Japanese at the Supermarket: Checkout Phrases, Labels and Signs
At a Japanese supermarket, the phrases you need most are at the checkout: the cashier will usually ask whether you have a point card (ポイントカードはお持ちですか), whether you need a plastic bag (レジ袋はご利用ですか), and sometimes whether you want chopsticks or your bento heated. A simple はい or いいえ、大丈夫です covers most of it. Beyond that, it helps to recognise a few signs: discount stickers, “best before” and “use by” dates, and whether prices include tax. This guide covers the words, signs and checkout phrases for food shopping in Japan.
Checkout phrases
| Cashier says | Meaning | You can answer |
|---|---|---|
| ポイントカードはお持ちですか | Do you have a point card? | いいえ、ありません / はい (and hand it over) |
| レジ袋はご利用ですか / 袋はいりますか | Would you like a plastic bag? (bags cost a little) | 大丈夫です (no thanks) / 一枚お願いします |
| お箸はおつけしますか | Shall I add chopsticks? | はい、お願いします / いいえ、結構です |
| 温めますか | Shall I heat it? (more common at convenience stores) | はい、お願いします |
| お支払いは | How will you pay? | カードで / 現金で / 電子マネーで |
Many supermarkets have self-checkouts (セルフレジ) or semi-self checkouts, where a staff member scans your items and you pay at a machine. After paying, you pack your own bags at the packing counter (サッカー台). See convenience store Japanese for similar phrases.
Signs and labels worth knowing
- 賞味期限 (shōmi kigen): best before. Food is usually fine for a while after this date.
- 消費期限 (shōhi kigen): use by. Don’t eat it after this date. Common on fresh food and bento.
- 半額 (hangaku): half price. Stickers often appear on bento and fresh food in the evening.
- 〜円引き / 〜%引き: so many yen off / so many percent off.
- 特売 (tokubai): special offer.
- 税込 (zeikomi) / 税抜 (zeinuki): tax included / tax not included. Check which price is the big one on the label.
- 国産 (kokusan): produced in Japan. You’ll also see the prefecture or country of origin.
- お一人様〜点限り: limit of so many per customer.
Finding things
Sections are usually signposted in kanji:
- 青果 (seika) or 野菜・果物: fruit and vegetables
- 精肉 (seiniku): meat; 鮮魚 (sengyo): fresh fish
- 惣菜 (sōzai): ready-made dishes; 弁当 (bentō): boxed meals
- 乳製品 (nyūseihin): dairy; 冷凍食品 (reitō shokuhin): frozen food
- 調味料 (chōmiryō): seasonings and sauces
To ask for something: すみません、〇〇はどこにありますか (Excuse me, where is…?). If you have allergies, learn to read the allergen box on the label. See food allergies and dietary needs in Japan.
Good to know
- Prices on the shelf may show the pre-tax price in large type; the tax-inclusive price is what you pay.
- Many supermarkets sell food at a reduced consumption tax rate compared with other goods, so a receipt may show two tax rates.
- Bring your own bag (エコバッグ) if you shop often.
- Some shops ask you to put fish or meat in a thin plastic bag from the roll near the packing counter.
Moving to Japan? See living in a Japanese neighbourhood and sorting rubbish in Japan.
Practise before you go
Supermarket Japanese is quick to learn, and it’s one of the first places you’ll use Japanese every week. Our native Japanese tutors teach one-to-one online, in English, and can role-play the checkout and the questions you’re most likely to hear. Your first 15 minutes are a free trial.