At a Japanese convenience store (コンビニ, konbini), the clerk asks the same few questions in the same order: point card, 温めますか (shall I heat it?), 袋 (a bag?), chopsticks, then payment. You can answer almost all of them with はい、お願いします (yes, please) or 大丈夫です (no, thank you).
In short
- Two answers: はい、お願いします for yes, 大丈夫です for no.
- Bags cost a few yen, so the clerk asks; say 袋お願いします if you want one.
- Most labels are katakana: ホット, ツナマヨ, レジ. Learning katakana makes the shelves readable.
At the register, in order
Not every clerk asks every question; they ask the ones that fit what you bought.
| # | The clerk says | It means | You answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ポイントカードはお持ちですか？ | Point card? | 大丈夫です。 |
| 2 | 温めますか？ | Heat it up? | はい、お願いします。 |
| 3 | 袋はご利用ですか？ | A bag? | Yes or no |
| 4 | お箸はおつけしますか？ | Chopsticks? | Yes or no |
| 5 | 画面のタッチをお願いします。 | Touch the screen (age check) | Press はい on the screen |
| 6 | 540円になります。 | That’s 540 yen | 現金で / カードで |
| 7 | レシートはご入用ですか？ | Receipt? | Yes or no |
What the clerk says, with audio
Press ▶ to hear a phrase. Audio is Google Cloud text-to-speech, not a recording of a person.
いらっしゃいませ。
Irasshaimase.
Welcome. No reply needed.
ポイントカードはお持ちですか？
Pointo kādo wa o-mochi desu ka?
Do you have a point card? Answer: いいえ or 大丈夫です.
温めますか？
Atatamemasu ka?
Shall I heat it up? Asked for bento, pasta and other chilled meals.
袋はご利用ですか？
Fukuro wa go-riyō desu ka?
Would you like a bag? Bags cost a few yen. You may also hear 袋いりますか？
袋は分けますか？
Fukuro wa wakemasu ka?
Separate bags? Usually for hot food and cold items.
お箸はおつけしますか？
O-hashi wa o-tsuke shimasu ka?
Do you need chopsticks? Spoons (スプーン) and straws (ストロー) are asked the same way.
画面のタッチをお願いします。
Gamen no tacchi o onegai shimasu.
Please touch the screen. For alcohol and tobacco: you confirm you are 20 or over.
お支払いは画面でお願いします。
O-shiharai wa gamen de onegai shimasu.
Please choose how to pay on the screen. Many registers let you pay at a machine after the clerk scans.
540円になります。
Gohyaku-yonjū en ni narimasu.
That will be 540 yen.
レシートはご入用ですか？
Reshīto wa go-iriyō desu ka?
Do you need the receipt?
ありがとうございました。
Arigatō gozaimashita.
Thank you.
What does “atatamemasu ka” mean?
温めますか means “shall I heat it up?”. The clerk asks when you buy a bento, pasta, a gratin or another chilled meal, and heats it in the microwave behind the counter while you pay. If you say yes, you may wait a minute at the side of the register. If you buy a hot meal and a cold drink, you may then hear 袋は分けますか: “separate bags?”.
“Fukuro wa…?”: the bag question
Plastic bags in Japan have cost a few yen since July 2020, so clerks ask before giving one. You will hear 袋はご利用ですか, レジ袋はご入用ですか or the casual 袋いりますか. All three mean “do you need a bag?”.
Phrases to say, with audio
はい、お願いします。
Hai, onegai shimasu.
Yes, please. The answer to almost every offer.
大丈夫です。
Daijōbu desu.
No, thank you. Literally “I’m fine”; a small wave of the hand helps.
これください。
Kore kudasai.
This, please.
これを一つください。
Kore o hitotsu kudasai.
One of these, please. Point at the hot food by the register.
ホットコーヒーを一つください。
Hotto kōhī o hitotsu kudasai.
One hot coffee, please. You get a cup and pour it at the machine yourself.
袋お願いします。
Fukuro onegai shimasu.
A bag, please.
お箸を二つください。
O-hashi o futatsu kudasai.
Two pairs of chopsticks, please.
現金で。
Genkin de.
In cash.
カードで。
Kādo de.
By card.
Suicaで。
Suica de.
With my Suica (or any IC transit card).
トイレを借りてもいいですか？
Toire o karite mo ii desu ka?
May I use the toilet?
ATMはどこですか？
Ē-tī-emu wa doko desu ka?
Where is the ATM?
Reading the shelves: konbini words
Most konbini labels are in katakana, the script for words borrowed from other languages: ホット is “hot”, サンドイッチ is “sandwich”. The chain names are katakana practice too: セブン-イレブン, ファミリーマート, ローソン.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning | Where you see it | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ホット | hotto | hot (drinks kept warm) | Shelf labels, usually red; drinks are heated in the case | |
| おにぎり | onigiri | rice ball | The shelf by the bento | |
| ツナマヨ | tsuna mayo | tuna and mayonnaise | Onigiri filling | |
| 鮭 / しゃけ | sake / shake | salmon (not the drink, which is 酒) | Onigiri filling | |
| 梅 | ume | pickled plum: very sour | Onigiri filling | |
| 明太子 | mentaiko | spicy cod roe | Onigiri filling | |
| 昆布 | konbu | simmered kelp, sweet and salty | Onigiri filling | |
| お弁当 | o-bentō | boxed meal | Chilled shelf; the clerk offers to heat it | |
| サンドイッチ | sandoitchi | sandwich | Often shortened to サンド | |
| ホットスナック | hotto sunakku | hot food | The heated case next to the register | |
| からあげ | karaage | Japanese fried chicken | Hot snack case | |
| 肉まん | nikuman | steamed pork bun | By the register, mostly in the colder months | |
| おでん | oden | fish cakes, egg and radish simmered in broth | By the register, mostly in the colder months | |
| 新商品 | shin-shōhin | new product | Shelf tags | |
| 期間限定 | kikan gentei | limited time only | Shelf tags and packaging | |
| 税込 | zeikomi | price including tax | Price tags; this is what you pay | |
| レジ | reji | register, checkout | Where you pay | |
| セルフレジ | serufu reji | self-checkout | Larger stores | |
| トイレ | toire | toilet | Usually at the back of the store | |
| ゴミ箱 | gomibako | trash bins | By the door or the coffee machine | |
| 燃えるゴミ | moeru gomi | burnable trash: food wrappers, paper | Bin labels | |
| ペットボトル | petto botoru | plastic drink bottles | Bin labels | |
| カン・ビン | kan, bin | cans and glass bottles | Bin labels | |
| コピー | kopī | copy and print machine | By the window; also prints photos |
How to open a konbini onigiri
Triangle onigiri come in a wrapper that keeps the seaweed crisp. Follow the printed numbers:
- ①: pull the tab at the top straight down the middle and all the way around.
- ②: pull one corner of the wrapper off sideways.
- ③: pull the other corner off. The seaweed stays on the rice.
Konbini answer card
Konbini answer card
- はい、お願いします。 Yes, please.
- 大丈夫です。 No, thank you.
- 温めますか？ Heat it up?
- 袋はご利用ですか？ A bag?
- お箸はおつけしますか？ Chopsticks?
- 現金で / カードで。 Cash / card.
Frequently asked questions
What does “atatamemasu ka” mean?
温めますか (atatamemasu ka) means “shall I heat it up?”. The clerk asks it when you buy a bento, pasta or another chilled meal. Answer はい、お願いします (yes, please) or 大丈夫です (no, thanks).
What does “fukuro wa irimasu ka” mean?
袋いりますか (fukuro irimasu ka) means “do you need a bag?”. The more polite version is 袋はご利用ですか. Bags in Japan have cost a few yen since July 2020, so the clerk asks first.
What should I say to the konbini clerk?
Two answers cover almost every question: はい、お願いします (hai, onegai shimasu), “yes, please”, and 大丈夫です (daijōbu desu), “no, thank you”. The questions come in roughly the same order every time: point card, heating, bag, chopsticks, payment.
Why does the konbini register ask me to touch the screen?
When you buy alcohol or tobacco, the clerk says 画面のタッチをお願いします and you press a button on the screen to confirm you are 20 or over, the legal age in Japan. The clerk can still ask for ID.
Can I use the toilet at a Japanese convenience store?
Most konbini let customers use the toilet. Ask トイレを借りてもいいですか (toire o karite mo ii desu ka). Some stores close their toilet at night or in busy areas, and it is polite to buy something.
Can I pay by card at a konbini?
Yes. The big chains take credit cards, IC transit cards such as Suica and ICOCA, and QR-code payments. Say カードで (kādo de) or Suicaで, or choose on the screen.
How do you say convenience store in Japanese?
コンビニ (konbini), short for コンビニエンスストア (konbiniensu sutoa). The three biggest chains are セブン-イレブン (Seven-Eleven), ファミリーマート (FamilyMart, called ファミマ) and ローソン (Lawson).
More Japanese for your trip
Last reviewed October 28, 2026. Clerk wording varies by chain and by store; the order above is the common one. Readings follow JMdict.