パン屋
pan'ya[pã̠ɰ̃ja̠]
The Japanese word for baker is パン屋 (pan'ya). It is also spelled パン屋さん (pan'ya-san).
Meaning: person who bakes and sells bread, etc (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| パン屋 | pan'ya | [pã̠ɰ̃ja̠] (narrow) | |
| パン屋さん | pan'ya-san | [pã̠ɰ̃ja̠sã̠ɴ] (narrow) | alternative form |
The term パン屋 can refer to both the person who bakes the bread and the physical bakery shop itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of パン (pan), meaning bread and 屋 (ya), meaning shop or person of a certain trade.
Which one should you use?
パン屋 is the standard form, while パン屋さん is an alternative spelling.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Adding the honorific suffix さん to create パン屋さん makes the term more polite and is very common when speaking about a specific baker or shop in a friendly or respectful manner. Conversely, using パン屋の人 is an informal way to refer to a baker.
How do you pronounce it?
pan'ya
Did you know?
- The word for bread, パン, actually comes from the Portuguese word 'pão' brought to Japan by traders in the 16th century.
- It is common for a パン屋 to sell 'curry bread' カレーパン, which is a deep-fried dough bun filled with savory curry.
- While パン屋 refers to the baker, a professional pastry chef who specializes in high-end cakes and tarts is often called a パティシエ, borrowed from the French 'pâtissier'.
Examples in context
- 私はパン屋です。I'm a baker.This sentence is useful for stating your profession using パン屋.Tatoeba #159077 by tommy_san, translation #255449 by CK
- 市役所前のパン屋さんが値上げしてた。The baker in front of City Hall increased his prices.This sentence is useful for describing an action taken by a パン屋.Tatoeba #3452001 by tommy_san, translation #4717629 by xorgy
- あのパン屋のクロワッサンは最高だ。ano panya no kurowassan wa saikou da.The croissants from that baker are the best.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Misaki are walking down a street.
- 大翔 Hirotoあそこに新しいパン屋があるね。asoko ni atarashii panya ga aru ne.There's a new baker over there.
- 美咲 Misaki本当だ！いい匂いがするよ。hontou da! ii nioi ga suru yo.You're right! It smells great.
- 大翔 Hiroto何か買ってみない？nanika katte minai?Do you want to try buying something?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、行こう！un, ikou!Yeah, let's go!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “baker” translations and entries パン屋, パン屋さん, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries パン屋, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
