What are common Japanese phrases used to start small talk

Common Japanese phrases to start small talk include greetings and simple conversation starters that are polite and show interest. Typical phrases are:

• こんにちは (Konnichiwa) - Hello (used in the afternoon)
• お元気ですか (Ogenki desu ka) - How are you?
• いい天気ですね (Ii tenki desu ne) - Nice weather, isn’t it?
• 最近どうですか (Saikin dou desu ka) - How have you been recently?
• お仕事は忙しいですか (Oshigoto wa isogashii desu ka) - Is your work busy?
• どこから来ましたか (Doko kara kimashita ka) - Where are you from?
• 趣味は何ですか (Shumi wa nan desu ka) - What are your hobbies?

Also, in Japanese, a practice called aizuchi involves short interjections to show you are listening and engaged during conversation, such as はい (Hai), そうですか (Sou desu ka), and なるほど (Naruhodo) which function similarly to “yes,” “I see,” and “That’s right.”

These phrases help break the ice and demonstrate politeness and interest, which are important in Japanese social interaction for starting small talk. ^{16, 17}

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