Pro GaijinMaking phone calls in Japan when your Japanese isn't there yet
Clinics, landlords, deliveries and the city office still run on the phone. How to avoid the call altogether, how to survive the one you can't avoid, and the phrases and number-reading tricks that get you through.
Last updated 4 October 2026
First: can you skip the call?
Japan is more online than it looks. Before you dial, check for these:
- Missed delivery: the slip (不在連絡票) has a QR code. Rebook online, often in English.
- Clinics: many take bookings on the web or through LINE. Search the clinic name plus 予約 (booking).
- Utilities and phone companies: moving, stopping and paying can almost always be done in their app or on their site.
- Shops and restaurants: Google Maps, Tabelog and hotel concierges book for you.
- Your agent or landlord: ask if you can contact them by email or LINE. Many prefer it.
If you have to call: prepare in five minutes
- 1Write down the one thing you want. "Book an appointment for Thursday morning", not your whole story.
- 2Have your details ready: your name in katakana, your address in Japanese, your phone number, and any reference number from the letter (お客様番号, customer number; 受付番号, reference number).
- 3Call at a quiet time. Mid-morning or mid-afternoon on a weekday. Avoid the first hour after opening and lunchtime.
- 4Put a translation app on the table, on speaker, for the words you don't catch. Fine to say: 少々お待ちください (please wait a moment).
The phrases that carry a whole call
| Japanese | When |
|---|---|
| もしもし。〇〇と申します。 | Hello, my name is ○○. (Start of every call.) |
| 英語を話せる方はいらっしゃいますか？ | Is there anyone who speaks English? |
| 日本語があまり話せません。ゆっくり話していただけますか？ | My Japanese isn't good. Could you speak slowly? |
| 予約をしたいのですが。 | I'd like to make an appointment. |
| 〇日の午前は空いていますか？ | Is the morning of the ○th free? |
| もう一度お願いします。 | Once more, please. |
| メールで送っていただけますか？ | Could you send that by email? |
| ありがとうございました。失礼します。 | Thank you. Goodbye. (End of every call.) |
"Could you send that by email?" is the most useful line on this page. Anything written down, you can translate properly afterwards.
Numbers, dates and spelling: where calls go wrong
- Phone numbers are read digit by digit, with の (no) where the dashes are: 090-1234-5678 is ぜろきゅうぜろ の いちにさんよん の ごろくななはち.
- 4 and 7 are usually said よん (yon) and なな (nana) on the phone, because し and しち sound alike.
- Dates: 一日 tsuitachi (1st), 二日 futsuka (2nd), 三日 mikka (3rd)... the first ten days have special readings. Repeat back any date in numbers: 10月3日ですね? (The 3rd of October, right?)
- Your name: give the katakana version you used on official forms, and spell it slowly. If it doesn't land, offer to send it by email or SMS.
When to get someone to call for you
Some calls aren't worth the stress: a dispute with a landlord, a complicated medical booking, an insurance claim, a call where getting a detail wrong costs money. That's a good time to have a Japanese speaker do it.
- For your own accounts (bank, card, phone contract, insurance), most companies will only talk to you. The usual way round: you make the call on speaker, the helper sits with you or joins in, and you say you agree to them helping (代わりに話してもらってもいいですか? Can they speak for me?).
- For general calls (booking, asking about a service, a delivery), anyone can call for you with your details.
- Some cities and prefectures run free interpreter lines for residents. Search your city name plus 多言語 相談 (multilingual consultation).
Keep reading
Facts checked against these official sources. Rules change and differ by city: if something here looks out of date, tell us at support@progaijin.com.