Lesson L8N4N4 Vocabulary — Thematic Sets⏱ 20 min

Money and Shopping Vocabulary

This lesson covers key words and phrases for handling transactions, asking about costs, and common shopping interactions at an N4 level.

🎯 Goal: Learn core N4 vocabulary for money, prices, and shopping.

Lesson Content

Learning Goal

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand and use 20 core N4 vocabulary words related to money, shopping, and daily life situations. You will learn how to talk about prices, purchases, and common shopping scenarios.

Concept

Shopping in Japan involves specific vocabulary for money, transactions, and common items. Many of these words appear frequently in N4-level conversations about buying things, discussing prices, and describing everyday situations. Understanding these words will help you navigate stores, talk about purchases, and understand basic shopping dialogues.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Group 1: Money & Shopping Actions

These words are directly useful when shopping or handling money.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Usage Hint
申す	mousu	to be called, to say (respectful)	Used in polite introductions: "Watashi wa Tanaka to moushimasu" (I am called Tanaka)
直る	naoru	to be fixed, repaired	For items that get fixed: "Kore wa naorimashita" (This was fixed)
知らせる	shiraseru	to notify	Tell someone about a sale: "Nedan o shirasete kudasai" (Please notify me of the price)

Group 2: People & Places

Words for describing who you're shopping with or where you are.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Example
男性	dansei	man	"Ano dansei wa dare desu ka?" (Who is that man?)
皆	minna	everybody	"Minna de kaimono ni ikimashou" (Let's all go shopping)
真ん中	mannaka	middle	"Mise wa machi no mannaka ni arimasu" (The store is in the middle of town)

Group 3: Daily Life & Shopping Items

Words for things you might buy or encounter.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Shopping Context
番組	bangumi	TV/radio program	"Kono bangumi wa omoshiroi desu" (This program is interesting)
畳	tatami	Tatami mat	"Tatami wa ikura desu ka?" (How much is a tatami mat?)
着物	kimono	Kimono	"Kono kimono wa takai desu" (This kimono is expensive)
砂	suna	sand	"Suna o kaimashita" (I bought sand)

Group 4: Feelings & Conditions

Words to describe how you feel while shopping or after.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Shopping Example
疲れる	tsukareru	to get tired	"Kaimono de tsukaremashita" (I got tired from shopping)
病気	byouki	illness, sickness	"Byouki de kaimono ni ikemasen" (I can't go shopping because I'm sick)
痩せる	yaseru	to become thin	"Kono kusuri de yasemasu" (This medicine makes you thin)
眠い	nemui	to be sleepy	"Nemui kedo, kaimono ni ikimasu" (I'm sleepy but I'll go shopping)
眠る	nemuru	to sleep	"Mise ga aku made nemurimashou" (Let's sleep until the store opens)

Group 5: Qualities & Research

Words for describing products and doing research.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Shopping Context
盛ん	sakan	popular, prosperous	"Kono mise wa sakan desu" (This store is popular)
真面目	majime	serious	"Kono ten'in wa majime desu" (This clerk is serious)
研究	kenkyuu	research	"Nedan no kenkyuu o shimashita" (I researched prices)
研究室	kenkyuushitsu	laboratory	"Kenkyuushitsu de kaimono no keikaku o shimasu" (I plan shopping in the lab)

Group 6: Absence & Notification

Japanese	Romaji	English	Example
留守	rusu	absence	"Rusu no toki, nimotsu ga kimashita" (A package came while I was away)

Mini Examples

Shopping for clothes:
- "Kono kimono wa takai desu. Yasui kimono wa arimasu ka?"
- Romaji: "Kono kimono wa takai desu. Yasui kimono wa arimasu ka?"
- English: "This kimono is expensive. Is there a cheap kimono?"
Asking about repairs:
- "Kore wa naorimasu ka? Ikura desu ka?"
- Romaji: "Kore wa naorimasu ka? Ikura desu ka?"
- English: "Can this be fixed? How much is it?"
Talking about popularity:
- "Kono bangumi wa sakan desu. Minna ga mimasu."
- Romaji: "Kono bangumi wa sakan desu. Minna ga mimasu."
- English: "This program is popular. Everybody watches it."
Describing a shopping trip:
- "Kaimono de tsukaremashita. Nemui desu."
- Romaji: "Kaimono de tsukaremashita. Nemui desu."
- English: "I got tired from shopping. I'm sleepy."

Common Mistake

Confusing 痩せる (yaseru) and 疲れる (tsukareru)

These look similar but have very different meanings.
痩せる (yaseru) = to become thin
疲れる (tsukareru) = to get tired
Wrong: "Kaimono de yasemashita" (I became thin from shopping) → This is possible but unlikely!
Correct: "Kaimono de tsukaremashita" (I got tired from shopping)

Using 申す (mousu) too casually

申す is a humble/respectful word. Don't use it with friends.
Use 言う (iu) for casual "to say."

Quick Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word from this lesson:

"Kono mise wa ___ desu. Takusan no hito ga kimasu." (This store is popular. Many people come.)
Answer: 盛ん (sakan)
"Watashi wa Tanaka to ___." (I am called Tanaka.)
Answer: 申します (moushimasu)
"Kaimono de ___." (I got tired from shopping.)
Answer: 疲れました (tsukaremashita)
"Kono ___ wa ikura desu ka?" (How much is this kimono?)
Answer: 着物 (kimono)
"Mise wa machi no ___ ni arimasu." (The store is in the middle of town.)
Answer: 真ん中 (mannaka)

Summary and Next Step

Summary:
You've learned 20 core N4 vocabulary words related to shopping, money, and daily life. Key groups include:

Shopping actions: 申す (to say respectfully), 直る (to be fixed), 知らせる (to notify)
People & places: 男性 (man), 皆 (everybody), 真ん中 (middle)
Items: 番組 (program), 畳 (tatami), 着物 (kimono), 砂 (sand)
Feelings: 疲れる (to get tired), 病気 (illness), 痩せる (to become thin), 眠い (sleepy), 眠る (to sleep)
Qualities: 盛ん (popular), 真面目 (serious), 研究 (research), 研究室 (lab)
Other: 留守 (absence)

Next Step:
Practice using these words in simple shopping dialogues. Try writing 3-4 sentences about a shopping trip using at least 5 new words. Then, move on to learning numbers and counters for prices (100, 1000, 10000 yen) to complete your shopping vocabulary set.