SpaceDaily life · Paying
How to ask “Can I pay by card?” in JapaneseA short conversation at the register, from the total to the receipt
Many shops in Japan take cards, but not all of them. One short question before you pay saves you from guessing. This article walks through a real exchange at a café register.
· 4 min read
Start with this line
カードは使えますか？
Kādo wa tsukaemasu ka? — Can I use a card?
To ask about something else, replace カード (card) with what you want to use.
What you hear first: the total
At the register, staff tell you the total with お会計は〜円です (o-kaikei wa … en desu), “That will be … yen.” In the lesson, it is お会計は650円です。 (roppyaku gojū en, 650 yen).
Numbers go by quickly. If you miss the amount, it is usually shown on the register’s screen too, so don’t worry about catching every digit.
The whole conversation
Space’s “Pay by card” lesson is this short exchange between the staff and a customer. Read it once with the English, then try saying the customer’s lines.
Staffお会計は650円です。O-kaikei wa roppyaku gojū en desu.
That will be 650 yen.
Youカードは使えますか？Kādo wa tsukaemasu ka?
Can I use a card?
Staffはい、使えます。こちらにタッチしてください。Hai, tsukaemasu. Kochira ni tatchi shite kudasai.
Yes, you can. Please tap it here.
Youこれで大丈夫ですか？Kore de daijōbu desu ka?
Is that okay?
Staffはい、大丈夫です。レシートはご利用ですか？Hai, daijōbu desu. Reshīto wa go-riyō desu ka?
Yes, that’s fine. Would you like a receipt?
Youいえ、けっこうです。Ie, kekkō desu.
No, thank you.
The romanized readings are added for this article. In the lesson, you read each line in Japanese with its English translation.
LISTEN & TRY
Hear the conversation
This is the same audio as the Space lesson, about fifteen seconds long. Listen once, then play it again and say the customer’s lines along with it.
If the audio doesn’t play here, you can still read and hear the conversation in the lesson below.
Ask about how you want to pay
The question has two parts you can reuse: the thing you want to use, and は使えますか？ (wa tsukaemasu ka?), “can I use…?”
- カード (kādo) — a card. To be specific, say クレジットカード (kurejitto kādo, credit card).
- は (wa) — marks what you are asking about.
- 使えますか？ (tsukaemasu ka?) — can it be used?
The same pattern works for other ways to pay, such as 交通系ICカードは使えますか？ (Kōtsūkei aishī kādo wa tsukaemasu ka?), asking about a transit card. Which ones a shop accepts is up to the shop.
When the staff say タッチしてください
こちらにタッチしてください (kochira ni tatchi shite kudasai) means “please tap it here”. Hold your card or phone to the reader. If you aren’t sure it worked, これで大丈夫ですか？ (kore de daijōbu desu ka?), “Is that okay?”, is an easy way to check.
Sometimes you’ll be asked to insert the card and enter a PIN instead. Follow the screen or the staff’s gestures.
Saying yes or no to a receipt
- いえ、けっこうです。 (Ie, kekkō desu.) — No, thank you. A polite way to turn something down.
- はい、お願いします。 (Hai, onegaishimasu.) — Yes, please.
けっこうです can also mean “that’s fine” in other situations, so say it with いえ (ie, no) to make it clear you are declining.
Practice one line at a time
- Listen to the conversation once.
- Say カードは使えますか？ along with the audio.
- When that feels easy, add いえ、けっこうです。 for the receipt.
You don’t need to memorize the staff’s lines. Knowing roughly what they mean is enough to answer.
The conversation and its audio come from Space’s published lesson. The extra phrases and romanized readings are added for this article and have no audio. Payment methods and what staff say differ from shop to shop.