Japanese course

Lesson 141 of 240

New here? This is lesson 141 of a free 240-lesson Japanese course.

Rent and bills in Japanese

Leo stops at Ono-san's gate with a notebook. Rent day is coming, and the bills on his table still look like a puzzle.

She answers with short polite lines and then goes back to her broom. He keeps asking, and he thanks her with an extra sorry.

You will ask which day rent is due, how to pay bills, and whether the konbini can take them.

Keep it polite. This is a landlady talk, not a chat with friends.

By the end of this lesson

Ask when rent is due and how to pay bills.

  • 家賃(やちん)は毎月(まいつき)何日(なんにち)ですか。Which day of the month is rent due?
  • 口座(こうざ)振替(ふりかえ)はできますか。Can I pay by direct debit?
  • 電気代(でんきだい)はどう払(はら)いますか。How do I pay the electricity bill?
  • コンビニで払(はら)えますか。Can I pay at the convenience store?
  • 管理費(かんりひ)も払(はら)いますか。Do I also pay a management fee?
  • 振込(ふりこみ)でもいいですか。Can I pay by bank transfer?

Scene — at the landlady's gate

The metal staircase is dry this afternoon. Leo stands at Ono-san's gate with his notebook open. She holds a bamboo broom and a ring of keys.

A cat watches from the landing. His small second-floor room waits above, and the bills on his table still need a due date.

Leo stands at Ono-san's gate with his notebook open as Ono-san pauses with her broom and keys beside the dry staircase.

Learn — rent day and bills

These six lines ask when rent is due and how bills get paid.

You will hear due dates, bank debit, the konbini, and a management fee.

  1. Leo raises one hand in a questioning gesture while Ono-san looks up from her broom.

    家賃(やちん)は毎月(まいつき)何日(なんにち)ですか。

    Which day of the month is rent due?

    When to use it: Ask your landlady which day rent is due each month.

    何日 asks for the calendar day, not the amount.

    Say it: Give ん in 家賃 its own beat.

  2. Leo mimes sliding a card with both hands as Ono-san listens at the gate.

    口座(こうざ)振替(ふりかえ)はできますか。

    Can I pay by direct debit?

    When to use it: Ask if you can pay by automatic bank debit.

    は marks the payment method you are asking about.

  3. Leo holds a blank utility envelope above the bills on his small upstairs room table.

    電気代(でんきだい)はどう払(はら)いますか。

    How do I pay the electricity bill?

    When to use it: Ask how to pay the electricity bill, not how much it is.

    どう plus the verb asks how you do that action.

  4. Leo stands in profile at a convenience-store payment machine with a blank slip in hand.

    コンビニで払(はら)えますか。

    Can I pay at the convenience store?

    When to use it: Ask if you can pay a bill at a convenience store.

    で marks the place where the payment happens.

  5. Leo indicates the building as he looks up the staircase, while Ono-san waits at the gate.

    管理費(かんりひ)も払(はら)いますか。

    Do I also pay a management fee?

    When to use it: Ask if a management fee is due on top of rent.

    も means this fee is extra, on top of rent.

  6. Leo offers Ono-san a blank bankbook as she reaches toward it with her keys in hand.

    振込(ふりこみ)でもいいですか。

    Can I pay by bank transfer?

    When to use it: Ask if a bank transfer is an acceptable way to pay.

    でもいいですか asks if that way of paying is all right.

Story — the third, then silence

Leo asks Ono-san about rent day. She says the third and stops.

Highlighted phrases are the new lines. Turn on Show English if you want a gloss.

  1. Leo stops at the gate. Ono-san looks up from her broom.
  2. Leo家賃(やちん)は毎月(まいつき)何日(なんにち)ですか。Which day of the month is rent due?
  3. Ono-san三日(みっか)です。It's the third.
  4. She turns back to the step. Leo still has his notebook open.
  5. Leo口座(こうざ)振替(ふりかえ)はできますか。Can I pay by direct debit?
  6. Ono-sanいいえ、できません。No, you can't.
  7. Leo電気代(でんきだい)はどう払(はら)いますか。How do I pay the electricity bill?
  8. Ono-san用紙(ようし)が届(とど)きます。A payment slip will arrive.
  9. Leoコンビニで払(はら)えますか。Can I pay at the convenience store?
  10. Ono-sanはい、できます。Yes, you can.
  11. Leo管理費(かんりひ)も払(はら)いますか。Do I also pay a management fee?
  12. Ono-sanはい、家賃(やちん)と一緒(いっしょ)です。Yes, it comes with the rent.
  13. Leo振込(ふりこみ)でもいいですか。Can I pay by bank transfer?
  14. Ono-sanはい、いいですよ。Yes, that's fine.
  15. She nods once. Leo bows a little too deep.
  16. Leoすみません。Sorry.
  17. Ono-sanいいえ、大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)ですよ。No, it's fine.
  18. Leoありがとうございます。Thank you.

Practice — pick the right question

Eleven short tasks wait in this round. You will listen, fill a gap, and build a line.

Each one is small, so you move on quickly.

0 of 11 done

  1. What did you hear?

    What did you hear?

  2. Match the pairs

    Japanese

    家賃(やちん)は毎月(まいつき)何日(なんにち)ですか。Drop the English here
    電気代(でんきだい)はどう払(はら)いますか。Drop the English here
    管理費(かんりひ)も払(はら)いますか。Drop the English here

    English

  3. What do you say?

    What do you say?

    You are at Ono-san's gate and need the rent due date, not the amount.

  4. Fill the gap

    Fill the gap

    Can I pay at the convenience store?

    コンビニ____払(はら)えますか。

  5. What does it mean?

    What does it mean?

    電気代(でんきだい)はどう払(はら)いますか。

  6. Pick the reply

    Ono-san says:

    Pick the reply

    家賃(やちん)は三日(みっか)です。管理費(かんりひ)もありますよ。

    Rent is on the third. There's a management fee too.

    And you reply with:

  7. Build the line

    Build the line

    Can I pay by bank transfer?

    。

    Tap the words in order.

  8. Swap the word

    Swap the word

    Ask if you also pay a management fee, on top of rent.

    管理費(かんりひ)____払(はら)いますか。

  9. True or false?

    True or false?

    Leo rents an apartment in Yanaka.

  10. What do you say?

    What do you say?

    You stop at Ono-san's gate and need her attention before the rent questions.

  11. Pick the reply

    Ono-san says:

    Pick the reply

    三日(みっか)です。

    It's the third.

    And you reply with:

Say it — your turn to speak

You are Leo at Ono-san's gate. When the cue is yours, tap the microphone and say the line.

Tap play first if you want to hear it. The recording stays on this device.

  1. Ono-sanはい。Yes.
  2. Leo (you)Ask which day of the month rent is due.

    Ask which day of the month rent is due.

    家賃(やちん)は毎月(まいつき)何日(なんにち)ですか。

    Which day of the month is rent due?

0 of 6 said

Recap — what you can say now

Every line from this lesson
JapaneseEnglishPlay
家賃(やちん)は毎月(まいつき)何日(なんにち)ですか。Which day of the month is rent due?
口座(こうざ)振替(ふりかえ)はできますか。Can I pay by direct debit?
電気代(でんきだい)はどう払(はら)いますか。How do I pay the electricity bill?
コンビニで払(はら)えますか。Can I pay at the convenience store?
管理費(かんりひ)も払(はら)いますか。Do I also pay a management fee?
振込(ふりこみ)でもいいですか。Can I pay by bank transfer?
Next: lesson 142Street food stall

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Keep these rent and bill lines in your pocket. Open the Yak Cards for this lesson and run them on the train.

A short Yak Cards round before rent day keeps the questions ready at the gate.

Open Yak Cards