Japanese Convenience Store Phrases: What to Say (and Expect) at Every Konbini Counter

Which Convenience Store? Reading 7-Eleven, Lawson, and FamilyMart in Japanese

"Konbini" (コンビニ) is itself a shortened loanword for "convenience store," and Japan's big three look like this on signage:

Each chain has its own hot-food specialties and even its own snack rivalries — worth browsing if you want the fuller cultural picture in our Japanese culture guides.

Walking In: What Staff Say First

The moment you cross the threshold, staff will call out 「いらっしゃいませ！」(Irasshaimase! — "Welcome!"). This isn't directed at you personally, and unlike in a restaurant, you're not expected to answer it — a small nod, or nothing at all, is completely normal. Save your Japanese for the register.

How to Order at the Hot Case: Oden, Nikuman, and Fried Chicken

The glass hot case near the register is where "how to order at a konbini" actually gets interesting. Lawson's bite-sized Karaage-kun nuggets and FamilyMart's single-piece Famichiki are each chain's signature fried chicken, and in colder months, oden (a simmered hotpot of daikon, eggs, and fish cakes) takes over the case, alongside steamed pork buns (肉まん, nikuman). None of it is self-serve — you point and staff plate it for you.

The Full Checkout Script: Bag, Heating, Chopsticks, and Receipt

Here's where the yes/no questions from the top of this guide get their full-sentence answers — plus the two you haven't seen yet, chopsticks and payment.

Here's the same script as an actual checkout, start to finish, so you can hear the rhythm of it:

Staff: いらっしゃいませ！ (Irasshaimase!) — "Welcome!" (no reply needed)

Staff: 袋は要りますか？ (Fukuro wa irimasu ka?) — "Do you need a bag?"

You: はい、お願いします。 (Hai, onegaishimasu.) — "Yes, please."

Staff: 温めますか？ (Atatamemasu ka?) — "Should I heat this up?"

You: いいえ、大丈夫です。 (Iie, daijōbu desu.) — "No, that's fine."

Staff: お箸は要りますか？ (Ohashi wa irimasu ka?) — "Do you need chopsticks?"

You: はい、一つお願いします。 (Hai, hitotsu onegaishimasu.) — "Yes, one please."

Staff: レシートは要りますか？ (Reshīto wa irimasu ka?) — "Do you need the receipt?"

You: 要りません。 (Irimasen.) — "I don't need it."

Staff: お会計、530円になります。 (Okaikei, gohyaku-sanjū en ni narimasu.) — "That'll be 530 yen."

You: カードでお願いします。 (Kādo de onegaishimasu.) — "By card, please."

Staff: 一括でよろしいでしょうか？ (Ikkatsu de yoroshii deshō ka?) — "Is one-time payment okay?"

You: はい。 (Hai.) — "Yes."

Staff: ありがとうございました！ (Arigatō gozaimashita!) — "Thank you very much!"

Say the checkout script out loud with Gu. Pick the bag / heating / chopsticks / receipt loop above and say your lines. iPhone (App Store) and Android · Start Japanese free. Hub: Learn Japanese.

Paying at a Konbini: Cash, Card, IC Card, and Points

Confused by 「一括でよろしいでしょうか？」(Ikkatsu de yoroshii deshō ka?)? Staff ask it whenever you pay by credit card, to confirm you want a single, non-installment charge (一括, ikkatsu) rather than splitting the payment into installments (分割, bunkatsu). It's a formality for tourists — just answer 「はい」(Hai).

Konbini Etiquette in Japan: 5 Things First-Timers Get Wrong

1. Put your money on the tray, not in the cashier's hand. Nearly every register has a small tray for cash and cards; placing payment there instead of hand-to-hand is standard, not a snub.
2. Bags aren't free anymore. Japan has required stores to charge for plastic shopping bags since July 2020, which is exactly why staff always ask 「袋は要りますか？」— it's not small talk, it's billing.
3. Skip the tip. Tipping isn't part of Japanese service culture, including at konbini registers — leaving coins on the counter will usually just prompt the clerk to hand them back.
4. Ask before using the restroom. Many konbini restrooms are meant for paying customers, and a few require asking staff for a key — a quick 「すみません、トイレを借りてもいいですか？」(Sumimasen, toire wo karite mo ii desu ka? — "Excuse me, may I use the restroom?") avoids any awkwardness.
5. Step aside to eat. Most konbini don't want you eating in front of the register or blocking the aisle; look for an eat-in counter near the window, or step outside.

For more on everyday customs like these, browse our Japan travel tips.

Pronunciation Tips for English Speakers

Japanese vowels are short and pure — a like the "a" in "father" (but clipped), i like "machine," u like "put" with relaxed, unrounded lips, e like "pet," o like "boat" (also clipped). A macron (ō, ū) in this article means the vowel is held twice as long — arigatō isn't "arigato," it's "arigatoo." Double consonants, marked with a small っ, create a brief stop: ikkatsu has a beat of silence between the two k's, like the gap in "book-keeper." And listen for word-final "u" nearly disappearing in fast speech — 「です」(desu) often sounds closer to "dess."

This is exactly the kind of line that's hard to lock in by reading once. Say a few of these konbini answers out loud. Five-minute speaking lessons with Gu: say it out loud and try it again. No scoreboard — useful, since konbini staff won't correct you, they'll just quietly switch to English.

Quick Answers

Do I need to tip at a konbini? No. Tipping isn't customary in Japan, and it isn't expected at any register, konbini or otherwise.

Will staff speak English? Sometimes, especially in tourist-heavy areas — but the yes/no questions above (bag, heating, receipt, chopsticks) are what you'll actually hear, in Japanese, at nearly every store.

Can I use a foreign credit card? Most konbini accept major international cards and IC transit cards. If you hear 「一括でよろしいでしょうか？」, it's just confirming a single payment — answer 「はい」and you're done.

Practice Before You Fly

None of this requires a big speaking jump — it's a closed loop of maybe eight yes/no questions and their answers, repeated at every store in the country. VoiGu's Japanese course breaks phrases like these into five-minute lessons you can run through before you fly. Pair that with building a daily language habit in the weeks before your trip, and you'll walk into your first Lawson with the register loop already in your mouth — because, by then, you have.

Before you practice the counter questions out loud, try a calm check-in before the konbini lines.

Say the register lines out loud with Gu. iPhone (App Store) and Android · Start Japanese free. Hub: Learn Japanese · next reads: Japanese counters · wa vs ga.