Japanese study guide
Japanese Vocabulary for Travel: Words You Will Actually Use
Japanese vocabulary for travel — airport, trains, hotels and shopping words — organized by where you will need them, not alphabetically.
You don't need fluency to travel well in Japan — you need a specific, fairly small set of words that show up at the airport, on trains, and in shops. Here's that set, grouped by where you'll actually need it.
Airport and transportation
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 空港 | くうこう | airport |
| 飛行機 | ひこうき | airplane |
| 電車 | でんしゃ | train |
| 新幹線 | しんかんせん | bullet train |
| 切符 | きっぷ | ticket |
| 駅 | えき | station |
| 乗り換え | のりかえ | transfer |
| 改札 | かいさつ | ticket gate |
| タクシー | タクシー | taxi |
| バス | バス | bus |
Hotels and directions
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ホテル | ホテル | hotel |
| 予約 | よやく | reservation |
| 部屋 | へや | room |
| 鍵 | かぎ | key |
| 道 | みち | road, way |
| 地図 | ちず | map |
| 右 | みぎ | right |
| 左 | ひだり | left |
| まっすぐ | まっすぐ | straight ahead |
| 近く | ちかく | nearby |
Shopping and money
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 店 | みせ | shop |
| 値段 | ねだん | price |
| いくら | いくら | how much (cost) |
| 高い | たかい | expensive |
| 安い | やすい | cheap |
| 現金 | げんきん | cash |
| カード | カード | card |
| おつり | おつり | change (money) |
| 両替 | りょうがえ | currency exchange |
| 免税 | めんぜい | tax-free |
Food and ordering
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| メニュー | メニュー | menu |
| 注文 | ちゅうもん | order |
| おすすめ | おすすめ | recommendation |
| 辛い | からい | spicy |
| 甘い | あまい | sweet |
| 美味しい | おいしい | delicious |
| お会計 | おかいけい | the bill |
| 持ち帰り | もちかえり | takeout |
Phrases these words plug into
A word list gets you halfway; a few set phrases built from these words do the rest. これはいくらですか (how much is this?), 駅はどこですか (where is the station?), and おすすめは何ですか (what do you recommend?) all reuse the vocabulary above and will carry you through most travel situations. For a broader phrasebook — greetings, apologies, and the register traps that make textbook Japanese sound off — see Japanese greetings and basic phrases.
Beyond the trip
Travel vocabulary gets you through a trip; it doesn't generalize the way core vocabulary does, since most of these words are specific to one setting. If you're building toward actually understanding Japanese rather than just surviving a vacation, frequency-ordered core vocabulary is the better long-term investment — these words are a useful head start, not a substitute.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know Japanese to travel in Japan? No — major stations, airports, and many restaurants have English signage, and translation apps cover a lot of gaps. A working set of travel vocabulary and a few set phrases still makes the trip smoother and lets you handle situations an app can't, like a quick back-and-forth with a shopkeeper.
What are the most useful Japanese words for tourists? Directions and transit words (駅, 切符, 乗り換え), a few money words (いくら, 現金), and set phrases like これはいくらですか (how much is this?) and 駅はどこですか (where is the station?) cover the majority of tourist situations.