How to Say ‘I speak a little Japanese’ in Japanese
日本語が少し話せます
nihon go ga sukoshi hanase masu
[nee-hon goh ga suko-shi hah-nah-seh mahs]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Expect to be praised with 日本語が上手ですね "your Japanese is good" after even a few words. A modest いえいえ "no, no" is the natural reply.
Phrase Breakdown
日本語が
nihon go ga
Japanese (language) + subject marker
'Nihongo' means the Japanese language, and 'ga' marks what you can do. Say ni-hon-go ga.
日本語が好きです。
I like Japanese.
Words in this phrase
日本
nihon
[nee-hon]
Japan
The country Japan; often used in museum exhibit names.
日本の歴史を見ます。
I will see the history of Japan.
語
go
[goh]
language
Suffix meaning language, attached to country names.
英語を話します。
I speak English.
が
ga
[ga]
subject marker
A particle marking the subject of the sentence.
興味がある分野を教えてください。
Please tell me the field you are interested in.
少し話せます
sukoshi hanase masu
can speak a little
'Sukoshi' means a little, and 'hanasemasu' means can speak. Say su-ko-shi ha-na-se-mas.
中国語も少し話せます。
I can speak a little Chinese too.
Words in this phrase
少し
sukoshi
[suko-shi]
a little
Refers to a small degree or amount.
少し休みましょう。
Let's rest a little.
話せ
hanase
[hah-nah-seh]
can speak
From 話せる, meaning to be able to speak. Very useful for language questions.
英語を話せますか、通訳はいますか。
Can you speak English? Is there an interpreter?
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
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