In this booster
A postcard mailed from Japan costs about a hundred yen to anywhere on the planet, the red posuto on the corner takes it directly, and nothing you can send home says I thought of you better. This booster is the post office: postcards, stamps, envelopes, the airmail-or-sea choice, and the cardboard box of omiyage that flies (or floats) home — plus the one customs question the counter will ask you. (The opposite direction — receiving things on the road, including this same post office holding packages under your name — is the Package Pickup booster.)
No new grammar — every sentence here is a frame you already own, wearing new nouns. Lesson 2’s kudasai buys the cards, Lesson 5’s mo adds the stamps, and Lesson 6’s made — fresh from shipping your suitcase in the Luggage Forwarding booster — prices the journey to any country. Boosters assume the finished core (Lessons 1–9); take them in any order.
As always: tap each sentence and listen first, repeat it aloud, then check yourself against the text and meaning that appear. Tap again to listen as often as you like.
Cards and stamps
yuubinkyoku — the post office, marked everywhere by the red 〒. Stamps, boxes, famously patient counter staff — and usually an international ATM, which makes this building worth knowing for two reasons.
Hagaki o mittsu kudasai.
hagaki — postcard, counted with Lesson 3’s all-purpose mittsu. Museum shops and konbini sell prettier ones; the post office sells the stamps either way.
Kitte mo, onegaishimasu.
kitte — stamp. Note the doubled consonant — Lesson 0’s held beat separates kitte (stamp) from kite (come); your ear has known the difference since day one.
Amerika made, ikura desu ka.
Made pricing the journey — swap in any country†. Postcard postage is one flat, tiny world rate; the clerk answers with a Lesson 3 number and sells you exactly that stamp.
Tegami wa ikura desu ka.
tegami — letter. A step up from the postcard when there’s more to say; the counter weighs it and names the number.
Fuutou wa arimasu ka.
fuutou — envelope, sold at the same counter and at every konbini stationery rack.
Posuto wa doko desu ka.
posuto — the red mailbox on every other corner. International mail goes straight in (the right-hand slot, usually) — once you’re stamped, no counter visit needed.
The box of omiyage
dambooru — the cardboard box. When the omiyage outgrows the suitcase, the post office sells the box, tapes it, and takes it off your hands in one visit.
Kore o Amerika made, onegaishimasu.
The suitcase-shipping frame from the Luggage Forwarding booster, now crossing oceans. Destination in, box out of your life.
Koukuubin, onegaishimasu.
koukuubin — airmail: days-fast, priced like it. The counter will ask which you want — this is one answer, and the next word is the other.
Funabin, onegaishimasu.
funabin — sea mail: weeks-slow, wonderfully cheap. Books, ceramics, anything that can take the scenic route — the box greets you at home like a time capsule. The counter asks air or sea; answer with either word plus onegaishimasu.
Dialog
At the post office counter: three postcards, their stamps, and a box for the boat. Listen to the whole dialog cold first.
Sumimasen. Hagaki o mittsu kudasai. Hai, douzo. Kitte mo, onegaishimasu. Amerika made, ikura desu ka. Hyaku en desu. Ja, kore o Amerika made, onegaishimasu. Nakami wa nan desu ka. Omiyage desu. Koukuubin desu ka, funabin desu ka. Funabin, onegaishimasu. Sanzen-en desu. Arigatou gozaimasu.Both of the clerk’s questions were this booster’s recognition script arriving on schedule — and both of your answers were a single noun in a frame you’ve owned since the first week. That’s the whole design, working.
What they’ll say to you
The counter’s two questions, at native speed. You never say these — catch the keyword, answer with a noun.
Nakami wa nan desu ka. Koukuubin desu ka, funabin desu ka.The second line is choice enumeration — the same answer-shaping ladder the course taught you in Lesson 6, coming back from the other side of the counter. Echo the option you want; done.
How to behave: mail rules
- Postcards are one flat world rate. Around a hundred yen to any country, no weighing, no forms. Write them at the hotel, stamp them once at any counter, and every red posuto after that is a send button — international mail goes straight in, usually the right-hand slot.
- The customs answer is one honest noun. Nakami wa nan desu ka wants a category, not an inventory: omiyage desu, hon desu (books), okashi desu (sweets)†. Small personal gifts are routine; the clerk fills the customs label from your one word.
- Sea mail is the omiyage secret. Funabin takes six to twelve weeks and costs a fraction of airmail — perfect for books, ceramics, and everything heavy you don’t need soon. The box arriving months later is a gift from past-you.
- The 〒 building does double duty. Japan Post offices reliably house international-card ATMs (Lesson 3’s cash rule remembers them) and sell boxes, tape, and pens at the counter. One stop packs, pays, and posts.
Checkpoint
Your exit exam, out loud. Each line below sets a scene from this booster — say the Japanese before you tap; the tap plays the answer. Check yourself, repeat after the audio matching its pronunciation, rhythm, and speed, and if one won’t come, replay its section. These are this deck’s speaking cards — in Anki they queue up after the listening cards, so you’ll always have heard a line before you’re asked to produce it.
Vocabulary reference
| # | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | yuubinkyoku | post office | the red 〒 mark |
| 2 | hagaki | postcard | Hagaki o mittsu kudasai. |
| 3 | kitte | stamp | the held beat vs kite — L0 knew |
| 4 | posuto | mailbox | red, everywhere; international welcome |
| 5 | tegami | letter | Tegami wa ikura desu ka. |
| 6 | fuutou | envelope | counter or konbini |
| 7 | dambooru | cardboard box | sold and taped on the spot |
| 8 | koukuubin | airmail | days-fast, priced like it |
| 9 | funabin | sea mail | weeks-slow, wonderfully cheap |
| 10 | omiyage | souvenir | Omiyage o sagashimasu. |
Recognize only — never say these. The counter’s questions:
| Script line | It means | You do |
|---|---|---|
| Nakami wa nan desu ka. | what’s inside? (customs) | Answer with one noun — Omiyage desu. / Hon desu. |
| Koukuubin desu ka, funabin desu ka. | air or sea? | both words are yours — echo the one you want + onegaishimasu |
Anki deck
Drill this booster’s audio anywhere: download the Postcards & Post Office Anki deck. Sentence cards are the course; vocab cards are backup — suspend them unless a word won’t stick.