Q&A

Question: I have been working at a Japanese company for two years but we have never had a company dinner before due to the pandemic. Now that the rules have relaxed somewhat, my manager is suggesting we hold a company dinner again next week. I hear that Japanese people drink a lot of alcohol during company dinners but I don’t drink. I’m also not sure what Japanese people say when they are giving a toast. How do they say “Cheers!” in Japanese?

Question: My department is organizing a company dinner. It’s the first time we are having a company dinner since the pandemic and I’m actually quite excited about it. I’ve never been to a Japanese company dinner before and I’m looking forward to it. When my colleague asked me whether I’m going, I wanted to tell him in Japanese “Of course, I’m going”. But I realized I don’t know how to say “Of course” in Japanese. How do I say “Of course!” in Japanese?

Question: My team members and I have been working on a project where we each have our own tasks to complete. Most of my team members are Japanese. When I’m done with my task, how do I tell them that “I’m done” with my tasks?

Question: My Japanese partner and I were having a big argument the other day. I was tired and frustrated with the whole thing and I wanted to stop arguing. But he would not leave me alone and continued to keep on and on about the same thing. How do I tell him to just go away in Japanese?

Question: My Japanese colleagues and I are at a work-related dinner and we are done for the day. As we are getting ready to leave the venue, what would be the best way to say “Have a good night” in Japanese?

Question: I teach English to Japanese children. My students are very bright and eager but there’s one child who gets nervous when she is asked to speak up in class. She can actually speak quite well in English but she often clams up in class. I want to tell her that she’s actually doing a good job but I don’t know any Japanese. How do I say that she has done a “good job” in Japanese?

Question: I joined a Japanese company a few months back but have only recently gone back to the office with the easing of the regulations. There are many colleagues that I have not met in person. My boss wanted everyone to do a short self-introduction at the start of the weekly meeting. I thought it would be good to do a self-introduction in Japanese but I don’t know any Japanese. How do I say “How do you do” in Japanese?

Question: I noticed that my Japanese colleague was not her usual cheerful self during our lunch break. She looked a bit tired and something seemed to be bothering her. I wanted to ask her what was wrong but I didn’t know how to say this in Japanese. How should I go about doing this?

Question: I’m a 25-year-old Australian on a working holiday in Japan. I got a job at a kids gym for Japanese children. I teach in English but sometimes I get children who don’t understand English at all. When they see a foreign instructor, they sometimes get nervous and cry and suddenly cannot do the things that they could previously do before. How do I say “You can do it!” in Japanese?

How to say "love” in Japanese?