店
[mʲise̞]
The Japanese word 店 (mise) means a place of business where goods or services are sold to customers.
店 is a general term used to refer to a wide variety of establishments. It can be used for small retail shops, boutiques or restaurants.
Did you know?
- Some traditional shops use the term mise to refer not just to the business, but to the entire family lineage and the ancestral 'house' that runs the trade.
- The word 店 is a shortened version of misedana, which combined the verb miseru meaning 'to show' with tana meaning 'shelf'.
- In many contexts, if you simply use the word 店 without any qualifiers, Japanese speakers will assume you are talking about a restaurant rather than a retail shop.
Examples in context
- この店はとても有名です。Kono mise wa totemo yuumei desu.This shop is very famous.
- 近くにいい店があります。Chikaku ni ii mise ga arimasu.There is a good shop nearby.
- 新しい店を開きました。Atarashii mise o hirakimashita.I opened a new shop.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are walking downtown.
- 結衣 Yuiあのお店で買い物をしましょう。Ano omise de kaimono o shimashou.Let's shop at that store.
- 健太 Kentaいいですね。何のお店ですか。Ii desu ne. Nan no mise desu ka.Sounds good. What kind of shop is it?
- 結衣 Yuiかわいい服のお店です。Kawaii fuku no mise desu.It's a cute clothing store.
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、一緒に行きましょう。Jaa, issho ni ikimashou.Then, let's go together.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 店, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 店, CC BY-SA 4.0.
