Technical Japanese #37 — Giving Instructions and Confirming Numbers at the Machine
At the machine, conversation has to be short, clear and impossible to misread. One number heard wrong — 13 for 30, 0.5 for 5 — can ruin the batch. This post collects the exchanges for taking an instruction, confirming a value, and reading it back (復唱) the way a Japanese shop floor does.
Core vocabulary for taking instructions at the machine
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning | At the machine | Note |
|---|
| 復唱 | ふくしょう fukushō | read-back | 復唱します | Repeat it back to confirm |
| 指示 | しじ shiji | instruction | 指示通り | As instructed |
| 設定 | せってい settei | setting | 設定値 | Setting |
| 設定値 | せっていち setteichi | set value | 温度設定 | The value entered |
| 合っている | あって atteiru | correct | 数値合ってる | It matches |
| 違う | ちがう chigau | wrong, different | 値が違う | It does not match |
| 開始 | かいし kaishi | start | 作業開始 | Begin |
| 停止 | ていし teishi | stop | 停止して | Stop |
| 待って | まって matte | wait | 少し待って | Hold on |
| 了解 | りょうかい ryōkai | understood | 了解です | Got it |
| もう一度 | もういちど mō ichido | once more | もう一度お願い | Say it again |
| 聞き取れない | ききとれない kikitorenai | cannot catch it | 聞き取れません | You did not hear it clearly |
| 数値 | すうち sūchi | numerical value | 数値を確認 | The number |
| 単位 | たんい tan'i | unit | 単位は？ | Which unit? |
| 速い / 遅い | はやい / おそい hayai / osoi | fast / slow | 速度速い | Speed |
復唱 — the read-back
When you receive an important figure on a Japanese shop floor, you read it back so that both sides confirm it. It stops a mishearing on the spot:
- Instruction:
温度を180度に設定して。 - You:
温度180度ですね。復唱します、180度。 - The other person:
はい、合ってます。
For numbers that are easy to confuse, separate the digits explicitly: 「いちさん(13)」ですか、「さんじゅう(30)」ですか。
Phrases by situation
Taking an instruction
- 指示をお願いします。 — Please give me the instruction.
- 了解しました。すぐ対応します。 — Understood. I will do it right away.
Confirming a value
- 設定値は180で合っていますか。 — The set value is 180, correct?
- 単位はミリですか、センチですか。 — Is the unit millimetres or centimetres?
- 復唱します。○○ですね。 — Reading it back: it is ○○, correct?
When you did not catch it
- すみません、もう一度お願いします。 — Sorry, could you say that again?
- 数字が聞き取れませんでした。 — I did not catch the number.
Mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|
| Nodding はい when you did not catch it | You act on the wrong number. Asking もう一度 is far cheaper |
| Skipping the 復唱 on a value or a unit | 13 becomes 30, 0.5 becomes 5 |
| Not asking about the 単位 | "5" as 5 mm and as 5 cm are completely different instructions |
| Saying 分かりました when you have not understood | In Japan, misunderstanding in silence is worse than asking |
Hear it, then act — quick self-check
The engineer says quickly: 「送り速度、いちさんにして。」 You are not sure whether that is 13 or 30. What do you say?
<details><summary>Answer</summary>Separate the digits: 「送り速度は『いちさん＝13』でしょうか、『さんじゅう＝30』でしょうか。復唱させてください。」 Do not guess — spell it out.</details>
You receive 「温度を180度に設定して。」 What is the standard confirmation?
<details><summary>Answer</summary>Read it back: 「温度180度、了解しました。復唱します、180度で設定します。」 The number and the unit, before you touch anything.</details>
How MINATA helps
Does your operating team need the shop-floor exchanges and the 復唱 habit for working with Japanese engineers? MINATA trains the machine-side phrases and acts as the Japan–Vietnam operating bridge for the plant or project. See our Japan–Vietnam projects or Japan–Vietnam business services.
View all MINATA technical articles