Going to the Bank

1. Vocabulary List

2. Grammar & Sentences

〜を開く — "To open (an account)"

開く (hiraku) — to open — is used for opening shops, flowers, and bank accounts.

• Example: 口座を開きます。(Kōza wo hirakimasu.) — "She will open a bank account."
• Example: 花屋は朝九時に開きます。(Hanaya wa asa kuji ni hirakimasu.) — "The flower shop will be open at 9am."
• Note: 花屋 = what a shop sells (花) + 屋 → "a flower shop"

〜たいんですが — Politely stating a wish

A softened, polite form of 〜たいです used when making requests at service counters.

• Structure: [Verb stem] + たいんですが
• Example: すみません、口座を開きたいんですが。(Sumimasen, kōza wo hirakitain desu ga.) — "Excuse me, I would like to open a bank account."

〜を送る — "To send"

送る (okuru) — to send — used for money, emails, and parcels.

• Example: 友だちにメールを送ります。(Tomodachi ni meeru wo okurimasu.) — "I will send an email to a friend."
• Example: 月に一回家族にお金をおくります。(Tsuki ni ikkai kazoku ni okane wo okurimasu.) — "I will send money to my family once a month."

〜とき — "When / at the time of"

Used to connect two actions, meaning "when (X happens), (Y)".

• Structure: [Verb dictionary form] + とき、[result]
• Example: ぎん行に行くとき、はんこを持っていきます。(Ginkō ni iku toki, hanko wo motte ikimasu.) — "I will take my seal when I go to the bank."
• Example: 口座を開くとき、何をじゅんびしますか。(Kōza wo hiraku toki, nani wo junbi shimasu ka.) — "What do I need to prepare to open a bank account?"
• Example: お金を送るとき、手すう料をはらいます。(Okane wo okuru toki, tesūryō wo haraimasu.) — "When you send money, you will pay a commission."

〜があれば — "If I have / If there is"

Conditional ば form of ある (aru), meaning "if (X) exists/is available".

• Example: 口座があれば、家族にお金をおくれます。(Kōza ga areba, kazoku ni okane wo okuremasu.) — "If I have a bank account, I will be able to send money to my family."

3. Culture Note: はんこ (Personal Seal)

はんこ（判子） or いんかん（印鑑） are Japanese personal seals used instead of signatures on official documents.

• A person's surname is engraved on the はんこ.
• Used to stamp important documents such as bank or house contracts.
• You can have your own はんこ made at a はんこ shop.
• When opening a bank account, you typically bring your はんこ and パスポート.

4. Sentence Examples

• 明日銀行に行きます。(Ashita ginkō ni ikimasu.) — "I will go to the bank tomorrow."
• 新しいゲームに五千円はらいました。(Atarashii gēmu ni gosen en haraimashita.) — "She paid 5,000 yen for a new game."
• 手すう料は五百三十円です。(Tesūryō wa gohyaku sanjū en desu.) — "The commission is 530 yen."
• 手すう料をはらいます。(Tesūryō wo haraimasu.) — "She will pay a commission."
• はんことパスポートを持って行きます。(Hanko to pasupōto wo motte ikimasu.) — "You will bring your seal and passport."

5. Learning Context

• Topic: Banking vocabulary and everyday money transactions in Japan
• Culture Note: はんこ (personal seal) replaces signatures in Japan — required for official bank and legal documents. Always bring it when visiting a Japanese bank.
• Grammar Focus: 〜たいんですが for polite requests; 〜とき for "when"; 〜があれば for "if I have"; 送る for sending money/messages

6. Progress Tracker