Tuesday, January 7, 2020
Talking on the Phone in Japanese
Even when you start to understand a language better, it is still difficult to use when talking on the phone. You cant use gestures, which can be helpful at times. Also, you cant see the other persons facial expressions or reactions to what you are saying. All of your efforts must be spent listening very carefully to what the other person is saying. Talking on the phone in Japanese might actually be harder than in other languages; since there are some formal phrases used specifically for phone conversations. The Japanese normally talk very politely on the phone unless speaking casually with a friend. Lets learn some common expressions used on the phone. Dont be intimidated by phone calls. Practice makes perfect! Phone Calls in Japan Most public phones (koushuu denwa) take coins (at least a 10 yen coin) and telephone cards. Only specially designated pay phones allow international calls (kokusai denwa). All calls are charged by the minute. Telephone cards can be purchased in almost all convenience stores, kiosks at train stations and vending machines. The cards are sold in 500 yen and 1000 yen units. Telephone cards can be customized. Occasionally companies even them as marketing tools. Some cards are very valuable and cost a fortune. Many people collect telephone cards in the same way postage stamps are collected. Telephone Number A telephone number consists of three parts. For example: (03) 2815-1311. The first part is the area code (03 is Tokyos), and the second and last part are the users number. Each number is usually read separately and the parts are linked with the particle, no. To reduce confusion in telephone numbers, 0 is often pronounced as zero, 4 as yon, 7 as nana and 9 as kyuu. This is because 0, 4, 7 and 9 each have two different pronunciations.The number for directory enquiries (bangou annai) is 104. The most essential telephone phrase is, moshi moshi. It is used when you receive a call and pick up the phone. It is also used when one cant hear the other person well, or to confirm if the other person is still on the line. Although some people say, moshi moshi to answer the phone, hai is used more often in business. If the other person speaks too fast, or you couldnt catch what he/she said, say, Yukkuri onegaishimasu (Please speak slowly) or Mou ichido onegaishimasu (Please say it again). Onegaishimasu is a useful phrase to use when making a request. At the Office Business phone conversations are extremely polite. Yamada-san (o) onegaishimasu. Ã¥ ± ±Ã§â€ °Ã£ •ã‚“ã‚’ã Šé ¡ËœÃ£ „ã â€"㠾ã â„¢Could I speak to Mr. Yamada?Moushiwake arimasen ga, tadaima gaishutsu shiteorimasu. 熳ã â€"è ¨ ³Ã£ ‚り㠾㠛んã Å'ã Ÿã 㠄㠾å ¤â€"å‡ ºÃ£ â€"㠦㠊り㠾ã â„¢Im sorry, but hes not here at the moment.Shou shou omachi kudasai. Ã¥ °â€˜Ã£â‚¬â€¦Ã£ Šå ¾â€¦Ã£ ¡Ã£ ã ã •ã „Just a moment, please.Shitsurei desu ga, dochira sama desu ka. Ã¥ ¤ ±Ã§ ¤ ¼Ã£ §Ã£ ™ã Å'㠩㠡ら㠕㠾㠧㠙㠋Whos calling, please?Nanji goro omodori desu ka. ä ½â€¢Ã¦â„¢â€šÃ£ â€Ã£â€š ã Šæˆ »Ã£â€šÅ 㠧㠙㠋Do you know what time he/she will be back?Chotto wakarimasen. 㠡ょ㠣㠨分㠋り㠾㠛んIm not sure.Mousugu modoru to omoimasu. も㠆㠙ã æˆ »Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£ ¨Ã¦â‚¬ 㠄㠾ã â„¢He/she should be back soon.Yuug ata made modorimasen. Ã¥ ¤â€¢Ã¦â€" ¹Ã£ ¾Ã£ §Ã¦Ë† »Ã£â€šÅ 㠾㠛んHe/she wont be back till this evening.Nanika otsutae shimashou ka. ä ½â€¢Ã£ ‹ã Šä ¼ ã ˆã â€"㠾ã â€"ょ㠆㠋Can I take a message?Onegaishimasu. ã Šé ¡ËœÃ£ „ã â€"㠾ã â„¢Yes, please.Iie, kekkou desu. ã „ã „ã ˆç µ æ §â€¹Ã£ §Ã£ â„¢No, its O.K.O-denwa kudasai to otsutae negaemasu ka. ã Šé› »Ã¨ © ±Ã£ ã 㠕㠄㠨ã Šä ¼ ã ˆé ¡ËœÃ£ ˆã ¾Ã£ ™ã ‹Could you please ask him/her to call me?Mata denwa shimasu to otsutae kudasai. 㠾ã Ÿé› »Ã¨ © ±Ã£ â€"㠾㠙㠨ã Šä ¼ ã ˆã ã ã •ã „Could you please tell him/her Ill call back later? To Somebodys Home Tanaka-san no otaku desu ka. 熰ä ¸ 㠕ん㠮ã Šå ®â€¦Ã£ §Ã£ ™ã ‹Is that Mrs. Tanakas residence?Hai, sou desu. 㠯ã „ã 㠆㠧ã â„¢Yes, it is.Ono desu ga, Yuki-san (wa) irasshaimasu ka. Ã¥ ° 野㠧ã ™ã Å'ゆã 㠕ん㠯ã „ら㠣ã â€"ã‚Æ'㠄㠾㠙㠋This is Ono. Is Yuki there?Yabun osokuni sumimasen. Ã¥ ¤Å"分é …ã 㠫㠙㠿㠾㠛んIm sorry for calling so late.Dengon o onegaishimasu. ä ¼ è ¨â‚¬Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£ Šé ¡ËœÃ£ „ã â€"㠾ã â„¢Can I leave a message?Mata atode denwa shimasu. 㠾ã Ÿå ¾Å'㠧é› »Ã¨ © ±Ã£ â€"㠾ã â„¢Ill call back later. How to Deal With a Misdial Iie chigaimasu. ã „ã „ã ˆé •ã „ã ¾Ã£ â„¢No, you have called the wrong number.Sumimasen. Machigaemashita. 㠙㠿㠾㠛ん éâ€"“é •ã ˆã ¾Ã£ â€"ã ŸIm sorry. I have misdialed.
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