If you are planning a trip to Japan, you probably have a few things on your mind - eating great Japanese food, drinking and doing some shopping to bring back some gifts for your friends. Read on to learn the essential phrases you should try and remember to make your shopping a great experience and also fun. Imagine telling your friends that you actually were able to speak in Japanese at the shops to buy their gifts.
If you learn some simple yet useful Japanese shopping phrases you can very easily look around the shops in Tokyo or markets that you come by and talk in Japanese to buy presents for your friends and family. If something catches your eye but you are not sure what it is, you could ask is "What's this?" and in Japanese that is "Kore wa nan desu ka?"
You can ask the price of the item you choose by asking "Ikura desu ka?" which means "How much?" If you are just window shopping and the shop keeper asks you if you need anything in particular, then you can answer "Just looking!" by saying "Miteru dake desu!"
When the shop keeper shows you something and you do not like it but still want to see something similar, then you can ask "Anything else?" or in Japanese "Nanika hokani arimasu ka?" If you want something smaller or bigger than the one shown to you then you can ask "Anything Smaller?" by saying "Motto chiisai no wa?" or "Anything Bigger?" by stating "Motto ookii no wa?"
If you feel that the shop keeper is asking too much for what you are interested in, then you can express that by saying "Too expensive" or "Takasu-gimasu". You can ask for a discount on the item using the phrase "Waribiki wa arimasu ka?" meaning "Is there any discount?"
At the end of the shopping you can tell the shopkeeper that you are finished by saying "Sore de zenbu desu!" which means "That's all!". Don't forget to say Thank-you in Japanese, which you probably know as 'Domo Arigatou Gozaimashita'. Remember tipping in Japanese is not the custom. - 30216
If you learn some simple yet useful Japanese shopping phrases you can very easily look around the shops in Tokyo or markets that you come by and talk in Japanese to buy presents for your friends and family. If something catches your eye but you are not sure what it is, you could ask is "What's this?" and in Japanese that is "Kore wa nan desu ka?"
You can ask the price of the item you choose by asking "Ikura desu ka?" which means "How much?" If you are just window shopping and the shop keeper asks you if you need anything in particular, then you can answer "Just looking!" by saying "Miteru dake desu!"
When the shop keeper shows you something and you do not like it but still want to see something similar, then you can ask "Anything else?" or in Japanese "Nanika hokani arimasu ka?" If you want something smaller or bigger than the one shown to you then you can ask "Anything Smaller?" by saying "Motto chiisai no wa?" or "Anything Bigger?" by stating "Motto ookii no wa?"
If you feel that the shop keeper is asking too much for what you are interested in, then you can express that by saying "Too expensive" or "Takasu-gimasu". You can ask for a discount on the item using the phrase "Waribiki wa arimasu ka?" meaning "Is there any discount?"
At the end of the shopping you can tell the shopkeeper that you are finished by saying "Sore de zenbu desu!" which means "That's all!". Don't forget to say Thank-you in Japanese, which you probably know as 'Domo Arigatou Gozaimashita'. Remember tipping in Japanese is not the custom. - 30216
About the Author:
Of course you have to know how to pronounce the language. To learn Japanese phrases and the correct pronunciation, visit http://www.learn-hiragana-katakana.com
