📖 Frequently Asked Questions
❓ What are the most important Japanese phrases to know in an emergency?
The critical phrases are: 「助けてください！」(Tasukete kudasai!) = Help me!, 「救急車を呼んでください」(Kyuukyuusha
wo yonde kudasai) = Please call an ambulance, and 「警察を呼んでください」(Keisatsu wo yonde kudasai) = Please call the
police. Emergency numbers in Japan: Police = 110, Ambulance/Fire = 119. These numbers work from any phone,
including foreign SIM cards.
❓ How do you explain symptoms at a Japanese hospital if you're sick?
Start with 「具合が悪いです」(Guai ga warui desu) = I'm not feeling well. Then specify: 「頭が痛いです」(Atama
ga itai desu) = I have a headache, 「お腹が痛いです」(Onaka ga itai desu) = I have stomach pain, 「熱があります」(Netsu ga
arimasu) = I have a fever, or 「吐き気がします」(Hakike ga shimasu) = I feel nauseous. Major hospitals in Tokyo and
Osaka have English-language support available.
❓ What should I do and say if I lose something in Japan?
Report to the nearest Kouban (交番 = police box) or station lost-and-found. Say
「財布をなくしました」(Saifu wo nakushimashita) = I lost my wallet, or 「スマホを電車に忘れました」(Sumaho wo densha ni wasuremashita)
= I left my phone on the train. Japan has an exceptionally high rate of returned lost items—wallets, phones,
and bags are frequently recovered through the lost and found system.