USEFUL EXPRESSIONS IN JAPANESE

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Some Useful Expressions
In Japanese

Sumimasen

The Japanese language has a versatile word, "Sumimasen." Depending on the contexts, it can mean, "Excuse me," "Thank you." and "I'm sorry." Here are some examples.

1
Sumimasen. Eki wa doko desuka.

Excuse me, but where is the railroad station?

2
A: Kore wa tsumaranai mono desuga, yorosikattara douzo.
B: Sumimasen.

A: I have a little something for you. I hope you like it.
B: Thank you.

(Note that the literal translation of the Japanese sentence (A) above is "This is something worthless, but I would be happy if you accepted it.")

3
A: Mado o wattano wa dare desuka.
B: Sumimasen. Watashi desu.

A: Who broke the window?
B: I am sorry. I did.

So desune

Another versatile Japanese word is "So desune," which can mean almost anything! It can be interpreted as "Let me see, " "You are right." "That's what you think." " Do you think so? (Honestly, I don't agree with you.)" "I have no idea." "What shall I do?" "I sympathize with you." " That's none of your business," just to name a few.

In my opinion, our tacit agreement to avoid offending the others seems to be at work here, too. I often hear it said that people from English-speaking countries tend to feel irritated by our indirect and vague way of responding to their remarks, but we have to keep in mind that our ways of thinking can be very different, especially when we talk with people from other countries.

By the way, I remember reading about a professor from Germany. When he came to Japan, he knew only a couple of Japanese words. When he was invited to dinner by a family, who spoke little German and English, however, he managed to "talk" with them. What did he do? When he thought he was being asked a question, he responded by smiling, nodding and saying "So desune." alternately.

Yoroshiku onegai shimasu

I suppose every language has a number of expressions that defy translation into another language. One of the Japanese phrases that belong to this category would be "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu." Let's look at a few examples first.

1
Watashi wa Romi desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

My name is Romi. Nice to meet you.

2
Getsumatsu madeni ohenji o kudasai. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Please reply by the end of this month. Thank you in advance.

3
Douka musume o yoroshiku ongegai shimasu.

Please look after my daughter.

"Yoroshiku" is a word with a number of meanings. Its etymological cousin, "Yoroshii" is an adjective meaning good, approved, desirable, and convenient. "onegai shimasu" consists of "o" ( a prefix of politeness), "negai" (originally, a noun denoting wish, hope, and the like), "shi", which is an inflectional form of the general verb "suru" (do), and "masu", an auxiliary verb of politeness. Thus, if I were to be forced to translate the phrase "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu." into English, I would say, "I hope you will take care of ( someone / something ) in a way that is convenient for both you and me. (I count on your cooperation.)" Again, the group-oriented mentality of our agrarian society seems to be reflected in this expression.

As we can see in the example #1 above, we almost always say "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu," at the end of self-introduction. In this context, the phrase in question means, "Please accept me as one of your friends / a member of your group. Please be kind to me, and do not exclude me from your group."

The example #2 shows another situation where this phrase is used: when we ask someone else to do something for us. we say, "Please do this for me. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu." Let me try explaining its underlying meaning: "I am sorry to trouble you, but I need your help and cooperation. Thank you in advance for your kindness to go out of your way to help me."

The same explantion can apply in the example #3, too. However, in #3, Yoroshiku onegai shimasu, as a whole, is used as a sort of phrasal verb, accompanying an object musume o (my daughter). So it would be possible to interpret the sentence in the following way. "I would like you to look after my daughter. Please do whatever you can to live up to my daughter's and my own expectations. Of course, I know it's impossible for you to meet our every expectation, and that I should not expect you to do so. However, I would appreciate it if you are willing to take the trouble to help my daughter to the best of your ability. "

To go back to the point, since I am a Christian, I often find the expression "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu" very effective when I pray in my native language. "Kami sama, watashi no koto o yoroshiku onegai shimasu." This is because this single phrase can convey various meanings at the same time. "Dear God, please accept me as a member of your family. Please look after me. (I am sure you will provide me with everything I need. Nothing is impossible for you.) I depend on you. Thank you for your help in advance."

If you want to learn some basic greetings in Japanese, click here.

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03/06/25

Soli Deo Gloria

1	Sumimasen. Eki wa doko desuka.
	Excuse me, but where is the railroad station?

2	A: Kore wa tsumaranai mono desuga, yorosikattara douzo. B: Sumimasen.
	A: I have a little something for you. I hope you like it. B: Thank you. (Note that the literal translation of the Japanese sentence (A) above is "This is something worthless, but I would be happy if you accepted it.")

3	A: Mado o wattano wa dare desuka. B: Sumimasen. Watashi desu.
	A: Who broke the window? B: I am sorry. I did.

1	Watashi wa Romi desu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
	My name is Romi. Nice to meet you.

2	Getsumatsu madeni ohenji o kudasai. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
	Please reply by the end of this month. Thank you in advance.

3	Douka musume o yoroshiku ongegai shimasu.
	Please look after my daughter.