Japanese for English speakers Street · Lesson 1

Open and close

Ask about Japanese opening hours — 開店 (kaiten, open) and 閉店 (heiten, closed). Plus the counter 分 (fun) for minutes and お待ちください (please wait).

Conversation

  1. Shelladonna Shelladonna

    すみません、今、開店ですか？

    sumimasen, ima kaiten desuka?

    Excuse me, are you open now?

    Tip: <kaiten> = shop open

  2. Yaya Yaya

    申し訳ございませんが...

    mōshiwake gozaimase ga...

    We are very sorry...

    Tip: <ga> = here it is used as a way to keep to make the listener understand the sentence is not over. We can roughly translate it with "but, yet".

  3. Yaya Yaya

    喫茶店はまだ閉店です

    kissaten ha mada hēten desu

    but the pub is still closed

    Tip: <mada> = not yet

  4. Yaya Yaya

    あと五分ほどおまちください

    ato go fun hodo omachi kudasai

    Please, wait for five more minutes

    Tip: <ato> = after / later <fun> = counter for minutes (gofun = five minutes) <omachi kudasai> = please wait (formal)

Common questions

Quick answers about this lesson's grammar and vocabulary.

What's the difference between 開店 and 閉店?

開店 (kaiten) = 'shop is open / opening'. 閉店 (heiten) = 'shop is closed / closing'. Both are nouns.

How do you say 'five minutes'?

五分 (gofun) — the counter 分 changes pronunciation: いっぷん (1m), にふん (2m), さんぷん (3m), よんぷん (4m), ごふん (5m).

What does お待ちください mean?

'Please wait' — a polite imperative used by staff. More formal than 待ってください.

Test yourself

Pick the English translation for each line from this lesson. Wrong answers are pulled from other Japanese lessons.

4 quick questions on what you just heard.

Next lesson in Street -i anding adjective →