If you want a great and hassle-free shopping experience while enjoying your stay in Japan, just keep reading until the end.
Here is the list of Japanese phrases that are very useful when you are shopping and dealing with local staff.
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Kore wa ikura desuka?
| Hiragana | これはいくらなんですか？ |
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The expression “kore wa ikura desuka” means “how much is this?” in the English language. You’ll need this expression when you want to know the price of the item that you’re going to purchase.
Kado wa tsukaemasu ka?
| Hiragana | カードは使えますか? |
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Paying at the counter might be a little challenging for foreigners as most of the cashiers prefer talking in Japanese. If you want to confirm if the card is accepted for payment, you can say Kado wa tsukaemasuka? which means “Do you accept card?”.
Kado de onegai shimasu.
| Hiragana | カードでおねがいします。 |
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This expression simply means: “I will pay using card please”. Right, it is very easy as it already contains the word “card” so whenever you don’t have cash, you can always use this phrase at the counter.
Shichaku demimasuka?
| Hiragana | しちゃくでみますか？ |
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Shichaku demimasuka is used when you want to try something on. You can tell or ask permission to the staff by telling his/her this phrase. It translates to “Can I try it on?! in English.
Most shops in Japan allow their customers to have it fit before buying so the store can still adjust some needed fixing.
Saizu chigai wa arimasu ka?
| Hiragana | サイズちがいはありますか？ |
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This expression is very helpful when you need other options for the item that you want to buy like clothes, shoes, etc. The English translation is “Are there other sizes?”
Iro chigai wa arimasuka?
| Hiragana | いろちがいはありますか？ |
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If you want to have a different shade/color of your chosen item, you can ask the staff by saying, “iro chigai wa arimasuka? which translates to “Are there other colors?”.
Kore onegai shimasu.
| Hiragana | これおねがいします。 |
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Choosing the right product in Japan can be really tough since there are a lot of great items on hand but if you have already chosen one, you can say this phrase to inform the staff of your preferred choice. It means “this one, please.” in the English language.
Sumimasen, ___ wa arimasuka?
| Hiragana | すみません、___ はありますか？ |
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Finding the product that you want to buy might be a little difficult in Japan especially if the labels are all in Japanese so if you need help, you can ask the staff by saying, “sumimasen, ___ wa arimasuka?” which means “Excuse me, do you have ___?”.
The blank part stands for something that you want to buy. For example, you want to buy a pen but couldn’t find one so you can say:
Sumimasen, pen wa arimasuka? (すみません、ペンはありますか？)
Genkin de haraimasu.
| Hiragana | げんきんではらいます。 |
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This expression is used when you don’t have any other choices for payment aside from cash. To inform the staff, you can say: “genkin de haraimasu” which means “I’ll pay in cash”.
Menzei tetsuzuki wa dekimasu ka?
| Kanji/Hiragana | 免税手続きはできますか? |
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Japan’s shopping experience can be so much fun especially when you get items on sale, and sometimes the shops offer tax-free products.
If you want to confirm if the shop offers tax-free shopping, you can say “menzei tetsuzuki wa dekimasuka?” in English: “Do you offer tax-free shopping?”
