The core idea: one card, two touches
An IC card, said ai-shī kādo, is a prepaid wallet with a chip. Transit cards are kōtsū-kei IC kādo, literally transport-type IC cards, which separates them from credit cards and shop e-money. Suica and PASMO are the familiar Tokyo examples; other regions have their own, and the main ones work on each other's train networks.
At the gate you touch the reader, the pad on the right-hand side as you walk in, and hold the card flat for a moment. The first touch, at nyūjō (入場), literally entering the grounds, records your station and checks your balance. The second, at shutsujō (出場), leaving, calculates the fare and deducts it. The display shows the balance each time. If the gate beeps, one of the two touches has failed, and the voice or display says which in a few fixed lines.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| もう一度ふれてください。 | Mō ichido furete kudasai. | Please touch the reader again. |
| 入場記録がありません。 | Nyūjō kiroku ga arimasen. | There is no entry record. |
| 係員にお申し出ください。 | Kakariin ni omōshide kudasai. | Please speak to a member of staff. |
Words on the card, the machine and the display
Most of these words are printed rather than spoken, so aim to recognise them at a glance. Two words for balance live side by side: zandaka (残高), remaining sum, is what people say, and zangaku (残額), remaining amount, is what many gate displays print. They mean the same.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 交通系ICカード | kōtsū-kei IC kādo | Transit IC card |
| 残高 | zandaka | Balance, the everyday word |
| 残額 | zangaku | Balance, common on gate displays |
| チャージ | chāji | Top-up |
| 改札 | kaisatsu | Ticket gate |
| 有人改札 | yūjin kaisatsu | Staffed gate window |
| 乗り越し精算機 | norikoshi seisanki | Fare adjustment machine |
| 不足額 | fusokugaku | Amount short |
| 履歴 | rireki | Usage history |
Topping up: chāji at a machine or a register
Station ticket machines and dedicated top-up machines both take IC cards: press chāji, insert or place the card, choose an amount and feed in cash. Amounts usually go up in thousands of yen, a card holds at most 20,000 yen, and station top-ups are generally cash only. Convenience stores top up at the register too. Say the amount, hand over the cash and leave the card on the reader until the assistant says it is done.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| チャージお願いします。 | Chāji onegai shimasu. | A top-up, please. |
| 残高を確認したいんですが。 | Zandaka o kakunin shitain desu ga. | I'd like to check my balance. |
| 三千円チャージでお願いします。 | Sanzen-en chāji de onegai shimasu. | Three thousand yen top-up, please. |
| おいくらチャージされますか。 | Oikura chāji saremasu ka. | How much would you like to top up? |
| チャージは現金のみになります。 | Chāji wa genkin nomi ni narimasu. | Top-ups are cash only. |
| カードをこちらに置いたままお待ちください。 | Kādo o kochira ni oita mama omachi kudasai. | Please leave the card here and wait. |
When the gate closes: zandaka fusoku and the fare adjustment machine
The commonest stop is at the exit: you rode further than the balance covers. The gate gives a long beep, closes its flaps and shows your balance. Step back and look for the norikoshi seisanki (乗り越し精算機), literally ride-over settling machine, just inside the exit gates. Insert the card and the screen shows the fusokugaku, the amount short.
Most machines then offer two choices. Seisan settles the shortfall: you pay exactly what is missing, and some machines label this as topping up the shortfall. Chāji adds a round sum, and the gate takes the fare from it. Either way, touch the gate again and it opens. Button wording differs between railway companies, so read for those two words.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 精算機はどこですか。 | Seisanki wa doko desu ka. | Where is the fare adjustment machine? |
| 残高が足りなかったみたいです。 | Zandaka ga tarinakatta mitai desu. | It looks like my balance wasn't enough. |
| いくら足りないですか。 | Ikura tarinai desu ka. | How much am I short? |
| 精算機でチャージしてから、もう一度タッチしてください。 | Seisanki de chāji shite kara, mō ichido tatchi shite kudasai. | Top up at the machine, then touch the gate again. |
Talking to the attendant at the staffed gate
Anything a machine cannot fix goes to the yūjin kaisatsu (有人改札), literally the manned ticket gate, usually a window at the end of the row. Typical cases: the exit gate says there is no entry record because your first touch did not register; the card does not react at all; or you walked through a gate that had not read you. The attendant checks the card on a reader and settles the fare. A missed touch you report is not treated as fare dodging, so simply explain. At many Tokyo-area stations the window cannot top up cards, so for a plain shortage use the machine.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| すみません、出られないんですが。 | Sumimasen, derarenain desu ga. | Excuse me, I can't get out. |
| 入るときにタッチし忘れました。 | Hairu toki ni tatchi shiwasuremashita. | I forgot to touch in when I entered. |
| カードが反応しないんです。 | Kādo ga hannō shinain desu. | My card isn't reacting. |
| どちらの駅から乗られましたか。 | Dochira no eki kara noraremashita ka. | Which station did you board at? |
| 新宿駅から乗りました。 | Shinjuku-eki kara norimashita. | I got on at Shinjuku Station. |
| カードをお預かりします。 | Kādo o oazukari shimasu. | I'll take your card for a moment. |
Confusable pairs: chāji or seisan, norikoshi or norikae
Several station words differ by a single element, and mixing them up sends you to the wrong place or the wrong button.
| Word | Reading | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| チャージ | chāji | Add money to the card for later |
| 精算 | seisan | Settle a fare you already owe |
| 乗り越し | norikoshi | Riding past the station you paid for |
| 乗り換え | norikae | Changing trains |
| 入場 | nyūjō | Touching in: entering the paid area |
| 出場 | shutsujō | Touching out: leaving it |
| タッチ | tatchi | Touch the reader and hold briefly |
| かざす | kazasu | Hold over a reader without touching |
Seisan is literally precise reckoning: settling to the exact yen. Nyūjō and shutsujō are written words; in speech people say hairu and deru. Kazasu appears on many shop readers, but gates read most reliably with a flat touch. Buying paper tickets, finding platforms and changing lines belong to our general guide to train stations; this post stays at the gate.
Paying in shops, vending machines and lockers
The same card pays at convenience stores, many vending machines, coin lockers and some restaurants. Signs say kōtsū-kei denshi manē, transport e-money, or simply kōtsū-kei IC. At the register the assistant asks how you are paying; customers usually answer with the card's name plus de, as in Suica de, or with kōtsū-kei de. If the balance is short, some registers can take the rest in cash and others ask you to top up first. Practice varies by chain.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お支払い方法はいかがなさいますか。 | Oshiharai hōhō wa ikaga nasaimasu ka. | How would you like to pay? |
| 交通系でお願いします。 | Kōtsū-kei de onegai shimasu. | By transit card, please. |
| こちらにタッチしてください。 | Kochira ni tatchi shite kudasai. | Please touch it here. |
| 残高が足りないようです。 | Zandaka ga tarinai yō desu. | It seems the balance isn't enough. |
| 足りない分は現金で払えますか。 | Tarinai bun wa genkin de haraemasu ka. | Can I pay the rest in cash? |
Beyond the basics: areas, refunds and lost cards
A few rules sit behind the everyday touch. They differ between cards and companies, so treat these as the common pattern and check the details for your own card.
Area borders: IC fares work within each IC area, and one trip usually cannot cross into another. If the gate will not let you out at such a border, settle at the staffed window. Entry balance: in the Tokyo area you need at least the minimum fare to enter, while some western companies let you in with any positive balance.
Deposit and refund: a standard card carries a 500-yen deposit, depojitto, and a refund, haraimodoshi, returns the deposit and the balance, usually minus a handling fee. Lost cards: a registered card, kimei-shiki, can usually be stopped and reissued, saihakkō; an unregistered one, mukimei, is treated like cash. At the window, these are the lines you need.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 払い戻しをお願いします。 | Haraimodoshi o onegai shimasu. | I'd like a refund, please. |
| カードをなくしてしまいました。 | Kādo o nakushite shimaimashita. | I've lost my card. |
Common mistakes at IC gates
Keeping two IC cards in one pass case. The cause is convenience: one wallet, one touch. The gate may read the wrong card, or both. Touch with a single card.
Swiping past the reader. The cause is the word kazasu and the speed of the commuters around you. Hold the card flat on the reader until you hear the short beep.
Walking through after a failed touch. The flaps can be slow, so people pass anyway. The card then has no exit record and the next entry fails. Go to the staffed gate straight away.
Expecting to enter with a few yen left. The cause is experience in western Japan, where some companies allow it. The rule follows the railway company, not the card, and Tokyo-area gates want the minimum fare.
Asking the staffed window for a top-up. It seems natural that a person can do what a machine does, but at many Tokyo-area stations they cannot. Use a machine, then come back if the gate still refuses you.