How to Say ‘I speak a little Japanese.’ in Japanese
にほんごをすこしはなします。
nihon go o sukoshi hanashi masu
[nee-hohn go oh soo-koh-shee hah-nah-shee mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: を (o) marks the thing being acted on, and the action word comes last. Swap the language: えいごをすこしはなします "I speak a little English."
🇯🇵 In Japan: Even a few words of Japanese usually earn the compliment にほんごがじょうずですね "Your Japanese is good!" The modest reply is いえいえ "no, no."
Phrase Breakdown
にほんごを
nihon go o
Japanese (language) [as object]
'にほんご' means the Japanese language; 'を' marks the object and is pronounced 'o'. Say ni-ho-n-go-o.
にほんごをべんきょうします。
I study Japanese.
Words in this phrase
にほん
nihon
[nee-hohn]
Japan
The word for Japan.
にほんがすきです。
I like Japan.
ご
go
[go]
language
A suffix meaning 'language', attached to a country name, as in Japanese or English.
フランスごはむずかしいです。
French is difficult.
を
o
[oh]
object marker
A particle marking the direct object of a verb.
時間をかきます。
I write the time.
すこしはなします。
sukoshi hanashi masu
speak a little
'すこし' (a little) plus 'はなします' (speak). Keep an even rhythm: su-ko-shi ha-na-shi-mas.
ちちはスペインごをすこしはなします。
My father speaks a little Spanish.
Words in this phrase
すこし
sukoshi
[soo-koh-shee]
a little; a bit.
Used to soften statements about symptoms (mild level). Helpful when describing pain intensity or nausea.
おなかがすこし痛いです。
My stomach hurts a little.
はなし
hanashi
[hah-nah-shee]
talk; speak
The stem of はなす, meaning 'to talk' or 'to speak.'
あとでもっとはなしませんか。
Shall we talk more later?
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A polite ending for verbs in present or non-past form.
空いています、だいじょうぶです。
It is available, so it’s okay.
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