Japanese Shopping Vocabulary: Essential Words & Phrases

Shopping in Japan is one of the most satisfying real-world tests of the language. From the moment staff call out いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) as you walk through the door, to tapping your card or counting out yen at the till, the whole experience runs on a small, learnable set of words and phrases. Master them here, and you will never need to search for Japanese shopping vocabulary again.

This lesson gives you the complete set — over 40 items grouped by situation, natural polite-form sentences, a cultural note on things that catch beginners off guard, and a quiz to lock it all in.

The Complete Japanese Shopping Vocabulary Reference

Items are grouped by shopping situation so you can find what you need at a glance. Wherever a kanji form is in standard everyday use, it appears alongside the kana reading.

Greeting Staff and Getting Their Attention

いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) is the first Japanese you will hear in any shop, restaurant, or hotel — it means "Welcome; we are honoured you have come." You do not need to reply. Staff say it as a collective welcoming announcement the moment someone enters, not as a direct question to you personally. Smile and walk in.

When you need help, すみません (sumimasen, "Excuse me") is your single most useful phrase. One clear すみません signals to any nearby staff member that you want assistance. From there you can point and ask a question, or simply say 見せてください (misete kudasai, "Please show me") while gesturing towards an item behind glass.

Cultural note: Japanese shop staff are trained to be attentive but not pushy — they deliberately hold back unless you invite them. This reflects a cultural value around personal space. Your verbal すみません is the green light they are waiting for. Use it freely; it is never rude.

Asking About Price, Size, and Availability

いくらですか？ (Ikura desu ka? — "How much is it?") is the most useful question in any shop. Point at the item as you ask, or substitute the item's name: このシャツはいくらですか？ (Kono shatsu wa ikura desu ka? — "How much is this shirt?"). If you are in a hurry and pointing clearly, a bare いくら？ is understood.

To ask whether a size or colour is available, use ～はありますか？ (~ wa arimasu ka? — "Do you have ~?"). Pair it with the colour or size adjective: 小さいのはありますか？ (Chiisai no wa arimasu ka? — "Do you have a smaller one?"). For clothing, 試着できますか？ (Shichaku dekimasu ka? — "Can I try this on?") gets you to the fitting room, marked 試着室 (shichakushitsu) in most shops.

Payment and Checkout Phrases

Two phrases cover almost every payment situation at the register:

• 現金でお願いします (Genkin de onegai shimasu) — "Cash, please"
• カードでもいいですか？ (Kādo de mo ii desu ka?) — "Can I pay by card?"

Card payment is accepted in most department stores, supermarkets, and convenience stores, but some small shops and market stalls remain cash-only. When in doubt, ask before the total is rung up.

Price tags in Japan will show either 税込 (zeikomi, tax included) or 税別 (zeibetsu, tax excluded). The 消費税 (shōhizei, consumption tax) is added to the shelf price when the tag says 税別, so your total at the register may be higher than the displayed figure.

Two more checkout phrases every beginner should memorise:

• 袋はいりません (Fukuro wa irimasen) — "I don't need a bag." Japan introduced charges for plastic carrier bags in 2020, and cashiers now routinely ask whether you need one. This is your ready answer.
• レシートをください (Reshīto o kudasai) — "Receipt, please." Receipts are often handed over automatically, but if not, this works without hesitation.

Demonstratives: これ、それ、and あれ

これ (kore), それ (sore), and あれ (are) are three of the most powerful pointing words in Japanese — and the three most commonly confused by beginners. The system is based on physical distance relative to both speakers:

• これ — near the speaker ("this one, near me")
• それ — near the listener ("that one, near you")
• あれ — far from both ("that one over there")

When used directly before a noun, these become この (kono), その (sono), and あの (ano):

• このカバン (kono kaban) — this bag [near me]
• そのカバン (sono kaban) — that bag [near you]
• あのカバン (ano kaban) — that bag over there

You have likely already met this three-way system in the Japanese school vocabulary lesson — it comes up in every topic area because pointing at objects is a fundamental communication move. Shopping is simply where it gets the heaviest real-world workout.

Shopping in Context: Example Sentences

All five sentences below use polite masu/desu form — the register appropriate for any shop in Japan.

1. このシャツはいくらですか？ Kono shatsu wa ikura desu ka? How much is this shirt?
2. すみません、これをください。 Sumimasen, kore o kudasai. Excuse me, I'd like this one, please.
3. Sサイズはありますか？ Esu saizu wa arimasu ka? Do you have a size S?
4. カードでもいいですか？ Kādo de mo ii desu ka? Can I pay by card?
5. 袋はいりません。ありがとうございます。 Fukuro wa irimasen. Arigatō gozaimasu. I don't need a bag. Thank you.

Notice how sentence 5 naturally chains two phrases together — refusing the bag, then thanking the cashier. Combining short, confident phrases like this is how real shopping conversations in Japanese actually flow.

Common Mistakes Learners Make at the Register

Confusing これ、それ、and あれ by treating them as simple near/far pairs. The distinction depends on distance from both speakers, not just the speaker. If a staff member is holding an item across the counter and you say これ (kore), you are claiming the item is near you — which it is not. Say それ (sore) instead, because the item is near them. This is a small shift, but it sounds immediately more natural to a Japanese ear.

Using dictionary (plain) forms in conversation. The reference list teaches かう (kau) and たかい (takai) as citation forms — correct for vocabulary study, but not for speaking. In actual shop interactions, learners need the polite equivalents: 買います (kaimasu, "I'll buy it") or 高いですね (takai desu ne, "It's expensive, isn't it"). Dropping the polite ending can come across as blunt; adding it signals fluency.

Dropping the particle を before ください. これをください (kore o kudasai) is correct; これください is sometimes heard in casual speech but feels incomplete to many native speakers in a formal shop context. The particle を takes no effort to add and immediately raises the natural quality of your phrase.

Misreading 高い out of context. The adjective 高い (takai) means both "expensive" and "tall / high." In a shopping sentence — このカバンは高いです (Kono kaban wa takai desu) — the meaning is clearly "expensive," not "tall." Beginners sometimes pause at this double meaning unnecessarily; trust the context and move on.

Mini Quiz

Test yourself before moving to the next lesson.

① Reading — Write the romaji

② Meaning — Write the English

③ Fill in — Write the Japanese

Answers

FAQ

How do you say "how much is this?" in Japanese?

Point at the item and say これはいくらですか？ (Kore wa ikura desu ka?) — "How much is this?" To ask about a named item, substitute it for これ: このコートはいくらですか？ (Kono kōto wa ikura desu ka? — "How much is this coat?"). A bare いくら？ while pointing is also widely understood in casual interactions.

What does いらっしゃいませ mean, and should I reply?

いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) is a formal staff welcome meaning "Welcome; we are honoured you have come." It is a group announcement directed at anyone entering, not a personal question requiring an answer. No reply is expected or needed — simply walk in. You will hear it in virtually every shop, restaurant, and hotel in Japan.

How do I refuse a plastic bag at the checkout in Japan?

Say 袋はいりません (Fukuro wa irimasen) — "I don't need a bag." Since Japan introduced carrier bag charges in 2020, cashiers routinely ask before adding one. If you do want a bag, reply はい、お願いします (Hai, onegai shimasu — "Yes, please"). Both phrases are extremely natural at any register.

What is the difference between これ、それ、and あれ?

All three are demonstratives, but the difference is relational, not absolute. これ (kore) = near the speaker; それ (sore) = near the listener; あれ (are) = far from both. In a shop, if a staff member is holding an item across the counter, use それ — because the item is near them, not near you.

Continue Learning

The next step in the curriculum is the unit review and final quiz, which tests vocabulary across this and the surrounding lessons — a perfect checkpoint before moving forward.

If you want to review before taking the quiz, the Japanese work vocabulary guide covers the lesson directly before this one and rounds out your everyday vocabulary set.

Want to put these shopping phrases into practice right now? Start your Free Trial over LINE and work through real Japanese shopping conversations one-on-one with a tutor who can correct your pronunciation and help you sound natural from いらっしゃいませ to ありがとうございます.

This is Lesson 38 of the Kind Japanese 100-day beginner curriculum.