constantly in lessons and songs, but one you should produce far less often than English 'you' suggests.

What to do next

A list this size is about two weeks of light daily review, and it is the difference between decoding Japanese and following it.