Common Japanese words and phrases

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These are common Japanese words and phrases that often appear in anime and manga.

These words and phrases are in Rōmaji which is transliteration of Japanese characters into Roman letters for easier recognition and pronunciation...

Items in orange are just alternate Romaji spelling.

Common words/phrases

Daijōbu (Daijoubu)(?) - (I'm) okay/(are you) okay?
Daisuki - love it/you lots
Dokidoki - heart pounding, exciting
Dōshite? (Doushite?) - why? what's the reason for?
Fuwafuwa - fluffy
Genki (?; 元気) - (I'm) in good health; in good spirits/(are you) healthy? in good spirits? sometimes used interchangeably with heiki
Goshujinsama - lord, master, husband; used to address male customers at a maid cafe
Heiki (?; 平気) - (I'm) calm; psychologically good/(are you) calm and cool? psychologically good? sometimes used interchangeably with genki
Himitsu - a secret
Itai - ouch! (usually "itai!"), it hurts
Imōto (Imouto)/Otōto (Otouto) - younger sister/brother (when talking about them to other people, usually)
Jōdan - I'm joking, just kidding (usually "jōdan jōdan")
Joshi kōsei (Joshi kousei) - high school girl, often abbreviated as "JK" (roman characters)
Kaichō (Kaichou) - president, chairperson
Kakkoī (Kakkoii) - cool!
Kawaī (Kawaii) - adorable, cute, pretty
Kira kira - sparkly, sparkling, pretty
Kirei - beautiful, pretty
Kōhai (Kouhai) - junior; younger colleague
Kowai - scary (sometime shortened to just "kowa")
Korosu - kill
Kuso - shit, crap, fuck (usually "kuso!")

Nīsan (Niisan)/Nēsan (Neesan) - brother/sister (close or same age)
Nani? - what? what's that?
Oishi - delicious
Okāsan (Okaasan) - mother
Onīsan (Oniisan)/Onēsan (Oneesan) - older brother/sister; can also be used for older male/female strangers
Onsen - hot springs
Otōsan (Otousan) - father
Sakura - cherry blossoms
Seifuku - school uniform; technically sailor type school uniform (aka sailor fuku)
Seitokai - student council
Senpai - senior; older colleague
Shiranai - I don't know
Sugoi/Sugei - amazing, awesome, great (most common/boys)
Suki - love, like (usually "suki desu", but meaning depends on context)
Tomodachi - friend
Umi - sea, ocean (often "umi da!" for: Oh the sea!)
Unmei - destiny, fate
Ureshī (Ureshii) - happy, makes me happy
Wakaranai - I don't understand
Wakuwaku - trembling, getting nervous, excited
Yakusoku - a promise
Yōkoso (Youkoso) - welcome
Yuki - snow
Yume - dream

Less common

Bijin - beauty (technically gender neutral, but mostly used with women)
Chichi (父/ちち) - father (informal archaic) when talking to someone about your father; from Chichioya
Gakuen - academy
Gakuran - western school uniform (seifuku is a subset)
Haha (母/はは) - mother (informal archaic) when talking to someone about your mother; from Hahaoya
Ikemen - handsome (usually for good-looking adult men)
Kanchō (Kanchou) - butt poking (very strange)
Naisho - state of secrecy
Shushō (Shuhou) - captain (like of a ship)
Umibe - beach
Yūjin (Yuujin) - friend
Yūki (Yuuki) - courage

Common Japanese words and phrases

See also[]