Classroom Japanese is pattern-heavy: teachers give commands, ask yes/no questions, and announce next steps.
You don’t need every school word on day one—you need recognition for instructions and short replies.
Use our Japanese basics hub, run the Japanese polite phrases quiz and Japanese beginner mixed quiz, and review すみません for “I don’t get it.” For self-study rhythm without a textbook spine, see learn Japanese without textbooks.
Open / close / look
- 教科書を開いてください。 (Kyoukasho o hiraite kudasai.) — “Open your textbook.”
- ページ〇〇を見てください。 (Peeji … o mite kudasai.) — “Look at page …”
- ノートを出してください。 (Nooto o dashite kudasai.) — “Take out your notebook.”
Close / put away:
- 閉じてください。 (Tojite kudasai.) — “Close it.”
Listen & repeat
- 聞いてください。 (Kiite kudasai.) — “Listen.”
- 繰り返してください。 (Kurikaeshite kudasai.) — “Repeat.”
- 一緒に言ってください。 (Issho ni itte kudasai.) — “Say it together.”
Writing & answering
- 書いてください。 (Kaite kudasai.) — “Write.”
- 答えてください。 (Kotaete kudasai.) — “Answer.”
- 質問はありますか？ (Shitsumon wa arimasu ka?) — “Any questions?”
You can say:
- わかりません。 (Wakarimasen.) — “I don’t understand.”
- もう一度お願いします。 (Mou ichido onegaishimasu.) — “Again, please.”
Homework & tests (recognition)
- 宿題 (shukudai) — homework
- テスト (tesuto) — test
- 提出 (teishutsu) — submission
Phrasing varies by school—listen for 〜してください patterns.
Sound natural as a student
Trap: Long apologies when すみません、わかりません would work.
Trap: Silent confusion—短く聞く (mijikaku kiku, ask briefly) saves time.
Link with grammar you’re already building
Te-form powers many 〜てください lines above. Question particles show up in follow-up questions.
StudyArcade
Make a 10-card “classroom only” deck from lines your real teacher uses—custom beats generic decks.
Ready to make studying fun? Download StudyArcade on the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/app/studyarcade-study-games/id6759309341