Learn Japanese by actually talking.

Who you talk to in Japanese

Each one has a life, a way of speaking, and something they'd rather talk about.

• 

  美咲 (Misaki)

  At the café

  Every table at the café is taken except one, across from a woman reading Natsume Soseki. She glances up at you, then back at her book.

  You speak first. Try こんにちは (konnichiwa) — hello.

• 

  グリマー (Grimar)

  At the inn

  Woodsmoke and firelight, barrels stacked behind the bar, mugs hanging from the beams. The dwarf drying a tankard looks you over as you take a stool.

  いらっしゃい！どうぞ、座ってください。何を飲みますか？Welcome! Please, have a seat. What will you drink?

• 

  ハルおばあちゃん (Haru-obaachan)

  At her kitchen table

  An old wooden farmhouse, an orchard heavy with apples, and a kitchen that smells of miso and grilled dough. Your host sets a bowl of warm oyaki in front of you and sits down across the table to watch you eat.

  さあ、食べて食べて！おやき、まだあったかいよ。Come on, eat up, eat up! The oyaki are still warm.

• 

  高橋神父 (Father Takahashi)

  Outside the church

  The bells have just stopped ringing. People drift out of the big wooden doors into the sunny churchyard, and a priest in a black cassock comes down the steps, notices an unfamiliar face, and walks over to you.

  おはようございます！初めていらっしゃいましたか？Good morning! Is this your first time here?

• 

  田中源治 (Tanaka Genji)

  At the market

  Crates of tomatoes and apples, bunches of herbs, and a brass scale at the end of the table. The big man behind the stall has his hands clasped in front of him. He looks at you and waits.

  はい。何にしますか。Yes? What will you have?