Making a Decision

In this lesson you will learn how to make purchasing decisions in a Japanese store — asking prices, ordering quantities, politely declining merchandise, and leaving a store without buying. You will also learn to read price tags written in Japanese numerals and work with numbers from 10,000 and up.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Buying beer at a wine merchant

Mr. Moore goes to a neighborhood wine merchant (sakaya) to get some American beer.

Romaji	English
Muaa: Amerika no biiru wa arimasu ka?	Do you have American beer?
Sakaya: Ee, Badowaizaa to Shuritsu dake desu ga…	Yes, but we have only Budweiser and Schlitz.
Muaa: Jaa, Badowaizaa o wan-pakku kudasai.	Then I’ll take one pack of Budweiser.
Sakaya: Sen-nihyaku-en desu. Arigatoo gozaimashita.	It’s 1,200 yen. Thank you very much.

Situation 2 — Buying a necktie at a department store

Mr. Anderson asks to see two neckties.

Romaji	English
Andaason: Sumimasen. Kono nekutai to sono nekutai o misete kudasai.	Excuse me. Please show me this tie and that tie.
Tenin: Hai, doozo.	Yes, here you are.
Andaason: Kore wa ikura desu ka?	How much is this?
Tenin: Sanzen-gohyaku-en desu.	It’s 3,500 yen.
Andaason: Soo desu ka. Jaa, kore o kudasai.	I see. Then I’ll take it.

Situation 3 — Declining a purchase

Ms. Kelly goes to a women’s clothing store looking for a red sweater.

Romaji	English
Kerii: Sono seetaa o misete kudasai.	Please show me that sweater.
Tenin: Hai.	Yes.
Kerii: Akai no wa arimasu ka?	Do you have a red one?
Tenin: Ainiku desu ga, kochira dake desu.	I’m sorry, but this style comes only in this color.
Kerii: Soo desu ka. Jaa, kekkoo desu. Mata kimasu.	Oh. Then, that’s OK. I’ll come again.

Situation 4 — At the meat market

Mrs. Keith goes to a neighborhood meat market.

Romaji	English
Kiisu: Sukiyaki no niku wa arimasu ka?	Do you carry meat for sukiyaki?
Nikuya: Ee, achira no kauntaa desu.	Yes, it’s over in that showcase.
Kiisu: Kore wa ikura desu ka?	How much is this kind?
Nikuya: Hyaku-guramu sen-yonhyaku-en desu.	It’s 1,400 yen per 100 grams.
Nikuya: Kochira wa sen-nanahyaku-en desu.	This one is 1,700 yen per 100 grams.
Kiisu: Jaa, sen-yonhyaku-en no o roppyaku-guramu kudasai.	Well then, give me 600 grams of the one that is 1,400 yen.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	English	Kana
sakaya	wine merchant	さかや
biiru	beer	ビール
wan-pakku	one pack	ワンパック
akai	red	あかい
kekkoo (desu)	that’s OK, that’s fine	けっこう（です）
mata	again	また
kimasu	come	きます
niku	meat	にく
kauntaa	counter, showcase	カウンター
guramu	gram	グラム
sakana	fish	さかな
aoi	blue	あおい
mikan	tangerine, mandarin orange	みかん
kiro	kilogram / kilometer	キロ
hankachi	handkerchief	ハンカチ
shiroi	white	しろい
ebi	shrimp	えび
okome	(uncooked) rice	おこめ
man	ten thousand	まん
gyuuniku	beef	ぎゅうにく
ringo	apple	りんご

Grammar & Usage Notes

Saying “I’ll take this” — (item) o kudasai

The word kudasai by itself means “please give me.” Use it to make a purchase:

• Kore o kudasai. — I’ll take this. / Please give me this.
• Kore o mittsu kudasai. — Please give me three of these.

Add a number (with counter) before kudasai to specify quantity.

Numbers from 10,000 and Up

Japanese has a special word for ten thousand: man (万).

Number	Romaji
10,000	ichi-man
20,000	ni-man
30,000	san-man
50,000	go-man
100,000	juu-man
1,000,000	hyaku-man

Expressing Price per Unit

To refer to an item by its unit price, use this pattern:

Unit + price + no + (merchandise)

Japanese	English
Hyaku-guramu sen-yonhyaku-en no niku	Meat that is 1,400 yen per 100g
Ichi-kiro sanbyaku-en no ringo	Apples that are 300 yen per kg
Hyaku-guramu gohyaku-en no o nihyaku-guramu kudasai.	Give me 200g of the one that is 500 yen per 100g.

Declining a Purchase

When you decide not to buy anything:

Japanese	English
Jaa, kekkoo desu.	That’s fine (I won’t buy).
Jaa, mata kimasu.	I’ll come again.
Doomo (arigatoo).	Thank you (as you leave).

Bargaining

Bargaining is generally not done in Japan, especially at department stores. At small shops like antique stores, it may sometimes be acceptable. If you want to try:

Moo sukoshi yasuku narimasen ka? — Can’t you make it a little cheaper? (lit., Won’t it become a little cheaper?)

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Reading Large Numbers

Read the following aloud in Japanese:

1. 18,047
2. 74,553
3. 44,602
4. 135,000
5. 85,816
6. 36,230
7. 99,267
8. 3,000,000

B. Substitution Drill

Base: Sore o hitotsu kudasai. (Give me one of those.)

Practice with: Akai no mittsu, Sono sakana, Chiisai no futatsu, Ookii no, Aoi no

C. Combination Drill

Combine two items into one request using to (and):

Cue	Response
aoi seetaa, akai seetaa	Aoi no to akai no o kudasai.
ookii ringo, chiisai ringo	Ookii no to chiisai no o kudasai.
L-saizu no shatsu, S-saizu no shatsu	L-saizu no to S-saizu no o kudasai.
kono sukaafu, sono sukaafu	Kono sukaafu to sono sukaafu o kudasai.

D. Production Exercise

Select an item, ask the price, choose a kind, and request an amount:

Example:

• Student: Gyuuniku wa ikura desu ka?
• Instructor: Hyaku-guramu sen-nihyaku-en no to sen-gohyaku-en no ga arimasu.
• Student: Sen-nihyaku-en no o roppyaku-guramu kudasai.
• Instructor: Nanasen-nihyaku-en desu.

E. Comprehension Exercise

Listen and respond appropriately to each situation:

1. Clerk says the store only has this one → Jaa, kekkoo desu. Mata kimasu. (Then, never mind. I’ll come again.)
2. Clerk offers 1kg at 1,000 yen or 1,500 yen → Sen-gohyaku-en no o ni-kiro kudasai. (Give me 2kg of the 1,500-yen one.)
3. Clerk shows white and red options → Akai no o kudasai. (I’ll take a red one.)

Cultural Notes

Reading Kanji price tags: At neighborhood grocery stores and fish stores, prices are sometimes written in Kanji numerals. The Kanji for yen is 円. Practice reading combinations like 七五〇円 (750 yen) and 一万四千円 (14,000 yen).

Kanji signs to recognize:

Kanji	Romaji	English
非常口	hijooguchi	emergency exit
指定席	shiteeseki	reserved seat
自由席	jiyuuseki	general admission seat
地下	chika	basement
商店街	shootengai	shopping street
横断歩道	oodanhodoo	pedestrian crossing
注意	chuui	caution
止まれ	tomare	stop