Speak or show your screen. Filter by situation (restaurants, food allergies & dietary cards, train stations, hotels, shopping, emergencies), tap Speak (日本語) to play pronunciation via your browser's Japanese voice, or tap Show to Staff for a large fullscreen card that staff can read at a glance.
Tips for communicating in Japan
- Start with "Sumimasen" (すみません): it means both "excuse me" and "sorry," and is how you politely get a server's or station attendant's attention.
- Pointing beats guessing: for food allergies or vegetarian/vegan requests, showing written Japanese characters is much safer than speaking romaji, especially regarding hidden dashi (fish stock). Read our vegetarian, vegan & allergies guide.
- Numbers & counters: holding up fingers (1, 2, 3) when entering a restaurant immediately tells the host how many people are in your party.