As with every language, we need to know how to converse. Let's start with some phrases that we will use to start a conversation. Before 10 am, if we are starting a conversation, we use the phrase:
おはよう (ohayou) Good morning
In more polite situations, we would use the polite version:
おはよう ございます (ohayou gozaimasu).
The rule of thumb is once 10 am has passed, we use the greeting:
こんにちは (konnichiwa) Good afternoon/hello
At nighttime, the greeting becomes:
こんばんは (konbanwa) Good evening
Now, if this is the first person we have met, we will need to introduce ourselves. In Japanese, two phrases are always used:
はじめまして (hajimemashite) How do you do?
どうぞ よろしく (douzo yoroshiku) Nice to meet you
In between these two phrases, we can tell the other person our name. The easiest is to use the ~です form. Remember, in Japanese, the family name goes first. For example, if a woman named Sachiko Takaguchi was to introduce herself to us, she would say:
はきめまして。たかぐち ・さちこ です。どうぞ よろしく。
(hajimemashite. Takaguchi Sachiko desu. douzo yoroshiku)
After we have had our conversation, we need to know how to end it. To say goodbye in Japanese, we say:
さようなら (sayonara)
If we are saying good night, we say:
おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai)
Certain conversational phrases are used when at home. When we are leaving home, we announced to whomever is still in the house that:
いってきます (ittekimasu) I'll go and come back
Whoever is home would say:
いってらっしゃい (itterasshai) Please go and come back
When we return home, we would say:
ただいま (tadaima) I'm home
The response to this phrase is:
おかえりなさい (okaerinasai) Welcome home
There are also special phrases we use when eating in Japanese. While not part of the overall conversation, it is important to say them before and after the meal, for the sake of politeness. Before a meal, we say the phrase:
いただきます (itadakimasu) Thank you for the meal
After the meal, we say:
ごちそうさま (gochisousama) Thank you for the meal
While both of these phrases translate the same in English, the unsaid translation is where in the meal they are said.