Question
I’m traveling around Japan and don’t speak much Japanese. How do I ask someone “Do you speak English?” in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
英語（えいご）を話（はな）せますか。
Eego o hanasemasu ka?
Do you speak English?
This phrase is simple and useful when you need to find someone who can communicate in English. “Eego” means “English,” “hanasemasu” is the potential form of the verb “to speak” (hanasu), and “ka” is a particle used to form questions. You can replace “eego” with other languages by saying “French” (furansugo) or “Chinese” (chuugokugo) to ask about those languages.
If you find yourself in need of English assistance, approach someone and use this phrase. Remember to smile—it always helps!
