Japanese supermarkets are full of useful words that you may not learn from a textbook. You’ll see them on price stickers, signs, food packages, and checkout screens.
In this article, you’ll learn practical Japanese supermarket vocabulary such as 半額 (half price), 賞味期限 (best-before date), and レジ袋 (shopping bag), with natural examples you can actually use while shopping in Japan.
Level: Beginner–Intermediate
Japanese Supermarket Vocabulary
半額（はんがく）
Meaning: half price
半額 means that something is being sold for half of its original price. You’ll often see 半額 stickers on prepared foods, sushi, meat, and other items that supermarkets want to sell before closing or before they get too close to their sell-by date.
Examples:
・このお弁当、半額になってるよ。
This bento is half price.
・閉店前に行ったら、お寿司が半額になっていた。
When I went before closing, the sushi was half price.
値引き（ねびき）
Meaning: discount / price reduction
値引き means that the price of something has been reduced. Unlike 半額, it doesn’t tell you exactly how much cheaper the item is. You might see stickers such as 20円引き or 30%引き instead.
Examples:
・このパン、値引きされてるね。
This bread has been discounted.
・値引きされていたお肉を買った。
I bought some meat that had been marked down.
売り切れ（うりきれ）
Meaning: sold out
売り切れ means that an item has been completely sold and there is none left. You may see it on signs, or hear staff use it when you ask about a product that is no longer available.
Examples:
・この商品は今日はもう売り切れみたい。
It looks like this item is already sold out today.
・人気のお弁当は夕方には売り切れていた。
The popular bento was sold out by the evening.
賞味期限（しょうみきげん）
Meaning: best-before date
賞味期限 tells you how long a food product is expected to keep its best quality when stored properly. It is different from 消費期限, which is used for foods where safety after the date is a bigger concern.
Examples:
・このヨーグルト、賞味期限はいつまで？
What’s the best-before date on this yogurt?
・買う前に賞味期限を確認した。
I checked the best-before date before buying it.
消費期限（しょうひきげん）
Meaning: use-by date / expiration date
消費期限 is commonly used for foods that don’t keep for very long, such as bento, sandwiches, and some prepared foods. It indicates the date by which the food should be consumed if it has been stored as instructed.
Examples:
・お弁当、消費期限が今日までだ。
The use-by date on this bento is today.
・消費期限を見てから冷蔵庫に入れた。
I checked the use-by date before putting it in the fridge.
特売（とくばい）
Meaning: special sale / promotional price
特売 refers to products being sold at a special reduced price, often for a limited time. スーパーの特売 is a common expression, and you’ll often see 特売 on flyers and signs around the store.
Examples:
・今日は卵が特売だよ。
Eggs are on special today.
・特売の野菜をまとめて買った。
I bought several vegetables that were on special.
税込（ぜいこみ）
Meaning: tax included
税込 means that the displayed price already includes consumption tax. You may see both 税込 and 税抜（ぜいぬき） on price labels, so it’s useful to know which number represents the final price you’ll actually pay.
Examples:
・この値段は税込ですか？
Does this price include tax?
・税込で500円くらいだった。
It was about 500 yen including tax.
レジ袋（レジぶくろ）
Meaning: shopping bag / plastic checkout bag
レジ袋 refers to the bags available at the checkout. In many supermarkets, these bags cost a few yen, so staff may ask whether you need one.
Examples:
・レジ袋を一枚お願いします。
One shopping bag, please.
・レジ袋はいりません。
I don’t need a shopping bag.
セルフレジ
Meaning: self-checkout
セルフレジ is a checkout where customers scan and pay for their own items. Some supermarkets also have レジ where staff scan the products but customers use a separate machine to pay.
Examples:
・今日はセルフレジを使った。
I used the self-checkout today.
・セルフレジのほうが空いてるよ。
The self-checkout is less crowded.
品切れ（しなぎれ）
Meaning: out of stock
品切れ means that a product is currently unavailable because the store has run out of stock. It is similar to 売り切れ, but 品切れ often focuses more on the store not currently having the item in stock.
Examples:
・いつも買っている牛乳が品切れだった。
The milk I usually buy was out of stock.
・この商品は現在品切れです。
This item is currently out of stock.
Try It in a Real Conversation
A: このお寿司、半額になってるよ。
(This sushi is half price.)
B: 本当だ。賞味期限は大丈夫？
(You’re right. Is the best-before date okay?)
A: うん、今日までみたい。買って帰ろうか。
(Yeah, it looks like it’s good until today. Should we get it?)
B: いいね。レジ袋はいらないよね？
(Sounds good. We don’t need a shopping bag, right?)
A: うん、エコバッグ持ってきたよ。
(Right. I brought a reusable bag.)
Quick Review
- 半額（はんがく） — half price
- 値引き（ねびき） — discount / price reduction
- 売り切れ（うりきれ） — sold out
- 賞味期限（しょうみきげん） — best-before date
- 消費期限（しょうひきげん） — use-by date / expiration date
- 特売（とくばい） — special sale / promotional price
- 税込（ぜいこみ） — tax included
- レジ袋（レジぶくろ） — shopping bag / plastic checkout bag
- セルフレジ — self-checkout
- 品切れ（しなぎれ） — out of stock
You don’t need to memorize all of them at once. Start by noticing these expressions when you hear or read Japanese, and try using one or two of them the next time you talk about the weather.
