Shopping, Eating, and Counters

Vocabulary for shopping and restaurants

Vocabulary for shopping and restaurants is learned by linking each word to the places and actions where it usually occurs, namely at the cashier, at the restaurant table, in the clothing store, and in the supermarket. Many words have paired verbs or fixed patterns, so what needs to be memorized is their collocations.

Money and payment

• 払う(はらう, to pay) — the verb for paying. Its object is money or 代金(だいきん, price/fee), so the patterns 「お金を払う」 and 「代金を払う」 are used for paying at the cashier. Compare with 借りる(かりる, to borrow), which means borrowing an item from another person, 貸す(かす, to lend), and 売る(うる, to sell), which is on the side of the seller. Example: レジでお金を払います。
• お釣り(おつり, change) — the leftover money when the amount paid is greater than the price of the goods, and this money is received from the cashier. Example: 五百円で払ったので、お釣りは百円でした。
• レシート(reshiito, receipt) — proof of payment printed by the cashier. A receipt is not money, so it is not given as a substitute for change.
• 値段(ねだん, price) — the price of an item, usually stated together with a money amount. Example: この本の値段は千円です。
• 会計(かいけい, payment/bill) — the total that must be paid at a restaurant or shop. 「お会計をお願いします」 is used to ask for the bill after a meal is finished.
• レジ(reji, cashier) — the place for paying for purchases in a shop. Example: 支払いはレジでします。

Shopping and goods in stores

• 買う(かう, to buy) — the action of a buyer. 買いました is the polite past form. This word is the opposite direction of 売る(うる, to sell). Example: 駅の近くで靴を買いました。
• 袋(ふくろ, bag) — a thin, flexible container given by a shop for carrying purchased goods. Distinguish it from 箱(はこ, box), 皿(さら, plate), and 籠(かご, basket).
• 交換(こうかん, exchange) — exchanging an item for another item, for example in a different size. Example: 色が違うので交換してください。
• 返金(へんきん, refund) — returning money to the buyer. It differs from 交換, which exchanges goods.
• 開店(かいてん, opening of a shop), 閉店(へいてん, closing of a shop), 休業(きゅうぎょう, business closure) — 開店します means the shop begins operating, while 閉店します means the shop stops operating.
• 洗剤(せんざい, detergent), タオル(taoru, towel), ティッシュ(tisshu, tissue) — household goods, not food.
• 牛乳(ぎゅうにゅう, milk) — read ぎゅうにゅう, with 牛 read ぎゅう and 乳 read にゅう.
• 野菜(やさい, vegetables) — read やさい.
• 果物(くだもの, fruit), 魚(さかな, fish) — food ingredients that are not commonly put into coffee or drinks.

Restaurants and eating and drinking