In shops and classrooms, you often point at something and ask a short question. Japanese uses different words for an item near you, an item near the person you are speaking to, and an item far from both of you. This workshop gives you three short speaking tasks. You will read both roles aloud, choose the right reply, and then recall the exchange with the roles swapped. The recordings are your model for every line.
Near, Far, and Over There
Japanese has a set of pointing words that change with distance. One word points to something close to you. Another points to something close to the person you are speaking with. A third points to something far from both of you. The recordings show these words in real questions and answers. «これは私のです。» means the speaker says an item belongs to them. «その本はあなたのですか。» means the speaker asks whether a book belongs to the person they are speaking to. «あれは何ですか。» means the speaker asks what an item far away is. Notice that the pointing word changes with the distance, not with the English word this or that.
Asking and Answering About Price
A common shop exchange starts with a polite call, then a price question. «すみません、この本はいくらですか。» means the speaker politely asks how much a book is. «それは千円です。» means the other person answers that a certain one is one thousand yen. «あれも千円ですか。» means the first speaker asks whether the one over there is also one thousand yen. «いいえ、あれは千五百円です。» means the other person says no, the one over there is one thousand five hundred yen. In this scene, the first speaker asks and the second speaker answers. Keep that order when you practice.
Listen once, then say the phrase yourself. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Checking available voices…
これは私のです。
This is mine.
Kore wa watashi no desu.
その本はあなたのですか。
Is that book yours?
Sono hon wa anata no desu ka.
あれは何ですか。
What is that over there?
Are wa nan desu ka.
この傘はいくらですか。
How much is this umbrella?
Kono kasa wa ikura desu ka.
Read one side aloud, then answer in your own words. The goal is to make the exchange yours.
すみません、この本はいくらですか。
Excuse me, how much is this book?それは千円です。
That one is one thousand yen.あれも千円ですか。
Is that one over there also one thousand yen?いいえ、あれは千五百円です。
No, that one over there is one thousand five hundred yen.Your turn
Try each prompt out loud. Choose a guided start, the full sequence, or a challenge pass after your first attempt.
Guided Shop Exchange
You are a customer in a small shop. Your partner is the staff member. Read the customer lines and the staff lines aloud in order. Use the recordings as your model.
Your task: Read «すみません、この本はいくらですか。» as the customer. Then read «それは千円です。» as the staff member. Then read «あれも千円ですか。» as the customer. Then read «いいえ、あれは千五百円です。» as the staff member. Read the whole exchange twice, then swap roles and read it again.
Choose the Right Reply
You hear a question about a far item. Two replies are possible. Only one matches the question.
Your task: Question: «あれも千円ですか。». Choice A: «いいえ、あれは千五百円です。». Choice B: «それは千円です。». Say the letter of the reply that answers the question about the far item, then read that reply aloud.
Recall and Swap Roles
Cover the recordings. You will rebuild the shop exchange from memory, then swap who speaks first.
Your task: From memory, say the customer's price question, the staff member's answer, the customer's follow-up question about the far item, and the staff member's final answer. Then swap roles: your partner says the customer lines and you say the staff lines.
Common questions
Do I need to know Japanese grammar to use these lines?
No. Treat each recorded line as one whole phrase. Copy the sound and the rhythm first. Later, you can look at how the pointing words change with distance.
Can I practice alone without a partner?
Yes. Play each recording, pause, and repeat the line aloud. Then read both roles yourself. There is no automatic check, so compare your reading with the recording and repeat any line that sounds different.
Sources and further reading
- japanese: using this that these thoseChecked September 2026
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