Japanese phrases you can use (Phrases I have accumulated over the years.)

[yuiyoshida]

1. 5. Note regarding "369. How is everything? Choushi wa dou?"

Last edited Thu Oct 17, 2019, 03:11 PM - Edit history (1)

It is considered impolite to ask a stranger "Ogenki desuka?"- how is your health. It comes off as too personal a question to a person you don't know. It is more polite to say "Choushi wa dou" to a Japanese stranger. They may even be surprised you used a correct usage of that phrase as they expect foreigners to use "Ogenki desuka" since they are just learning Japanese so you are automatically forgiven if you use " Ogenki desuka" but..its still better to use "Choushi wa dou" in this case.

**Note: regarding 443. No. iie
The exact word for no in Japanese is “いいえ (iie)”, but the Japanese actually use a wide range of expressions to avoid having to use a strong no. For example, they could say chotto that convey the “difficulty” to answer the request. ... Perhaps the best way to interpret no in Japanese is to understand the different levels.

Knowing how to say “No” in Japanese:
https://cotoacademy.com/how-to-say-no-in-japanese/