Discovering Local Services

1. Vocabulary List

Japanese	Romaji	English
クリーニング	kurīningu	dry cleaning
不動さん（ふどうさん）	fudō-san	property
はんこ	hanko	Japanese personal seal
クリーニング屋（クリーニングや）	kurīningu-ya	dry cleaner's
不動さん屋（ふどうさんや）	fudō-san-ya	estate agency
はんこ屋（はんこや）	hanko-ya	Japanese personal seal shop
本屋（ほんや）	hon-ya	bookshop
文ぼうぐ屋（ぶんぼうぐや）	bunbōgu-ya	stationery shop
がんばり屋（がんばりや）	ganbari-ya	hard worker
さびしがり屋（さびしがりや）	sabishigari-ya	someone who doesn't like being alone
手数料（てすうりょう）	tesūryō	commission / fee
押す（おす）	osu	to stamp / to press
送る（おくる）	okuru	to send

Adding 屋（や） after a product or service creates the name of the shop or company that provides it.

Base word	Meaning	+ 屋	Meaning
クリーニング	dry cleaning	クリーニング屋	dry cleaner's
不動さん	property	不動さん屋	estate agency
はんこ	personal seal	はんこ屋	personal seal shop
本	book	本屋	bookshop
文ぼうぐ	stationery	文ぼうぐ屋	stationery shop
引っこし	moving (house)	引っこし屋	moving company

Review: We learned 屋 with moving companies in Chapter 9. The same pattern applies to all shops and services.

Adding さん after 屋 shows respect or affection for the shop. This is common in casual speech.

Structure: [Service] + 屋さん
Key Phrase: 今日の朝、クリーニング屋さんに行ったよ。(Kyō no asa, kurīningu-ya-san ni itta yo.) — "I went to the dry cleaner's this morning."

屋 is also used to describe personal characteristics — the kind of person someone is.

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
がんばり屋	ganbari-ya	a hard worker
さびしがり屋	sabishigari-ya	someone who doesn't like being alone

Example: 田中さんはがんばり屋です。(Tanaka-san wa ganbari-ya desu.) — "Ms Tanaka is a hard worker."

Japanese	Romaji	English
クリーニング屋は朝八時からです。	Kurīningu-ya wa asa hachi-ji kara desu.	The dry cleaner's opens at 8 am.
この近くにいい不動さん屋はありますか。	Kono chikaku ni ii fudō-san-ya wa arimasu ka.	Is there a good estate agency near here?
あの不動さん屋で、いいアパートを見ましたよ。	Ano fudō-san-ya de, ii apāto o mimashita yo.	I saw a nice apartment at that estate agency.
はんこ屋に行って、はんこを作る。	Hanko-ya ni itte, hanko o tsukuru.	I'll get my personal seal made at a Japanese personal seal shop.
クリーニング屋でアルバイトをしようと思っています。	Kurīningu-ya de arubaito o shiyō to omotteimasu.	I think I'll work part-time at the dry cleaner's.
ここにはんこを押して、不動さん屋に送ってください。	Koko ni hanko o oshite, fudō-san-ya ni okutte kudasai.	Please stamp your seal here and send it to the estate agency.
マンションを借りるとき、不動さん屋に手数料をはらいます。	Manshon o kariru toki, fudō-san-ya ni tesūryō o haraimasu.	When renting an apartment, you pay commission to an estate agency.

Topic: Local shops and services in Japan; the 屋 suffix for shop names and personality types
Key Structures: [Service/product] + 屋 (shop name); 屋さん (respectful/affectionate form); 屋 for personality descriptions
Key Distinction: クリーニング屋 (the shop) vs クリーニング屋さん (same shop, but warmer/more casual tone)
Cultural Note: はんこ（判子） — A personal stamp used instead of a handwritten signature in Japan. Needed for official documents such as bank account opening, apartment rental contracts, and job applications. Getting one made at a はんこ屋 is one of the first steps when settling into life in Japan.