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Essential Japanese Phrases for Emergencies

Twenty survival phrases every foreigner in Japan should know — for earthquakes, medical situations, and getting help fast.

In an emergency, a handful of Japanese words can make the difference between getting help quickly and being misunderstood. You do not need fluency — just these key phrases. Practice saying them out loud so they come naturally under stress, and consider screenshotting this page to keep it offline on your phone.

Emergency words

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
jishinearthquake
tsunamitsunami
kajifire
tasuketehelp me
nigeterun / evacuate
abunaidangerous / watch out

Finding places

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
hinanjo wa doko desu kawhere is the evacuation shelter?
byouinhospital
koubanpolice box

Medical

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
kega wo shimashitaI'm injured
atama ga itaimy head hurts
chi ga deteiruI'm bleeding
arerugii ga arimasuI have allergies
[X] ga itaimy [X] hurts

Practical phrases

JapaneseRomajiEnglish
eigo wo hanasemasu kado you speak English?
mizu wo kudasaiplease give me water
denwa wo kashite kudasaiplease lend me your phone
taishikan ni renraku shitaiI want to contact my embassy
Next step: Save the lines you may need to call from our emergency phone numbers guide, and learn what to do when the ground shakes in our earthquake survival guide.