At the stores : Nihongo
This time, I will explain the conversational expressions that people often use at various stores in Japan.
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| At the stores 日本語 |
May I help you?
First of all, when you visit the store as a customer, the staff will greet you like this.
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| いらっしゃいませ |
"いらっしゃいませ。 Irasshai-mase. "
May I help you?
Thank you for coming.
This word has the same meaning as "May I help you?" in English. I'm sure you use different words when you welcome your friends to your house.
Japanese is the same. We say this when we welcome our friends in Japan.
"いらっしゃい。よく来たね。 Irasshai, yoku kita ne."
"いらっしゃい、さあ、どうぞどうぞ。 Irasshai,
Sah, douzo douzo. "
"いらっしゃい irasshai" is a combination of the two words "居る(いる) iru + ある aru".
"いる iru" is a word used to mean that living things exist in a place.
"ある aru" also means something is there, but this is mainly used for "thang" and "matter".
May I help you?
" ようこそ、お出でくださいました。 Youkoso, oide kudasai mashita."
Thank you for coming.
This word has the same meaning as "May I help you?" in English. I'm sure you use different words when you welcome your friends to your house.
Japanese is the same. We say this when we welcome our friends in Japan.
"いらっしゃい。よく来たね。 Irasshai, yoku kita ne."
"いらっしゃい、さあ、どうぞどうぞ。 Irasshai,
Sah, douzo douzo. "
"いらっしゃい irasshai" is a combination of the two words "居る(いる) iru + ある aru".
"いる iru" is a word used to mean that living things exist in a place.
"ある aru" also means something is there, but this is mainly used for "thang" and "matter".
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| 人がそこにいる |
So in this case it is not " 人がそこにある(ひとが そこにあるる)。 Hito ga soko ni aru.".
There are people there.
"人がそこにいる。(ひとが そこに いる。)Hito ga soko ni iru. "is correct.
There are people there.
"そこ soko" is the same as the English word "there" and means a place.
Please come again
"いらっしゃい Irasshai." is followed by the word "ませ mase". This makes for a more polite expression, but in modern Japan, the use of a suffix "ませ mase" is limited.
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| またお越しくださいませ |
"また、お越しくださいませ。 Mata, okoshi kudasai mase."
Please come again.
This word has the same meaning as "Please come again." in English. This is a very polite expression, but the people who say it like this are only those who do the job of serving customers.
When you say this to a friend, it changes like this.
「また来てね。 Mata kite ne.」
Please come again.
「また来てくださいね。 Mata kite kudasai ne.」
Please come again.
"来て kite" is an inflection of the verb "来る kuru". The word "来る kuru" changes to "来て kite" when you ask someone.
There are many patterns in conjugation of Japanese verbs, and the word ending with "U line" is the verb.
買う kau = buy
聞く kiku = listen
消す kesu = erase
立つ tatsu = stand
噛む kamu = chew
走る hashiru = run
What would you like to order?
Whether you visit a coffee shop, a bookstore, or a computer shop, the words they say to customers are almost the same.
In a coffee shop, for example, the clerk would go to your seat and he would say.
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| ご注文は何になさいますか？ |
「ご注文は、何になさいますか？ Gochuumon wa nani ni nasai masu ka?」
"What would you like to order?
The subject is often omitted in Japanese. This is what you say to a friend who came with you to the store.
What would you like to order?
This is another example of how the words you use change when you speak to different people.
"What would you like to order?
The subject is often omitted in Japanese. This is what you say to a friend who came with you to the store.
「注文は、何にする？ Chuumon wa nani ni suru?」
This is another example of how the words you use change when you speak to different people.
A cup of coffee, please
You say this when you order a cup of coffee.
「コーヒーをひとつください。 Coffee wo hitotsu kudasai.」
When you order something in a store, you can count by "～つ". Of course you can say "一杯 ippai" as you were taught in studying Japanese.
Coffee is also written in Katakana "コーヒーcoffee" in Japan. Foreign foods such as coffee are written in Katakana in Japan.
When you finish telling the clerk what you ordered, the clerk will answer you like this.
「コーヒーをおひとつですね？Coffee wo ohitotsu desu ne?」
「かしこまりました。kashikomari mashita.」
「少々お待ちください。Shou-shou omachi kudasai.」
"少々 Shou-shou" means a little. This is a more polite word than "少し Sukoshi". "々" is a character used instead of repeating the previously written word. The reading is repeated ,too.
Thank you for waiting
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| お待ちどうさまでした。ごゆっくり。 |
After the clerk brings you the coffee, he will tell you.
「お待ちどう様でした。(おまちどう さま でした。) Omachi dou sama desita.」
Thank you for waiting.
「ごゆっくり、お召し上がりください。(ごゆっくり、おめし あがり ください。)Goyukkuri, omeshi agari kudasai.」
Enjoy your meal.
By the way, Japanese restaurants always give you a small wet towel. It's called this.
"おしぼり Oshibori"
"お手拭き(おてふき) ote huki"
"お手拭き(おてふき) ote huki"
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| おしぼり |
The towel is to wipe your hands before you eat. But use it only to wipe your hands. Some Japanese wipe their faces with a towel, but this is against manners.
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| Payment |
When you finish your coffee and give a receipt to the clerk to pay for it, the clerk will say.
「お会計、４００円になります。 Okaikei, yon hyaku yen ni nari masu.」
The total is 400 yen.
Thank you very much.
Please come again.
The total is 400 yen.
「ありがとうございました。 Arigatou gozai mashita.」
「またお越しくださいませ。 Mata okoshi kudasai mase.」
That's all for this time. See you.
