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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/ja-souvenir

How do you tell a clerk 'I'd like a souvenir of Hokkaido'?

Hokkaidoo no omiyage ga hoshiin desu ga. (北海道のお土産が欲しいんですが。)

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  1. Hokkaidoo no omiyage wa ikura desu ka. (北海道のお土産はいくらですか。)
  2. Hokkaidoo no omiyage ga hoshiin desu ga. (北海道のお土産が欲しいんですが。) ✔
  3. Hokkaidoo kara kimashita. (北海道から来ました。)

Why: The pattern is '[thing] ga hoshiin desu ga', where hoshii means want. The wrong choices ask the price and say 'I came from Hokkaido'.

Huh, didn't know that: The soft ending 'n desu ga' makes a request sound gentle. Omiyage is the word for travel gifts.

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References

Answer: Hokkaidoo no omiyage ga hoshiin desu ga. (北海道のお土産が欲しいんですが。). The pattern is '[thing] ga hoshiin desu ga', where hoshii means want. The wrong choices ask the price and say 'I came from Hokkaido'.

  1. NHK WORLD-JAPAN Easy Japanese, Lesson 19 www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/lesson/en/lessons/19.html
    Anoo, sumimasen. Hokkaidoo no omiyage ga hoshiin desu ga. Excuse me. I'd like a souvenir of Hokkaido.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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