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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "purse" in Japanese?
ハンドバッグ
handobaggu
In Japanese, "purse" is ハンドバッグ (handobaggu).
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Pronunciation
Handobaggu keeps the English 'hand bag' fused together, han-do-bag-gu, with a doubled 'g' giving a firm middle stop.
Writing and usage
ハンドバッグ is written using katakana. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.
Example sentence
彼女はバッグの底で鍵を見つけた。
kanojo ha baggu no soko de kagi wo mitsu keta.
She found her keys at the bottom of her purse.
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How to remember ハンドバッグ
Handobaggu is literally 'hand bag' said in Japanese syllables, so the meaning and sound both point straight at a purse.
Related words
- jacket ジャケット jaketto
- scarf スカーフ sukaafu
- sock 靴下 kutsushita
- pajama パジャマ pajama
- tie ネクタイ nekutai
- sandal サンダル sandaru
- boot ブート buuto
- slipper スリッパ surippa
- sneaker スニーカー suniikaa
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about ハンドバッグ
How do you pronounce ハンドバッグ?
Handobaggu keeps the English 'hand bag' fused together, han-do-bag-gu, with a doubled 'g' giving a firm middle stop.
Is ハンドバッグ formal or casual?
ハンドバッグ is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is ハンドバッグ written in Japanese?
ハンドバッグ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as handobaggu.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Purse" in other languages
Curated by Callan Ratcliffe
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