Free PDF · Real-World Japanese
Say no at work — without sounding cold
「無理です」 sounds fine in your head. To your Japanese boss, it slams a door. This free PDF covers the five most common “saying no” moments in a Japanese office — and the exact phrasing that keeps you out of trouble.
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What’s inside
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5 real work situations
The moments where a direct translation quietly backfires — refusing tasks, deadlines, and invitations.
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What NOT to say, first
Each situation starts with the phrase that sounds fine in your head but lands wrong in a Japanese office.
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Three versions per phrase
Casual, work-safe, and formal — with romaji and English notes, so you can match the room.
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Written by a Tokyo native
The phrasing people actually use at work — not textbook Japanese, not machine translation.
Every phrase comes in three levels
- Casual
Peers you're close with - Work-safe
The default when unsure - Formal
Clients and bosses
I’m a Tokyo native and I run a small company here — which means I’m the person your Japanese emails land on. Honest truth: it’s almost never the grammar that reads cold. It’s the directness. Real-World Japanese is where I write down what actually lands well at work, from the receiving end.
— Ryo, CEO in Tokyo · Real-World Japanese
How it works
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