あ Learn Japanese Online Hub

Daily lessons · Day 8 of 90

At the convenience store

Pay, decline a bag, ask for chopsticks

The konbini is where you will have your first unassisted Japanese conversation, and it is a kind one: the staff say the same handful of sentences every time, in the same order, and most of what you need to reply is yes, no, or a small gesture. Learn today's phrases and the whole transaction stops being something you endure and becomes something you do.

What they say to you

You will hear these in this order, near enough every time. You do not need to produce them, only to recognise them:

irasshaimase
Welcome
Called out whenever anyone walks in. It expects no reply at all. A small nod is more than enough.
fukuro wa irimasu ka.
Do you need a bag?
Bags are charged for now, so this is a real question. ふくろ (fukuro) is bag.
ohashi wa otsuke shimasu ka.
Shall I add chopsticks?
Asked whenever you buy hot food. Also おはし の かず, how many pairs.
atatamemasu ka.
Shall I heat it up?
For bentō and anything from the chilled shelf. Say はい unless you want it cold.
Why it works

Notice that three of these four end in か. That is the whole question machinery in Japanese: no word order changes, no auxiliary verb, just か on the end. Once you spot the か you know you are being asked something, even if you missed the rest, and はい or いいえ will usually get you through.

What you say back

Short answers do all the work here. None of these needs a full sentence:

hai, onegaishimasu.
Yes, please.
Your all-purpose yes. Works for bags, chopsticks, heating, anything.
daijōbu desu.
No thanks, I'm fine.
The single most useful phrase in Japan. It politely declines anything without saying no.
fukuro wa irimasen.
I don't need a bag.
いりません is the negative of いります. Direct, but perfectly polite.
kādo de onegaishimasu.
By card, please.
で marks the means. げんきん (genkin) is cash if you would rather.
Why it works

だいじょうぶです deserves its own paragraph. Literally it means it is fine, and Japanese uses it to decline almost anything without the bluntness of いいえ. Offered a bag you do not want, a receipt you do not need, help you have not asked for: だいじょうぶです covers all of it. Say it with a small hand gesture and you will never need いいえ in a shop.

Paying and leaving

The last few seconds of the transaction:

zenbu de ikura desu ka.
How much is it altogether?
ぜんぶで (zenbu de) means in total. You rarely need to ask, since the total is on the display.
reshīto o kudasai.
A receipt, please.
Often handed to you anyway. レシート is katakana, because it is a borrowed word.
arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you.
Said as you take the bag. You will hear it back several times on the way out.
Why it works

You may notice the staff speaking faster and more formally than anything in this course. That is keigo, the honorific register used in service, and it is genuinely a different gear of the language. Do not try to match it. Plain polite Japanese from a customer is completely normal and nobody expects anything more.

Carry over, from earlier days

daijōbu desu.
No thanks, I'm fine.
fukuro wa irimasen.
I don't need a bag.
kādo de onegaishimasu.
By card, please.
reshīto o kudasai.
A receipt, please.

Check yourself

8 questions. Nothing is saved unless you finish.