Talking to the Landlord about Repairs: Basic Japanese

Posted on December 4, 2016 in News

Scenario: You recently moved into the apartment of your dreams—but suddenly you can get no hot water in the Japanese bath and you have no clue how to program the timer on your A/C. Even worse, you speak no Japanese and your landlord (or the concierge) can manage a perky “HARO” at most.

Below is some Japanese vocabulary to help you talk to your landlord (or the concierge or management company).

Tips:

  1. Write the English meaning of buttons oe machines on post-its and affix them to the machines for easy reference.
  2. Remember to give your landlord or concierge a small gift for the New Year.

Basic Vocabulary

air conditioner  

エアコン

eakon

broken  

壊れています

kowarete imasu

repair  

修理

shuri

turn on  

つける

tsukeru

turn off  

消す

kesu

washing machine  

洗濯機

sentakki

bath tub  

風呂

furo

electricity  

電気

denki

leak  

漏れる

moreru

light bulb  

電球

denkyuu

toilet  

トイレ

toire

mold  

かび

kabi

cockroach  

ごきぶり

gokiburi

 

internet connection  

インターネット接続

Intaanetto setsuzoku

noisy  

やかましい

yakamashii

key  

kagi

deposit  

敷金

shikikin

     

 

Useful Expressions

My ___ is broken. (Watashino) —–ga kowarete imasu.
My___ is leaking. (Watashino) —–ga mizumore shitemasu.
Can you fix it? Shuuri Dekimasuka?
Can you arrange for it to be fixed? Shuuriwo tanomu kotoga dekimasuka?
There are many cockroaches in my apartment. What should I do? Gokiburi ga takusan imasu. Do sureba iidesuka?
How can I turn on the ___? Douyatte tsuke masuka
I lost the internet connection. Who should I call? Inta-netto ga setsuzoku shinainodesuga, Dokoni renraku sureba ii desuka?