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What to do when you bought the wrong item in Japan: can you return it?
Have you ever bought a shirt, only to discover it’s not quite the right fit when you get it home?
Every country, including Japan, has different standards when it comes to returning or exchanging clothing.
In this blog, we will show you some sentences and vocabulary that you may need in Japan for returning purchased items.
The above example shows you how to ask simply if you can return something in Japanese.
In most cases in Japan, you may return a purchased item depending on the store’s return policy. Just like in the United States or England, you will need to produce a purchase receipt and it must be recently purchased.
You may be able to see the exchange or return policy printed on the receipt. It may say that you must return the item within one week of purchase. You also may see the following: “You may return/ exchange items that are unopened and in their original packaging”.
So it depends on the store. But you can always ask using the phrase at top of this article.
What if the product you purchased is broken?
But what if the item you bought in Japan was broken when you originally purchased it? How can you prove this and discuss this with the shop staff?
Here are some sentences you can use when you want to do a refund or exchange for a product that was broken or non-working when you originally purchased it.
Useful Vocabulary list for Shopping Payments / Returns
When checking out at a Japanese store – the below vocabulary should prove useful in helping you to decipher what the store clerk is saying.
For example – if your product requires the use of a warranty card in the case of electronics – you will need to know how to say it!
Check out some useful vocabulary in the graphics below.
1. クレジットカード -Kurejittokādo -Credit card
2. 現金 -Genkin -Cash
3. お釣り -Otsuri -Change
4. ポイントカード -Pointokādo -Loyalty card
5.免税 -Menzei -Duty-free
1.保証書 -Hoshōsho -Warranty card
2.レシート -Reshīto -Receipt
3.箱 -Hako -Box
4.紙袋 -Kamibukuro -Paper bag
5.セール -Sēru -Sale
6.値下げ -Nesage -Discount
Yuka-sensei will teach you how to say “Can I return it?” in Japanese
Want to learn more about asking how to return things in Japanese? Watch this youtube video with Yuka-sensei that describes how to ask about returns and exchanges in Japan.
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