買いました
kaimashita
In Japanese, "I bought" is expressed as 買いました (kaimashita).
This phrase is a statement used to say that the speaker purchased something in the past.
Which one should you use?
買いました (kaimashita) is the standard polite form, while 買った (katta) is the casual version. 買っちゃった is a colloquial and expressive way of saying "I bought" that conveys excitement or regret.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Osaka dialect, the regional variation 買ってもうた is used to say "I bought".
How does it change in a sentence?
買いました (kaimashita) is the polite form used in standard conversation. The informal version is 買った (katta).
How do you pronounce it?
kaimashita
Did you know?
- The verb for 'to buy' is used in the phrase 買い被る (kaikaburu), which literally means 'to buy and cover' but figuratively means to overestimate someone's value or abilities.
- The spoken word 買った (katta) sounds identical to the word for 'won' (勝った). Without seeing the kanji or hearing the context, a listener cannot tell if the speaker made a purchase or won a game.
- While 買いました (kaimashita) is a complete sentence, Japanese speakers almost always omit the pronoun for 'I'. Including 'I' (私は) can actually sound unnatural or overly emphatic to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- 昨日買いました。I bought it yesterday.This sentence is useful for saying when you bought something using 買いました.Tatoeba #169840 by bunbuku, translation #244646 by CK
- 家を買いました。I bought a house.This sentence is useful for saying what you bought using 買いました.Tatoeba #11263495 by small_snow, translation #2299523 by CK
- 私は本を買いました。I bought a book.Tatoeba #152793 by bunbuku, translation #256043 by CK
- 昨日、新しい本を買いました。Yesterday, I bought a new book.
- 私は先週、新しい車を買いました。Last week, I bought a new car.
- すごいセールだったから、つい買っちゃった！It was such a great sale, so I couldn't resist buying it!
- 49 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are talking about their recent shopping trips.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さんは何を買いましたか？Misaki-san wa nani o kaimashita ka?What did you buy, Misaki?
- 美咲 Misaki可愛い服を買いました。Kawaii fuku o kaimashita.I bought some cute clothes.
- 陽太 Yotaいいですね！僕は時計を買いました。Ii desu ne! Boku wa tokei o kaimashita.That's nice! I bought a watch.
- 美咲 Misaki素敵ですね、陽太さん。Suteki desu ne, Yota-san.That sounds lovely, Yota.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
