Title: MiniCore Japanese-EN / Lesson 1
Tags: MinicoreJapanese-EN lesson-01 sentence dialog-line dialog

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen.
Native: すみません。
English: Excuse me. / Sorry. / Thank you (for the trouble).
Literal: excuse-me / sorry / thanks-for-the-trouble
Notes: sumimasen does three jobs. (1) Excuse me — before approaching a stranger, squeezing past someone, or getting attention. (2) Sorry — for small social friction: blocking an aisle, taking someone's time. (3) Thank you for the trouble — when someone goes out of their way for you. When in doubt, sumimasen is almost never wrong.

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen!
Native: すみません！
English: Excuse me! (calling out to get attention)
Literal: excuse-me!
Notes: Said louder and across a room, it summons staff. This feels rude to English speakers — it isn't. It's the correct way to get service in Japan (more in Lesson 5).

MinicoreJapanese: Ohayou gozaimasu.
Native: おはようございます。
English: Good morning.
Literal: good morning (full polite form)
Notes: ohayou gozaimasu — good morning, until mid-morning.

MinicoreJapanese: Konnichiwa.
Native: こんにちは。
English: Hello. / Good day.
Literal: good day
Notes: konnichiwa — the daytime default, through the afternoon.

MinicoreJapanese: Konbanwa.
Native: こんばんは。
English: Good evening.
Literal: good evening
Notes: konbanwa — after dark. Three greetings cover the whole day, and nobody will mind if your switchover time is off by an hour.

MinicoreJapanese: Sayounara.
Native: さようなら。
English: Goodbye.
Literal: goodbye (a real parting)
Notes: sayounara is a real goodbye — leaving your hosts, parting from someone you spent the day with. Leaving a shop or restaurant, you don't need it: arigatou gozaimasu on the way out does the job.

MinicoreJapanese: Arigatou gozaimasu.
Native: ありがとうございます。
English: Thank you.
Literal: thank you (full polite form)
Notes: arigatou gozaimasu — always the full five-word-feeling chunk, never a clipped "arigatou." The short form is casual register, and this course never gambles on register: the full form is correct with everyone, everywhere.

MinicoreJapanese: Gomennasai.
Native: ごめんなさい。
English: I'm sorry.
Literal: sorry (personal apology)
Notes: gomennasai is the personal apology — you stepped on a foot, knocked something over, made an actual mistake. For mere social friction (interrupting, squeezing past), sumimasen is the better fit.

MinicoreJapanese: Hai.
Native: はい。
English: Yes.
Literal: yes / I'm-listening
Notes: hai is yes — crisp and frequent. (Careful: when a Japanese listener says hai, hai while you are talking, it doesn't mean yes — see "How to behave" below.)

MinicoreJapanese: Iie.
Native: いいえ。
English: No.
Literal: no
Notes: iie is no — said softly, often with a small wave of the hand.

MinicoreJapanese: Daijoubu desu.
Native: 大丈夫です。
English: I'm fine. / It's okay. / No, thank you.
Literal: fine / okay (also the polite decline)
Notes: daijoubu desu is the traveler's Swiss-army answer: I'm fine, it's okay, no harm done — and, crucially, the polite no thank you when offered something you don't want.

MinicoreJapanese: Douzo.
Native: どうぞ。
English: Go ahead. / Here you are.
Literal: go-ahead / here-you-are
Notes: douzo offers and yields: handing something over, holding a door, waving someone ahead.

MinicoreJapanese: Doumo.
Native: どうも。
English: Thanks.
Literal: thanks (light)
Notes: doumo is the light thanks that answers douzo. Together they make the smallest complete exchange in Japanese — someone hands you your change, douzo; you take it, doumo. You'll hear this hand-off a hundred times a day.

MinicoreJapanese: Onegaishimasu.
Native: お願いします。
English: Please. (requesting whatever you're indicating)
Literal: please (request)
Notes: onegaishimasu turns a point into a polite request. Point at a pastry in the case — onegaishimasu. Hand a taxi driver a written address — onegaishimasu. Slide your passport across the hotel desk — onegaishimasu. On its own it means "please take care of this"; later lessons put words in front of it, but bare + pointing already covers an enormous amount of ground.

MinicoreJapanese: Wakarimasen.
Native: わかりません。
English: I don't understand.
Literal: I-don't-understand
Notes: wakarimasen — the honest reset button. Said with a smile, it invites the other person to try another way (slower, simpler, gestures).

MinicoreJapanese: Mou ichido onegaishimasu.
Native: もう一度お願いします。
English: Once more, please.
Literal: one-more-time, please
Notes: The kit is a ladder, and this is rung one. Didn't catch it? Mou ichido onegaishimasu — hear it again.

MinicoreJapanese: Yukkuri onegaishimasu.
Native: ゆっくりお願いします。
English: Slowly, please.
Literal: slowly, please
Notes: Rung two. Still too fast? Yukkuri onegaishimasu — slower this time.

MinicoreJapanese: Kaite kudasai.
Native: 書いてください。
English: Please write it down.
Literal: write-it, please
Notes: Rung three. Still lost — or is it a number, a time, a name? Kaite kudasai — get it in writing. Numbers and times written on a receipt or a palm need no Japanese at all.

MinicoreJapanese: Hai, onegaishimasu.
Native: はい、お願いします。
English: Yes, please.
Literal: yes, please
Notes: The accept half of the pair. A bag? A receipt? Shall I heat it up? Whatever was just offered, this takes it.

MinicoreJapanese: Iie, daijoubu desu.
Native: いいえ、大丈夫です。
English: No, thank you — I'm fine.
Literal: no, I'm-fine
Notes: The decline half — waves the offer off, politely. Between them, this pair answers nearly every yes/no offer in Japan; you'll use it constantly from Lesson 3 onward.

MinicoreJapanese: Hai, douzo.
Native: はい、どうぞ。
English: Yes, go ahead. / Sure, here you are.
Literal: yes, go-ahead
Notes: Hai, douzo grants a request or hands something over.

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Onegaishimasu.
Native: すみません。お願いします。
English: Excuse me — this, please. (pointing)
Literal: excuse-me. please.
Notes: Sumimasen + onegaishimasu — attention, then request — is already a complete transaction when paired with a point.

MinicoreJapanese: Checking out
Notes: Host: Ohayou gozaimasu.
Good morning.
[good morning (full polite form)]
Traveler: Ohayou gozaimasu.
Good morning.
[good morning (full polite form)]
Traveler: Sumimasen. Douzo.
Excuse me — here you are. (handing over the room key)
[excuse-me. here-you-are.]
Host: Doumo.
Thanks. (taking the key)
[thanks (light)]
Host: Hai, douzo.
Here you go. (returning her passport)
[yes, here-you-are]
Traveler: Arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you.
[thank you (full polite form)]
Traveler: Gomennasai!
Oh — I'm sorry! (her suitcase clips his foot)
[sorry (personal apology)]
Host: Daijoubu desu.
It's fine.
[fine / okay]
Traveler: Sayounara.
Goodbye.
[goodbye (a real parting)]
Host: Sayounara.
Goodbye.
[goodbye (a real parting)]

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Douzo.
Native: すみません。どうぞ。
English: Excuse me — here you are. (handing over the room key)
Literal: excuse-me. here-you-are.

MinicoreJapanese: Gomennasai!
Native: ごめんなさい！
English: Oh — I'm sorry! (her suitcase clips his foot)
Literal: sorry (personal apology)

MinicoreJapanese: Too fast at the station
Notes: Attendant: Tsugi no densha wa juu-ji ni-juppun hatsu, ni-ban-sen kara desu.
The next train leaves at 10:20, from platform 2.
[(too fast — that's the point)]
Traveler: Sumimasen. Mou ichido onegaishimasu.
Sorry — once more, please.
[excuse-me. one-more-time, please.]
Attendant: Tsugi no densha wa juu-ji ni-juppun hatsu, ni-ban-sen kara desu.
The next train leaves at 10:20, from platform 2. (same answer, same speed)
[(too fast — that's the point)]
Traveler: Sumimasen. Kaite kudasai.
Sorry — please write it down.
[excuse-me. write-it, please.]

MinicoreJapanese: Tsugi no densha wa juu-ji ni-juppun hatsu, ni-ban-sen kara desu.
Native: 次の電車は十時二十分発、二番線からです。
English: The next train leaves at 10:20, from platform 2.
Literal: (too fast — that's the point)

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Mou ichido onegaishimasu.
Native: すみません。もう一度お願いします。
English: Sorry — once more, please.
Literal: excuse-me. one-more-time, please.

MinicoreJapanese: Sumimasen. Kaite kudasai.
Native: すみません。書いてください。
English: Sorry — please write it down.
Literal: excuse-me. write-it, please.