Useful Japanese expressions ①： Kore kudasai

As everyone knows, whether you can enjoy the life in a foreign country depends on your communication skills.

If you live here, learning Japanese is definitely important, because I'm sorry to say this but Japanese are internationally known for being bad at English and it is unfortunately true. Even if you are just a tourist, knowing some Japanese words and expressions will help you a lot during your visit.

Japanese are basically shy but interested in communicating with foreigners. Trust me, that's true! Some foreign people complain that Japan is xenophobic. If they really think so, I have to say I'm sorry because they have had some bad experiences, but the truth is many Japanese (especially those living in the countryside) have never interacted with non-Japanese and don't know what to do when they are spoken to in English or some foreign languages. They just feel tense. If you speak even a little bit of Japanese, they will smile at you. Do you feel like learning Japanese now?

So...today's useful expression is

これ　ください。　（Kore kudasai.）

I was living in Paris for three years for my husband's work, but when I arrived there I could not even count numbers in French. For the first several months my husband and I survived with only three phrases  "ça s'il vous plait (This one please)" "C'est tout (that's all)." and  "Je prends ... (I'll have...)"

Kore means "this,"  and kudasai means "geve me." Wherever you are --- at a restaurant, a cafe or a shop --- you only have to say "Kore kudasai" pointing at whatever you want. 

You can replace kore with different nouns, such as 水　(mizu, water) and メニュー　（menyu, nemu).

水　ください　　Mizu kudasai (water, please)
メニュー　ください　　Menyu kudasai (menu please)  
コーヒー　ください　　Kohi kudasai (coffee please)