Online Japanese lessons are recommended for studying Japanese. More and more people are studying Japanese through online lessons because they can easily practice one-on-one conversation with a native Japanese teacher at a low cost.

However, some of you may hesitate to take lessons because you are very beginner in Japanese and worry to talk to a first-time met teacher in Japanese.

This article introduces basic Japanese words and phrases that are often used in online lessons. If you remember these, you can enjoy your first online Japanese lesson with confidence.

Greetings in Japanese

Whether in person or online, lessons begin with a greeting.
There are many expressions of greetings in Japanese, but for now, it is enough to know three of them.

はじめましてhajimemashite
Use it when you meet for the first time.
It’s the same as “Nice to meet you” in English.
こんにちは
konnichiwa
Use it when you meet in afternoon. It is the same as “Good afternoon” in English, but also similar to “Hello” or “Hi”.
For online lessons, the teacher and you may live in different countries. I recommend you to remember to use “おはようございます (Ohayou gozaimasu)” in the morning and “こんばんは (Konbanwa)” at night.
よろしくお願(ねが)いします
yoroshiku onegaishimasu
There is no phrase in English that has exactly the same meaning.
It is used when asking for something or when you want to make things go smoothly. It is often used after “はじめまして” as in “はじめまして、よろしくお願(ねが)いします.”

Questions to be asked during self-introduction for online Japanese lessons

In an online lesson with a new teacher, the teacher will ask you questions about you first. Questions will vary from teacher to teacher, but here are the list of frequently asked questions.

質問意味
何(なん)と呼(よ)べばいいですか？
Nanto yobeba iidesuka?
What should I call you?
お国(くに)はどちらですか？
Okuni wa dochiradesuka?/

出身(しゅっしん)はどこですか？
Shusshin wa dokodesuka?
Where are you from?
Where do you live?
どうして日本語(にほんご)を勉強(べんきょう)していますか？
Doushite nihongo wo benkyou shiteimasuka?
Why do you want to study Japanese?
どれぐらい日本語(にほんご)を勉強(べんきょう)していますか？
Doregurai nihongo wo benkyou shiteimasuka?
How long have you study Japanese?
ひらがな・カタカナは読(よ)めますか？
Hiragana katakana wa yomemasuka?
Can you read hiragana and katakana?
日本(にほん)に来(き)たことはありますか？
Nihon ni kitakoto wa arimasuka?
Have you ever been to Japan?
学生(がくせい)ですか？
Gakusei desuka?
Are you a student?
仕事(しごと)は何(なに)をしていますか？
Shigoto wa nani wo shiteimasuka?/

職業(しょくぎょう)は何ですか？
Shokugyou wa nandesuka?
What do you do for a living?
趣味(しゅみ)は何(なん)ですか？
Shumi wa nandesuka?
What do you do in your free time?
好(す)きなマンガやアニメはありますか？
Sukina manga ya anime wa arimasuka?
Do you have any favorite manga/anime?

Phrases often used by teachers in online Japanese lessons

The following table lists phrases commonly used by teachers in online Japanese lessons. It is a good idea to know the meaning of these phrases so that the lesson goes smoothly.

フレーズ意味
はじめましょう。
Hajimemashou./

はじめます。
Hajimemasu.
Let’s begin.
Shall we start?
読(よ)んでください。
Yonde kudasai.
Please read this?
もう一度(いちど)言(い)ってください。
Mouichido itte kudasai.

もう一度(いちど)お願(ねが)いします。
Mouichido onegaishimasu.
Could you say that again?
わかりますか？
Wakarimasuka?
Does it make sense?
Did you get it?
繰(く)り返(かえ)してください。
Kurikaeshite kudasai.
Repeat after me.
質問(しつもん)はありますか？
Shitsumon wa arimasuka?
Do you have any question?
ゆっくりで良(い)いですよ。
Yukkuri de iidesuyo.
Take your time.
ちょっと待(ま)ってください。
Chotto matte kudasai.
Could you hold on a second?
わかりました。
Wakarimashita.
I got it.
終(お)わりましょう。
Owarimashou./

終(お)わります。
Owarimasu.
This is it for today.
Let’s wrap it up.

Phrases related to problems during online lessons

Online lessons are bound to have problems. I recommend that you memorize the meanings of the phrases in the following table so that you can solve problems as quickly as possible when they arise.

フレーズ意味
聞(き)こえますか？
Kikoemasuka?
Do you hear me?
見(み)えますか？
Miemasuka?
Do you see me?
or Do you see my (shared) screen?
見(み)えません。
Miemasen.
I cannot see (your face).
カメラをオンにしてください。
Kamera wo on ni shitekudasai.
Please turn your camera on.
声(こえ)が聞(き)こえません。
Koe ga kikoemasen.
I cannot hear you.
声(こえ)が小(ちい)さいです。
Koe ga chiisaidesu.
I can barely hear you.
大(おお)きな声(こえ)で話(はな)してください。
Ookina koede hanashitekudasai.
Please speak louder.
声(こえ)が途切(とぎ)れます。
Koe ga togiremasu.
You are breaking up.
接続(せつぞく)が悪(わる)いみたいです。
Setsuzoku ga warui mitaidesu.
The connection is poor.
1回(かい)切(き)って入(はい)り直(なお)してもらえますか？
Ikkai kitte hairinaoshite moraemasuka?
Could you leave the meeting and reenter this room?

In this article, I have listed basic Japanese words and phrases commonly used in online Japanese lessons. Online lessons are short in time, so it is a good idea to memorize frequently used phrases to avoid wasting time. Also, the phrases listed here can be used in online meetings in Japanese.