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The 20 Japanese shopping phrases below are not one script to recite. Use one short line for the stage you are in, listen to the store’s answer, and let that answer decide your next step: ask, try, buy, or leave.
For a simple clothing-store visit, start with Mサイズはありますか (emu saizu wa arimasu ka, “Do you have a medium?”). If the answer changes your plan, ask to try the available option with 着てみてもいいですか. Then say これをください if you choose it or じゃあ、いいです if you pass. At the register, answer only the question actually asked. If any reply is unclear, use もう一度お願いします instead of guessing.
If you only need to ask and confirm one price, use the focused how much is this in Japanese lesson. This lesson follows the conversation beyond that answer, through stock, fit, choice, and checkout. Its Play controls use your browser or device voice, not a human-reviewed recording. Voice availability and pronunciation vary.
Manga scene · Read from right to leftRead from top to bottom
Maya follows the stock answer and completes the purchase
Before the forecasted rain, Maya enters the clothing shop for a practical rain jacket. She indicates one blue jacket and asks whether the medium size is in stock while the clerk continues returning clothes to the rack.
Maya青のMサイズはありますか。
Do you have this in a blue medium?
The clerk says the blue medium is unavailable and presents one black medium of the same jacket as the current alternative, without deciding for Maya.
Staff青のMサイズはありません。黒のMサイズはあります。
We do not have a blue medium. We have a black medium.
Maya asks permission, tries on the black medium, and checks the shoulders and sleeves before choosing.
Maya着てみてもいいですか。
May I try it on?
Because the black medium fits, Maya decides to buy it. She states the purchase, uses a card accepted by this shop, declines the offered bag, completes payment, and leaves with the black jacket while the clerk returns the empty hanger to the rack.
Mayaこれをください。カードでお願いします。袋は大丈夫です。
This one, please. By card. I do not need a bag.
Dialogue remains selectable HTML. The illustrations contain no dependable generated text.
Maya’s first choice—the blue medium—is unavailable. She does not force her first plan or let the clerk choose for her. She tries the black medium, checks that it fits, decides to buy it, answers the bag question, pays, and leaves with the jacket. The clerk returns the empty hanger and resumes work; the blue display remains. If the alternative had not fit, thanking the clerk and leaving without buying would also have completed the exchange.
Find the item before asking for options: phrases 1–4
Start with the product category, photo, or visible item. Ask one question and wait. A stock answer may be あります (“we have it”), ありません (“we do not”), or a request to wait while staff checks.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
すみません | sumimasen | Excuse me | Get a staff member's attention |
〇〇はどこですか | 〇〇 wa doko desu ka | Where is 〇〇? | Find a product category or department |
〇〇はありますか | 〇〇 wa arimasu ka | Do you have 〇〇? | Ask whether one item or type is in stock |
もう一度お願いします | mō ichido onegai shimasu | One more time, please | Ask for the reply again instead of guessing |
Useful replacements include 傘 (kasa, umbrella), 充電器 (jūdenki, charger), and 子ども服 (kodomofuku, children’s clothes). A photo can identify the product, but current stock still comes from the clerk or the store’s current system.
Check one detail and wait for the answer: phrases 5–8
Ask about only the detail you need now. Price, size, and color can produce different next steps. For a full price-listening and confirmation loop, return to Lesson 11 rather than guessing from a partial number.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
これはいくらですか | kore wa ikura desu ka | How much is this? | Ask one item's current price |
Mサイズはありますか | emu saizu wa arimasu ka | Do you have a medium? | Ask for one size |
ほかの色はありますか | hoka no iro wa arimasu ka | Do you have another color? | Ask for another color |
もう少し大きいものはありますか | mō sukoshi ōkii mono wa arimasu ka | Do you have something a little larger? | Ask by fit instead of assuming another label will match |
Sizes can vary by product and brand. Treat the letter on the item as current product information, then check the actual fit. ほかの means “another” or “other,” so it can introduce a color or size option without turning the visit into a long explanation.
Try the available option before choosing: phrases 9–12
For a jacket or sweater, 着てみてもいいですか asks permission to try it on. The verb changes with the item; for example, shoes commonly use 履いてみてもいいですか. Start with the version for the item you plan to shop for.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
着てみてもいいですか | kite mite mo ii desu ka | May I try it on? | Ask before trying on a jacket, shirt, or sweater |
試着室はどこですか | shichakushitsu wa doko desu ka | Where is the fitting room? | Find the fitting room |
ちょっと大きいです | chotto ōkii desu | It is a little big | Describe one fit problem |
こちらのほうがいいです | kochira no hō ga ii desu | This one is better | Prefer one tried option over another |
When the item is already clear, Japanese can omit a separate word for “it.” ちょっと大きいです is enough to describe the fit in this scene. The clerk can offer current options, but your comfort and purchase decision remain yours.
Buy it or leave it clearly: phrases 13–15
After checking the fit, close the choice. これをください chooses the item. In the context of an offered item, じゃあ、いいです can mean “Then I’ll pass.” Add ありがとうございます and leave politely. Asking about stock or trying something on does not obligate you to buy it.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
これをください | kore o kudasai | This one, please | Choose the item to buy |
じゃあ、いいです | jā, ii desu | Then I'll pass | Decline the offered option in this shopping context |
ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you | Close either a purchase or a decision to leave without buying |
This page uses これをください as one practical line. The full distance system behind これ, それ, and あれ belongs to the next kore, sore, and are lesson.
Answer the checkout question actually asked: phrases 16–20
If you buy the item, move to checkout. Payment support, terminal steps, bag wording, and receipts vary by store. Check the current sign or ask the cashier, then follow that store’s instruction. The Japanese payment phrases lesson explains the detailed payment-method exchange; a convenience-store checkout has its own recurring questions.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
カードは使えますか | kādo wa tsukaemasu ka | Can I use a card? | Ask this store whether card payment is available |
カードでお願いします | kādo de onegai shimasu | By card, please | State the method after it is available or requested |
袋はどうしますか | fukuro wa dō shimasu ka | What would you like to do about a bag? | A staff question; listen for 袋 |
大丈夫です | daijōbu desu | No, thank you / I'm okay | Decline the offered bag in this context, with a small gesture if useful |
レシートをお願いします | reshīto o onegai shimasu | A receipt, please | Request a receipt |
Do not assume a card is accepted or guess what to do at a terminal. If the cashier’s question is unclear, return to phrase 4: もう一度お願いします. One accurate repeat is better than an automatic yes.
Complete one store visit by following the reply
- Use one phrase for the current stage; do not recite all 20 at once.
- Let the clerk’s stock answer determine whether you ask about an alternative, try it, or leave.
- Check the actual fit before you make the item decision.
- Treat both a clear purchase and a polite choice to leave without buying as complete outcomes.
- If you buy, use the store’s current payment instructions and answer only the checkout question you hear.
Next, learn how the item’s position changes your word choice in Kore, Sore, and Are: This and That in Japanese.
Street Check · 1–3 minutes
Try the real-world task
Adapt a short shopping visit to the store's actual stock, then buy the item or leave and close the exchange.
Ready means:
- I can ask for one item, size, or color and wait for the store's answer.
- I can try an available alternative, then choose it or decline it based on fit.
- If I buy it, I can use an available payment method and answer one checkout question without guessing.
Build the route
Before this lesson
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