Japanese Department Vocabulary – Cheat Sheet

Consider yourself a shopaholic? You’re in the right country. Japan is, after all, brimming with department stores, ranging from high-end to discount shops. You’ll find our Japanese department vocabulary cheat sheet your holy grail.

We’ll be listing all the names of store departments and items. Categorized based on the common floors they’re found on, we’ve designed them in a way for you to recognize them immediately.

With this cheat sheet, you can easily navigate your way through the shopping malls in Japan and identify the stores and categories with ease. If you ever need help searching for something, you can seek assistance after practicing your spoken skills with the pronunciations provided.

Department

Here are the various department terminologies found on the different floors in a mall:

5th floor:

JapanesePronunciationMeaning
レストラン街resutoran gaiFood mall
フードコートfūdo kōtoFood court
きものkimonoKimono
雑貨ざっか zakkaMiscellaneous goods

4th floor:

JapanesePronunciationMeaning
ベビー / こども服bebī / kodomo fukuBaby/ Children’s clothing
おもちゃomochaToys
ベビー用品ようひん bebī yōhinBaby goods
電気製品でんきせいひん denki seihinElectronic goods

3rd floor:

JapanesePronunciationMeaning
家庭用品かていようひん katei yōhinHousehold goods
家具か ぐ kaguFurniture
文具ぶんぐ bunguStationary
書籍しょせき shosekiBooks

2nd floor:

JapanesePronunciationMeaning
婦人服ふじんふく fujin fukuWomen’s clothing
紳士服しんしふく shinshi fukuMen’s clothing
スポーツ用品ようひん supōtsu yōhinSporting goods
かばん kabanBags

1st floor:

JapanesePronunciationMeaning
食品しょくひん shoku hinGroceries
コスメ / 化粧品けしょうひん kosume / keshō hinCosmetics
アクセサリーakusesarīAccessories

Example Sentences:

After learning the different department terminologies, here are examples of how to use them in conversational sentences.

Sentence example 1:

One can say ‘すみません、ベビー服を探しています。何階にありますか?

Pronunciation: Sumimasen, bebī fuku o sagashite imasu. Nankai ni arimasuka?

It means to ask ‘Excuse me, I’m looking for baby clothes. Where can I find them?’

Sentence example 2:

One can say: ‘ベビー服階にあります。

Pronunciation: Bebī fuku wa yon kai ni arimasu.

Which means ‘You can find baby clothes on the fourth floor.’


Test your Japanese level!


Do a self-test to see which course fits you.

Check your level