In care work, Japanese isn't just a visa requirement — it's how you keep people safe, comfortable, and respected. Beyond general JLPT N4 / JFT-Basic A2, you'll use a specific set of care Japanese every day. Here's the map, with common phrases to start.

Why care Japanese matters

You're communicating with elderly residents, their families, nurses, and doctors — often about health and safety. Clear, gentle, polite Japanese prevents mistakes and builds trust. That's also why the SSW nursing-care route includes a care-specific Japanese component on top of the language test. (See caregiver & nursing jobs.)

The vocabulary that matters

Care Japanese clusters into a few practical areas:

  • Greetings & rapport — good morning, how are you, please, thank you.
  • Checking how someone feels — pain, comfort, hunger, tiredness.
  • Daily-care actions — meals, drinking, bathing, toilet, changing, mobility and transfers.
  • The body — basic body parts and common conditions.
  • Comfort & safety — "is this okay?", "shall we take a rest?", "please hold here."
  • Reporting to staff — describing what you observed to nurses clearly and accurately.

A few phrases to start

Simple, polite phrases you'll use constantly (romaji shown; learn the kana/kanji as you go):

  • Ohayou gozaimasu — Good morning.
  • Daijoubu desu ka? — Are you okay? / Is this okay?
  • Itai desu ka? — Does it hurt?
  • Yukkuri de ii desu yo — Take your time, it's fine.
  • Sukoshi yasumimashou ka? — Shall we rest a little?
  • Onegaishimasu / Arigatou gozaimasu — Please / Thank you.

Say them gently and with a smile — tone matters as much as the words with people in your care.

How to build care Japanese

  1. Get your general Japanese to N5, then N4 / JFT-Basic A2 first — the foundation. (See how to pass JLPT N5.)
  2. Layer in care vocabulary by theme (meals, bathing, mobility, safety).
  3. Practise out loud daily, and shadow real care dialogues where you can.
  4. Prepare for the care-specific Japanese component of the SSW nursing-care route.

Build your foundation free with Komichi's N5 and N4 decks. This is general information — confirm the current care Japanese requirements with official SSW sources.