Japanese: Asking If a Package Has Arrived for You
Learn to ask whether a package has arrived for you in Japanese, understand delivery notices and pickup, and use the right particles and polite forms at a counter or on the phone.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you live in Japan or order from a Japanese shop, the key question is often simply whether something has arrived for you. Japanese expresses this with the verb 届く (todoku), which means 'to arrive, to be delivered', and the particle に (ni) to mark the recipient. In this lesson you will learn to ask 'Has a package arrived for me?', understand the answer, and handle the next step: a delivery notice and pickup at a convenience store or delivery office. You will also learn the difference between 届く and 着く (tsuku), which is used for people and trains rather than parcels.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether a package has arrived for me using 届く and に.
- understand and respond to a delivery notice and ask about pickup.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
私に荷物が届いていますか。
Has a package arrived for me?
watashi ni nimotsu ga todoite imasu ka
Neutral-polite and safe in most situations. 私に marks you as the recipient; 荷物 is a general word for a parcel or package.
私宛の荷物は届いていますか。
Has a package addressed to me arrived?
watashi-ate no nimotsu wa todoite imasu ka
宛 (ate) means 'addressed to'. Useful at a front desk or delivery counter when staff need to search by name.
佐藤ですが、荷物が届いていますか。
This is Sato; has a package arrived?
Satō desu ga, nimotsu ga todoite imasu ka
On the phone, give your name first with ですが, then ask. Replace 佐藤 with your own name.
再配達をお願いしたいのですが。
I would like to request redelivery, please.
sai-haitatsu o onegai shitai no desu ga
Use this after a failed delivery. 再配達 means a second delivery attempt. The soft のですが ending makes the request polite.
営業所に取りに行きます。
I will go to the delivery office to pick it up.
eigyōsho ni tori ni ikimasu
取りに行く means 'go to pick up'. 営業所 is the local delivery office; at a convenience store you would say コンビニに取りに行きます.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [person] に [item] が 届く. 届く is intransitive, so the package is the subject marked by が, and the recipient is marked by に: 私に荷物が届きました (watashi ni nimotsu ga todokimashita), 'A package arrived for me.' For a current state, use the ています form: 届いていますか (todoite imasu ka), 'Has it arrived?' Do not use を with 届く; 届ける (todokeru) is the transitive verb meaning 'to deliver something', as in 荷物を届ける (nimotsu o todokeru).
When to use it
Use 届いていますか when you want to know the present state, for example calling a shop: 昨日注文した本が届いていますか (kinō chūmon shita hon ga todoite imasu ka), 'Has the book I ordered yesterday arrived?' If you are standing at a counter, add your name: 山田宛の荷物は届いていますか (Yamada-ate no nimotsu wa todoite imasu ka). For a specific date, use 届きましたか (todokimashita ka), 'Did it arrive?' Both are polite; 届いてる is the casual contraction used with friends.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、私に荷物が届いていますか。
Excuse me, has a package arrived for me?sumimasen, watashi ni nimotsu ga todoite imasu kaお名前は何ですか。
What is your name?o-namae wa nan desu ka林です。昨日届くはずだったのですが。
It's Hayashi. It was supposed to arrive yesterday.Hayashi desu. kinō todoku hazu datta no desu ga林様ですね。こちらに届いています。ご本人確認をお願いします。
Mr./Ms. Hayashi, yes. It has arrived here. May I confirm your identity, please?Hayashi-sama desu ne. kochira ni todoite imasu. go-honnin kakunin o onegai shimasuA little context goes a long way
At a delivery counter, staff may ask for 本人確認 (honnin kakunin, identity confirmation), so bring a residence card, driver's license or health insurance card. If you missed a delivery, you will find a 不在票 (fuzai-hyō, absence notice) with a re-delivery phone number and a pickup location, often a nearby convenience store or 営業所. Calling to request 再配達 is normal and expected, not an imposition.
One thing to watch for
Using 着く for a package: 荷物が着きましたか。
Try this instead: 着く is used for people, trains and times, not parcels. For a package, say 荷物が届きましたか (nimotsu ga todokimashita ka). You may also hear 荷物が来ましたか in casual speech, but 届く is the standard verb for deliveries.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Ask politely whether a package has arrived for you, using 私に and 届く.
Show a sample answer
私に荷物が届いていますか。
This uses 私に for the recipient, 荷物が as the subject and 届いていますか for the present state. 私宛の荷物は届いていますか is also correct and slightly more specific about addressing.
2You missed a delivery. How do you request redelivery politely?
Show a sample answer
再配達をお願いしたいのですが。
再配達 is the standard term for a second delivery attempt, and お願いしたいのですが softens the request. 再配達をお願いします is also correct but more direct.
3What does 営業所 mean in a delivery context, and how would you say you will pick up your package there?
Show a sample answer
It means the local delivery office. 営業所に荷物を取りに行きます。
営業所 is the delivery company's local office. 取りに行きます means 'go to pick up'. At a convenience store, say コンビニに取りに行きます instead.
Ask 私に荷物が届いていますか for 'Has a package arrived for me?', keep 届く for parcels, and use 再配達をお願いしたいのですが when you need a second delivery.
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