The people and products in a drugstore
A Japanese drugstore can feel like a supermarket, a cosmetics shop and a pharmacy in one building. The roles matter: pharmacists and registered sellers handle medicine questions, and other staff keep the shop running.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 薬剤師 | yakuzaishi | Pharmacist |
| 登録販売者 | tōroku hanbaisha | Registered seller of over-the-counter medicines |
| 医薬品 | iyakuhin | Medicines |
| 処方箋 | shohōsen | Prescription |
| 調剤 | chōzai | Dispensing |
| 化粧品 | keshōhin | Cosmetics |
| 日用品 | nichiyōhin | Daily necessities |
| 品出し | shinadashi | Stocking shelves |
Stocking shelves and checking stock
Much of the job is stocking. Instructions focus on where products go, which dates go to the front, and what is in the backroom.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 品出しをお願いします。 | Shinadashi o onegai shimasu. | Please stock the shelves. |
| 賞味期限の近いものを前に出してください。 | Shōmi kigen no chikai mono o mae ni dashite kudasai. | Put items with the nearest best-before date at the front. |
| 在庫はバックヤードにあります。 | Zaiko wa bakkuyādo ni arimasu. | The stock is in the backroom. |
| この商品の棚はどこですか。 | Kono shōhin no tana wa doko desu ka. | Which shelf does this product go on? |
| 値札が違っています。 | Nefuda ga chigatte imasu. | The price tag is wrong. |
Helping customers find things
Customers ask where things are, whether you have them and when they will come in. Walking the customer to the shelf is more helpful than pointing, and the polite phrases for it are short.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何かお探しですか。 | Nanika o-sagashi desu ka. | Can I help you find something? |
| ご案内します。 | Go-annai shimasu. | Let me show you. |
| 日焼け止めは、こちらの棚にございます。 | Hiyakedome wa, kochira no tana ni gozaimasu. | Sunscreen is on this shelf. |
| 在庫を確認してまいります。 | Zaiko o kakunin shite mairimasu. | I will go and check our stock. |
| 申し訳ございません、ただいま品切れです。 | Mōshiwake gozaimasen, tadaima shinagire desu. | I am sorry, it is out of stock right now. |
| 入荷は来週の予定です。 | Nyūka wa raishū no yotei desu. | We expect it in next week. |
Handing medicine questions to the pharmacist
When a customer asks which medicine to take, whether two medicines can be combined, or describes symptoms, the question belongs to the pharmacist or a registered seller. Hand it over even if you think you know the answer.
This is the rule, not a judgement on your Japanese, and customers expect it. Saying it smoothly and politely is the skill.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お薬のご相談は、薬剤師がお受けします。 | O-kusuri no go-sōdan wa, yakuzaishi ga o-uke shimasu. | Our pharmacist can advise you about medicines. |
| ただいま薬剤師をお呼びします。 | Tadaima yakuzaishi o o-yobi shimasu. | I will call the pharmacist now. |
| 私からはご説明できませんので、少々お待ちください。 | Watashi kara wa go-setsumei dekimasen node, shōshō o-machi kudasai. | I am not able to explain that, so please wait a moment. |
| 処方箋のお薬は、あちらのカウンターです。 | Shohōsen no o-kusuri wa, achira no kauntā desu. | Prescription medicines are at that counter over there. |
| 薬剤師は何時までいますか。 | Yakuzaishi wa nanji made imasu ka. | Until what time is the pharmacist here? (customer) |
At the register
Register work is a sequence of fixed questions. In tourist areas, tax-free procedures are common too, and the store will train you in its own steps.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ポイントカードはお持ちですか。 | Pointo kādo wa o-mochi desu ka. | Do you have a points card? |
| レジ袋はご利用ですか。 | Reji-bukuro wa go-riyō desu ka. | Would you like a bag? |
| 袋は有料です。 | Fukuro wa yūryō desu. | There is a charge for bags. |
| お支払いはどうなさいますか。 | O-shiharai wa dō nasaimasu ka. | How would you like to pay? |
| 免税のお手続きはこちらです。 | Menzei no o-tetsuzuki wa kochira desu. | Tax-free procedures are handled here. |
If a customer is unwell
Occasionally a customer becomes unwell in the store. Your job is to check on them, call a senior member of staff and, if it looks serious, offer to call an ambulance, following your store's procedure.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大丈夫ですか。 | Daijōbu desu ka. | Are you all right? |
| 救急車を呼びましょうか。 | Kyūkyūsha o yobimashō ka. | Shall I call an ambulance? |
| すぐに責任者を呼んできます。 | Sugu ni sekininsha o yonde kimasu. | I will get the manager right away. |
| こちらに座ってお待ちください。 | Kochira ni suwatte o-machi kudasai. | Please sit here and wait. |
Unihongo's Describe Symptoms at a Clinic mission is useful even for shop work, because it trains you to understand the words people use when they say how they feel.