Learn about asking for discounts
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| Today’s phrase is related to the phrase how much which in Japanese is Ikura desu ka?. The quick and dirty version of that of course is Ikura. Now for all you shoppers out there, we are going to teach you something extra special today that’s going to come in really handy. It’s the phrase for please do better than that. Do you have a better price for that? The Japanese is Makete kudasai. Ma-ke-te-ku-da-sa-i. Altogether it’s Makete kudasai. Let me explain the nuance behind all this. It’s not only asking for a discount in price. It’s also saying hey! Can you strew in a little bit more? Can you do me a little favor you know, can you throw me a bone here. So you might actually get a discount or not but you might get an extra trinket here and there. |
| You never know what to expect and that’s the great thing about it. It’s not very customary to bargain in Japan. You don’t walk into a posh department store and say Makete kudasai. That would be a little bit freaky. At flea markets or open air markets, you can always go around and see what they can do for you. Remember to smile and say Makete kudasai. Say it gently, say it softly, say it friendly, be smooth, be soft. And hey, you never know, if you do get something, be sure to let us know. You will have to give us half of what you get. |
| So now that we’ve got that covered, it’s time for Sachiko secret. Now when you are at my hometown of Osaka, there is a great phrase you can use. Now Osaka people are historically merchants. Now people from Osaka are historically merchants. So they like to get down to the nitty-gritty. They don’t waste time with formalities and subtleties and what have you. They just get right down to it and you can say, Makete kurenka. That’s the Osaka dialect for Makete kudasai which means hey, give me a break. Give me discount. We will try that again. It’s Makete kurenka. You will notice the rhythmical, musical sound to it. That’s how Osaka-ben is spoken Makete kurenka. Ma-ke-te-ku-re-n-ka. |
| The last word is actually extended Makete kurenka. all right. So all you people traveling to Osaka, give it a shot and let us know. Please do better in standard Japanese. Ma-ke-te-ku-da-sa-i. Makete kudasai. All right, now the next one is the Osaka dialect. The Osaka dialect for give me a break is I can’t hear you. You’ve got to say it with a lot of emotion, come on. Makete kurenka. Ma-ke-te-ku-re-n-ka. Makete kurenka. Be sure to make it rhythmical. All right. That’s going to do it for today. See you later which in Japanese is Matane. |
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