hundredwords

What will they ask me when I buy a SIM card and a Suica at Haneda airport?

Expect to hear 何日間ですか？ (nannichi-kan desu ka, "For how many days?"), チャージはいくらにしますか？ (chāji wa ikura ni shimasu ka, "How much do you want to top up?"). Useful things to say: こんにちは。 (konnichiwa, "Hello") and SIMカードはありますか？ (SIM kādo wa arimasu ka, "Do you have SIM cards?").

The whole conversation: Landing at Haneda airport

You come through arrivals at Haneda and pick up a data SIM and a Suica card before the train into the city.

  1. You say
    こんにちは。 konnichiwa Hello.
  2. You say
    SIMカードはありますか？ SIM kādo wa arimasu ka Do you have SIM cards?

    Point at anything and add "arimasu ka?" to ask if they have it.

  3. You hear
    何日間ですか？ nannichi-kan desu ka For how many days?
  4. You say
    五日間です。 itsuka-kan desu Five days.

    Day counts are irregular: three days is mikka, five is itsuka, seven is nanoka. Holding up fingers works too.

  5. You hear
    パスポートをお願いします。 pasupōto o onegai shimasu Your passport, please.
  6. You say
    Suicaをください。 Suika o kudasai A Suica card, please.

    Suica is the tap card for trains, buses and convenience stores. On an iPhone you can add one to Apple Wallet instead.

  7. You hear
    チャージはいくらにしますか？ chāji wa ikura ni shimasu ka How much do you want to top up?
  8. You say
    三千円お願いします。 sanzen-en onegai shimasu 3,000 yen, please.

Tokyo ear: staff speak very polite shop Japanese (keigo), full of o- and go- in front of words and long endings like de gozaimasu. You do not need to speak it back. Simple polite Japanese with desu and kudasai is perfect.

Is this what people really say here?

Questions about this scene

What will they ask me when I buy a SIM card and a Suica at Haneda airport?

Expect to hear 何日間ですか？ (nannichi-kan desu ka, "For how many days?"), チャージはいくらにしますか？ (chāji wa ikura ni shimasu ka, "How much do you want to top up?"). Useful things to say: こんにちは。 (konnichiwa, "Hello") and SIMカードはありますか？ (SIM kādo wa arimasu ka, "Do you have SIM cards?").

What does "何日間ですか？" mean in Japanese?

It means "For how many days?". It is pronounced nannichi-kan desu ka. A natural reply is 五日間です。 (itsuka-kan desu), "Five days".

What does "チャージはいくらにしますか？" mean in Japanese?

It means "How much do you want to top up?". It is pronounced chāji wa ikura ni shimasu ka. A natural reply is 三千円お願いします。 (sanzen-en onegai shimasu), "3,000 yen, please".