Locating Merchandise

In this lesson you will learn how to navigate a Japanese department store — finding the right floor for the merchandise you want, locating specific sales counters, and asking about elevators, escalators, and stairways. Department stores (デパート) in Japan are large, multi-story buildings with clearly organized floor plans. Knowing how to ask “what floor?” and “where is it?” will make your shopping experience much smoother.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — At the entrance of Takashimaya department store

Ms. Miller wants to buy some household goods. She asks at the entrance.

Romaji	English
Miraa: Sumimasen, kateeyoohin wa nan-gai desu ka?	Excuse me, what floor are household goods on?
Tenin: Go-kai de gozaimasu.	It’s the 5th floor.
Miraa: Go-kai desu ka? Doomo.	The 5th floor? Thanks.
Miraa: A, erebeetaa wa doko ni arimasu ka?	Oh, where is the elevator?
Tenin: Nekutai-uriba no ushiro de gozaimasu.	It’s behind the necktie section.

Situation 2 — At Shibuya station department store

Mrs. White gets off at Shibuya station and goes to do grocery shopping at a department store connected to the station building.

Romaji	English
Howaito: Sumimasen. Shokuryoohin-uriba wa doko desu ka?	Excuse me. Where is the grocery department?
Nihonjin: Chika ni-kai desu yo.	On the second level of the basement.
Howaito: Anoo, kaidan wa doko desu ka?	Uh, where is the stairway?
Nihonjin: Kaidan wa annaijo no mae desu ga, esukareetaa ga soko ni arimasu yo.	It’s in front of the information desk, but there is an escalator over there.
Howaito: Doomo arigatoo.	Thank you.

Situation 3 — At the information desk

Mr. Kellog wants to see some watches. He asks at the information desk near the entrance.

Romaji	English
Keroggu: Sumimasen. Tokee-uriba wa nan-gai desu ka?	Excuse me. What floor is the watch department?
Tenin: Rok-kai de gozaimasu.	It’s on the 6th floor.
Keroggu: Doomo.	Thanks.
(On the 6th floor)
Keroggu: Tokee-uriba wa doko desu ka?	Where is the watch section?
Tenin: Kochira no migi no hoo de gozaimasu. Erebeetaa no mae ni gozaimasu.	It’s on the right. It’s in front of the elevator.
Keroggu: Soo desu ka. Doomo.	I see. Thank you.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Dialogue Vocabulary

Romaji	English	Kana
kateeyoohin	household goods	かていようひん
nan-gai	which floor?	なんがい
kai	(counter for) floor, story	かい
de gozaimasu	is/are (very deferential)	でございます
nekutai	necktie	ネクタイ
shokuryoohin	groceries, foodstuffs	しょくりょうひん
chika	basement	ちか
anoo	uh, well (hesitation)	あのう
annaijo	information desk	あんないじょ
esukareetaa	escalator	エスカレーター
tokee	watch, clock	とけい

Department Store Merchandise

Romaji	English	Kana
okujoo	roof	おくじょう
yuuenchi	amusement park	ゆうえんち
petto	pet	ペット
tokubaijoo	bargain/budget floor	とくばいじょう
kagu	furniture	かぐ
bunboogu	stationery	ぶんぼうぐ
omocha	toy	おもちゃ
hon	book	ほん
denkiyoohin	electric appliance	でんきようひん
hooseki	jewel, jewelry	ほうせき
megane	eyeglasses	めがね
fujin-fuku	women’s clothing	ふじんふく
kodomo-fuku	children’s clothing	こどもふく
shinshi-fuku	men’s clothing	しんしふく
keshoohin	cosmetics	けしょうひん
kutsu	shoes	くつ
kaban	luggage	かばん

Medicine Vocabulary

Romaji	English	Kana
kaze-gusuri	cold medicine	かぜぐすり
kaze	a cold	かぜ
kusuri	medicine, drug	くすり
i	stomach	い
kirikizu	cut, wound	きりきず
yakedo	burn	やけど
asupirin	aspirin	アスピリン

Grammar & Usage Notes

Floor Counter (〜階)

The counter for floors is kai (階). Note that pronunciation changes with certain numbers:

Floor	Romaji	Kanji
1st floor	ik-kai	一階
2nd floor	ni-kai	二階
3rd floor	san-gai	三階
4th floor	yon-kai	四階
5th floor	go-kai	五階
6th floor	rok-kai	六階
7th floor	nana-kai	七階
8th floor	hak-kai / hachi-kai	八階
9th floor	kyuu-kai	九階
10th floor	juk-kai	十階
Basement 1	chika ik-kai	地下一階
Basement 2	chika ni-kai	地下二階

Asking for Locations

Use these patterns to ask where merchandise is located:

• Tokee wa doko desu ka? — Where are the watches?
• Tokee-uriba wa doko desu ka? — Where is the watch section/counter?
• Kateeyoohin wa nan-gai desu ka? — What floor are household goods on?

The word uriba (売場) literally means “selling place” and can be attached to any merchandise name.

Typical Department Store Floor Plan

Japanese department stores follow a common layout. A typical plan:

Floor	Contents
Roof (okujoo)	Amusement park, pets
7F	Budget floor, restaurant
6F	Furniture, stationery, toys, books
5F	Household goods, electric appliances
4F	Jewelry, watches, cameras, eyeglasses
3F	Women’s and children’s clothing
2F	Men’s clothing
1F	Cosmetics, accessories, shoes, luggage
B1/B2	Groceries, food

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Substitution Drill

Replace the underlined word in the base sentence:

Esukareetaa wa doko desu ka? (Where is the escalator?)

Practice with: shokuryoohin, kaidan, kateeyoohin, kodomo-fuku, nan-gai, doko, tokee, otearai

B. Translation-Substitution Drill

Base: Kateeyoohin wa nana-kai desu ka? (Are household goods on the 7th floor?)

1. Cameras → Kamera wa nana-kai desu ka?
2. Restroom → Otearai wa nana-kai desu ka?
3. Household goods, 6th floor → Kateeyoohin wa rok-kai desu ka?
4. Toys → Omocha wa rok-kai desu ka?
5. Groceries, 8th floor → Shokuryoohin wa hachi-kai desu ka?

C. Question and Answer Exercise

Ask the instructor which floor each item is on. Use any of these patterns:

• (Item) wa nan-gai desu ka?
• (Item)-uriba wa doko desu ka?

Practice with: hon, yuuenchi, shinshi-fuku, bunboogu, kateeyoohin, keshoohin, shokuryoohin, petto, denkikigu, fujin-fuku

Cultural Notes

Business hours (eigyoojikan / 営業時間): Japanese stores generally keep the following hours:

Establishment	Weekdays	Saturday	Sunday
Banks	9:00–3:00	9:00–12:00	Closed
Post offices	9:00–5:00	9:00–3:00	Closed
Stores	10:00–8:00	10:00–8:00	10:00–8:00
Department stores	10:00–6:00	10:00–6:30	10:00–6:30

Most department stores have directories written in both English and Japanese, placed near entrances, stairways, and elevators. You can ask at the information desk (annaijo), the elevator operator, or the “escalator girl” for directions to any department.