()
Like Americans, Japanese love pets. If you happen to see someone walking with a pet at park or on the street, it can be a great opportunity to strike up a conversation. Try using some of these phrases.
“Totemo kawaii!” = Very cute! “Kawaii.” = Cute. “Busa-kawaii.” = Ugly-cute. (Slang that combines “busaiku” [ugly] and kawaii [cute]; it works for a pet like a French bulldog.) “Kono inu wa nanno shurui desuka?” = What kind of dog is this? “Kono … wa nanno shurui desuka?” = What kind of … is this? “Inu” = Dog “Neko” = Cat “Usagi” = Rabbit “Kame” = Turtle “Sumimasen, anatano inu wa totemo kawaii desu.” = Excuse me, your dog is very cute. “Sumimasen, anatano … wa ...” = Excuse me, your … is ... “Namae wa nan desuka?” = What is its name? “Osu desuka? Mesu desuka?” = Is it male? Is it female? (Note: “Osu” and “mesu” are used mainly for animals, not people.) “Totemo genki na inu desune!” = That is a very energetic dog! “Kono inu wa kamimasuka?” = Does this dog bite? “Inu to Sanpo ni ikimasu.” = (I’ll) walk the dog. (Literally, go on a walk with the dog.)
When on OKINAWA, you can also say it in “Uchinaaguchi” (island dialect) like this:
“Inn guahh” = Cute dog. “Nani san desu?” = What is its name? “Inn” = Dog “Mayahh” = Cat
