Japanese Lesson 03 – Clarification Phrases · N5

📋 Expression Reference

Survival phrases for when you don't understand — from formal to casual. Press ▶ to hear any expression.

FORMAL — 丁寧語 (teineigo)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context / Use
もう一度おっしゃっていただけますか？	Mou ichido osshatte itadakemasu ka?	はい、もちろんです。Hai, mochiron desu.	Could you say that one more time? — most formal; おっしゃる is the honorific form of 言う
ゆっくりはなしていただけますか？	Yukkuri hanashite itadakemasu ka?	はい、わかりました。Hai, wakarimashita.	Could you speak more slowly? — use with teachers, officials, or anyone you need to be polite with
すみません、よくわかりませんでした。	Sumimasen, yoku wakarimasen deshita.	そうですか。もう一度言いますね。Sou desu ka. Mou ichido iimasu ne.	I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand — polite acknowledgement; よく (well/fully) softens the admission
にほんごがあまりじょうずではありません。	Nihongo ga amari jouzu dewa arimasen.	いいえ、おじょうずですよ。Iie, ojouzu desu yo.	My Japanese isn't very good — formal phrasing; sets expectations and invites patience

STANDARD — です・ます (desu/masu)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context / Use
もう一度いってください。	Mou ichido itte kudasai.	もう一度いってください。Mou ichido itte kudasai.	Please say it one more time — the everyday standard form most learners reach for first
ゆっくりはなしてください。	Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.	ゆっくりはなしてください。Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.	Please speak slowly — simple and clear; pair with ゆっくり when you need processing time
わかりません。	Wakarimasen.	そうですか、せつめいしますね。Sou desu ka, setsumei shimasu ne.	I don't understand — the single most useful N5 survival word; always honest and clear
にほんごがじょうずじゃないです。	Nihongo ga jouzu ja nai desu.	だいじょうぶですよ！Daijoubu desu yo!	My Japanese isn't good — standard version; sets expectations early in a conversation
「～」はえいごでなんですか？	[word] wa eigo de nan desu ka?	「～」はえいごで「～」です。[word] wa eigo de [word] desu.	What is [word] in English? — ask the meaning of a word you just heard

CASUAL — ため口 (tameguchi)

Expression	Romaji	Typical Response	Context / Use
もう一度、いって？	Mou ichido, itte?	もう一度、いって？Mou ichido, itte?	Say that again? — drop ください and raise intonation; friendly and fast
ゆっくりしゃべって。	Yukkuri shabette.	ゆっくりしゃべって。Yukkuri shabette.	Speak slowly — しゃべる (to chat/speak) is more casual than はなす; te-form alone = casual request
わからない。	Wakaranai.	あ、そっか。せつめいするね。A, sokka. Setsumei suru ne.	I don't get it — plain form negative; honest and natural among friends
どういういみ？	Dou iu imi?	つまり、～ということだよ。Tsumari, ~ to iu koto da yo.	What does that mean? — どういう (how-kind-of) + いみ (meaning); very natural in casual speech

🗣 Mini Dialogues

Three short scenes showing clarification at different formality levels. Press ▶ to hear each line.

A — FORMAL · Japanese Language Class

せんせい

では、このぶんしょうをよんでください。

Dewa, kono bunshou wo yonde kudasai.

Now, please read this text.

エマ

すみません、もう一度おっしゃっていただけますか？

Sumimasen, mou ichido osshatte itadakemasu ka?

Excuse me, could you say that one more time, please?

すみません、もう一度 [VERB-て] いただけますか？

Sumimasen, mou ichido [verb-て] itadakemasu ka?

Excuse me, once more [doing ~] could I receive?

→ Swap [VERB-て]: おっしゃって (say, honorific) / いって (say) / はなして (speak) / かいて (write).

せんせい

はい、もちろん。ゆっくりはなします。

Hai, mochiron. Yukkuri hanashimasu.

Of course. I'll speak slowly.

B — STANDARD · Conversation with a Neighbour

やまだ

あのう、ごみのひはもくようびですよ。

Anou, gomi no hi wa mokuyoubi desu yo.

Um, rubbish day is Thursday, you know.

アレックス

すみません、わかりません。にほんごがじょうずじゃないです。

Sumimasen, wakarimasen. Nihongo ga jouzu ja nai desu.

Sorry, I don't understand. My Japanese isn't good.

やまだ

あ、そうですか。ゆっくりはなしますね。もくようびはゴミのひです。

A, sou desu ka. Yukkuri hanashimasu ne. Mokuyoubi wa gomi no hi desu.

Oh, I see. I'll speak slowly. Thursday is rubbish day.

ゆっくりはなします。

Yukkuri hanashimasu.

Slowly I will speak.

→ When you say わかりません, native speakers often respond with ゆっくりはなしますね — "I'll speak slowly." Useful to recognise.

C — CASUAL · Texting with a Friend

ゆき

ねえ、きのうのことだけど、あれってどうなったの？

Nee, kinou no koto dakedo, are tte dou natta no?

Hey, about yesterday — what happened with that?

ケン

ん？　ごめん、わからない。もう一度いって？

N? Gomen, wakaranai. Mou ichido itte?

Hm? Sorry, I don't get it. Say that again?

ゆき

あ、「あれ」って、パーティーのことだよ。どういういみかわかる？

A, "are" tte, paatii no koto da yo. Dou iu imi ka wakaru?

Oh, "that" means the party thing. Do you get what I mean?

📋 Key Patterns & Cheatsheet ▼

1 · Ask someone to repeat

FORMAL

もう一度おっしゃっていただけますか？

Mou ichido osshatte itadakemasu ka?

→ "Could you say that one more time?" — おっしゃる is the honorific form of 言う; very respectful.

STANDARD

もう一度いってください。

Mou ichido itte kudasai.

→ "Please say it one more time." — the safest everyday form; works in almost any situation.

CASUAL

もう一度、いって？

Mou ichido, itte?

→ "Say that again?" — te-form + rising intonation = casual request. Drop ください entirely.

2 · Ask someone to slow down

FORMAL

ゆっくりはなしていただけますか？

Yukkuri hanashite itadakemasu ka?

→ "Could you speak more slowly?" — most deferential; use with teachers, seniors, strangers.

STANDARD

ゆっくりはなしてください。

Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

→ "Please speak slowly." — polite and direct; reliable in any standard interaction.

CASUAL

ゆっくりしゃべって。

Yukkuri shabette.

→ "Speak slowly." — しゃべる (chat/talk) is more casual than はなす; te-form alone = casual imperative.

3 · Say you don't understand

FORMAL

すみません、よくわかりませんでした。

Sumimasen, yoku wakarimasen deshita.

→ "I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand." — past tense; よく (fully/well) softens the admission.

STANDARD

わかりません。

Wakarimasen.

→ "I don't understand." — present tense; simple, honest, and clear. Your most important N5 phrase.

CASUAL

わからない。

Wakaranai.

→ "I don't get it." — plain form (dictionary-style) negative; natural with friends and peers.

4 · Say your Japanese isn't good

FORMAL

にほんごがあまりじょうずではありません。

Nihongo ga amari jouzu dewa arimasen.

→ "My Japanese isn't very good." — full formal negative; あまり + neg = "not very."

STANDARD

にほんごがじょうずじゃないです。

Nihongo ga jouzu ja nai desu.

→ "My Japanese isn't good." — everyday negative; じゃない is the contraction of ではない.

CASUAL

にほんご、へたなんだ。

Nihongo, heta nan da.

→ "My Japanese is bad." — へた (unskilled/bad at) is more blunt than じょうずじゃない; casual self-deprecation.

A — Flashcards

Click the card to flip it and reveal the romaji and meaning. Press ▶ on the front to hear the phrase.

tap to flip

1 / 10

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then pick the correct English meaning from the four options.

C — Choose the Right Response

Press ▶ to hear the prompt (Japanese + romaji shown), then choose the best response. Romaji is shown on all options.

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

Press ▶ to hear each phrase, then type what you heard in romaji. Japanese letters are not needed.

💡 Tip: Long vowels → double the vowel (おう = ou, おお = oo). Double consonants → write them twice (もっと = motto).

E — Shadowing Practice

Listen to each line, say it out loud, then tick Practised ✓. Focus on natural rhythm — especially the long vowels in いただけますか.

🎙 Tip: Speak with the audio at the same time, not after it. Reduce the rate in your device's accessibility settings if it's too fast.

0 of 9 lines practised

📖 Grammar Notes ▼

もう一度 (mou ichido) — "One more time"

もう means "already / more / again" and 一度 (ichido) means "one time." Together: "one more time." This pair is your foundation for every repeat request. Combine it with any verb in て-form + ください to build the full phrase: もう一度 [VERB-て]ください.

もう一度 [VERB-て] ください。

Mou ichido [verb-て] kudasai.

→ いってください (say it) / かいてください (write it) / みせてください (show me) / よんでください (read it)

もう一度、かいてください。

Mou ichido, kaite kudasai.

Please write it one more time.

ゆっくり (yukkuri) — "Slowly"

ゆっくり is an adverb meaning "slowly / at leisure / taking one's time." It modifies verbs directly — no particle needed. It is one of the most immediately useful words for a Japanese learner: place it before any verb to ask for a slower version of that action. Also used as ゆっくりして (take it easy / rest well) as a farewell.

すみません、もうすこしゆっくりはなしてください。

Sumimasen, mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite kudasai.

Excuse me, please speak just a little more slowly.

わかります vs わかりません — Understanding & not understanding

わかります (wakarimasu) = "I understand / I know." Its negative わかりません (wakarimasen) = "I don't understand." The key grammar point: わかる is an intransitive verb of perception — the thing understood is marked with が, not を. 「にほんごがわかります」 = "I understand Japanese." Never say 「にほんごをわかります」.

[LANGUAGE/TOPIC] が　わかります。

[language/topic] ga wakarimasu.

→ "I understand [Japanese / the question / what you said]."

すこしわかります。でも、もう一度おねがいします。

Sukoshi wakarimasu. Demo, mou ichido onegaishimasu.

I understand a little. But please (say it) one more time.

じょうずじゃないです vs じょうずではありません — Formal & standard negatives

じょうず is a な-adjective meaning "skilled / good at." To negate it:
• Standard: じょうずじゃないです (jouzu ja nai desu) — じゃない is a contraction of ではない.
• Formal: じょうずではありません (jouzu dewa arimasen) — more deliberate and respectful.
The pattern [な-adj] + じゃないです / ではありません applies to all な-adjectives: べんりじゃないです (not convenient), しずかじゃないです (not quiet), etc.

A: にほんごがじょうずですね！　B: いいえ、まだまだじょうずじゃないです。

A: Nihongo ga jouzu desu ne! B: Iie, madamada jouzu ja nai desu.

A: Your Japanese is good, isn't it! B: No, I'm still not very good at all.

～はえいごでなんですか？ — Asking for a translation

This pattern lets you ask "What is [X] in English?" — invaluable for expanding vocabulary on the spot.
Structure: [WORD]はえいごでなんですか？
Reverse it to ask in the other direction: 「[ENGLISH WORD]」はにほんごでなんですか？ = "What is [word] in Japanese?"

「 [WORD] 」は [LANGUAGE] でなんですか？

"[word]" wa [language] de nan desu ka?

→ "What is '[word]' in [English / Japanese / French]?"

「ゆっくり」はえいごでなんですか？

"Yukkuri" wa eigo de nan desu ka?

What is "yukkuri" in English?

あのう / えーと — Fillers for buying time

Japanese has its own hesitation fillers:
• あのう (anou) — "um / er" — polite; used when you need to pause or introduce a slightly awkward topic.
• えーと (eeto) — "um / let me think" — neutral; used while searching for a word or formulating a sentence.
These signal to your conversation partner that you haven't finished yet — they will wait rather than interrupt. Using them sounds more natural than silence.

えーと…「ねこ」はえいごでなんですか？

Eeto… "neko" wa eigo de nan desu ka?

Um… what is "neko" in English?

📚 Key Vocabulary ▼

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
わかります	wakarimasu	I understand / I know
わかりません	wakarimasen	I don't understand
わかりました	wakarimashita	I understood / Got it
もう一度	mou ichido	One more time / Again
ゆっくり	yukkuri	Slowly / At a relaxed pace
じょうず	jouzu	Skilled / Good at (な-adjective)
へた	heta	Unskilled / Bad at (な-adjective)
すこし	sukoshi	A little / A bit
おっしゃる	ossharu	To say (honorific form of 言う)
いみ	imi	Meaning
えいご	eigo	English (language)
にほんご	nihongo	Japanese (language)
あのう	anou	Um / Er (polite filler)
えーと	eeto	Um / Let me think (neutral filler)
どういういみ？	dou iu imi?	What does that mean? (casual)

📋 Expression Reference

🗣 Mini Dialogues

A — Flashcards

B — Listen & Choose the Meaning

C — Choose the Right Response

D — Listen & Write in Romaji

E — Shadowing Practice

もう一度 (mou ichido) — "One more time"

ゆっくり (yukkuri) — "Slowly"

わかります vs わかりません — Understanding & not understanding

じょうずじゃないです vs じょうずでは ありません — Formal & standard negatives

～は えいごで なんですか？ — Asking for a translation

あのう / えーと — Fillers for buying time

じょうずじゃないです vs じょうずではありません — Formal & standard negatives

～はえいごでなんですか？ — Asking for a translation