LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N5Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Bag in Japanese: かばん (kaban), バッグ and 袋ふくろ (fukuro)

"Bag" in Japanese has two main words. A bag you carry, like a handbag or school bag, is かばん (鞄かばん) or バッグ. A plastic or paper bag for shopping is 袋ふくろ (ふくろ). At a convenience store, the clerk will often ask 袋ふくろいりますか?, "Do you need a bag?", because shopping bags, レジ袋ぶくろ, cost a few yen.

The bag question at the register is one of the first Japanese exchanges every visitor has, and knowing 袋ふくろ makes it painless. Beyond that, there are words for backpacks, eco bags and gift bags. This post covers the bag you carry, the bag you get at the shop, and the phrases for both. Once the bag is in hand, the verb for filling it is 入いれる, as in お土産みやげを紙袋かみぶくろに入いれてもらった, and put in Japanese contrasts it with 置おく for things set on a surface.

How do you say "bag" in Japanese?

What are かばん and バッグ?

かばん (鞄かばん) is a bag you carry: a school bag, briefcase or handbag. バッグ is the loanword, common for fashion bags.

かばんを忘わすれた! — I forgot my bag! (casual) 新あたらしいバッグを買かった。 — I bought a new bag. (casual)

What is 袋ふくろ?

袋ふくろ (ふくろ) is a bag as a container: plastic bags, paper bags, pouches.

袋ふくろに入いれてください。 — Please put it in a bag. (polite) ゴミを袋ふくろにまとめた。 — I gathered the trash into a bag. (casual)

What is レジ袋ぶくろ?

レジ袋ぶくろ (レジぶくろ), "register bag", is the plastic shopping bag at the checkout. In Japan they usually cost a few yen, so clerks ask if you need one.

袋ふくろいりますか? — Do you need a bag? (a clerk) 袋ふくろは大丈夫だいじょうぶです。 — I don't need a bag, thanks. (polite)

大丈夫だいじょうぶです here means "I'm fine without it". For more shop phrases, see Akihabara shop phrases.

What other bag words are there?

What is リュック?

リュック, short for リュックサック, is a backpack, popular with students and travelers alike.

リュックで旅行りょこうするのが好すき。 — I like traveling with a backpack. (casual)

What is エコバッグ?

エコバッグ is a reusable shopping bag. Many people carry one folded in their bag to avoid paying for レジ袋ぶくろ.

エコバッグを持もってきた。 — I brought my own shopping bag. (casual)

What is 紙袋かみぶくろ?

紙袋かみぶくろ (かみぶくろ) is a paper bag, often used for gifts and department store purchases. Note 袋ふくろ changes to ぶくろ in compounds.

お土産みやげを紙袋かみぶくろに入いれてもらった。 — They put the souvenirs in a paper bag for me. (casual)

For buying words, see buy in Japanese.

Word Reading Meaning
かばん かばん bag (carried)
バッグ バッグ bag (fashion)
袋ふくろ ふくろ bag (container)
レジ袋ぶくろ レジぶくろ plastic shopping bag
紙袋かみぶくろ かみぶくろ paper bag
リュック リュック backpack
エコバッグ エコバッグ reusable bag
スーツケース スーツケース suitcase

Beyond the basics

What does 袋ふくろのねずみ mean?

袋ふくろのねずみ, "a mouse in a bag", means someone trapped with no way out.

犯人はんにんはもう袋ふくろのねずみだ。 — The culprit is cornered now. (casual, drama style)

How do you ask for separate bags?

別々べつべつの袋ふくろにしてください, "please put them in separate bags", is useful for hot and cold items.

温あたたかいものと冷つめたいものは別々べつべつの袋ふくろにしてください。 — Please bag the hot and cold items separately. (polite)

What is 手提てさげげ?

手提てさげげ (てさげ) or 手提げてさげ袋ぶくろ is a bag with handles, like a tote or shopping bag.

手提げてさげ袋ぶくろをください。 — A bag with handles, please. (polite)

Common mistakes

  • Asking for かばん at the register. You want a 袋ふくろ.
  • Saying 袋ふくろをいらない. At the counter, 袋ふくろは大丈夫だいじょうぶです or 袋ふくろはいりません.
  • Reading 紙袋かみぶくろ as かみふくろ. It is かみぶくろ.
  • Calling a backpack バッグパック. The loanword is バックパック (with ク, not グ), and the everyday word is リュック.
  • Thinking 大丈夫だいじょうぶです means "yes". At the register, it usually means "no, thanks".

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: taking a bag versus refusing one.

1. Say "I forgot my bag!"

Show answer

かばんを忘わすれた! — かばん.

2. Say "I bought a new bag."

Show answer

新あたらしいバッグを買かった。 — バッグ.

3. Ask politely to have your item put in a bag.

Show answer

袋ふくろに入いれてください。 — 袋ふくろ.

4. The clerk asks if you need a bag. Decline politely.

Show answer

袋ふくろは大丈夫だいじょうぶです。 — no, thanks. This is the pair to question 3.

5. What does a clerk mean by 袋ふくろいりますか?

Show answer

Do you need a bag? — a plastic shopping bag.

6. Say "I like traveling with a backpack."

Show answer

リュックで旅行りょこうするのが好すき。 — リュック.

7. Say "I brought my own shopping bag."

Show answer

エコバッグを持もってきた。 — エコバッグ.

8. Ask politely for hot and cold items in separate bags.

Show answer

温あたたかいものと冷つめたいものは別々べつべつの袋ふくろにしてください。 — 別々べつべつの袋ふくろ.

9. Say "They put the souvenirs in a paper bag for me."

Show answer

お土産みやげを紙袋かみぶくろに入いれてもらった。 — 紙袋かみぶくろ.

10. How do you read 紙袋かみぶくろ?

Show answer

かみぶくろ — ふくろ becomes ぶくろ.

Practise the checkout exchange, 袋ふくろいりますか and 袋ふくろは大丈夫だいじょうぶです, in a trial lesson until you can answer without a second thought.

FAQ

How do you say "bag" in Japanese? かばん or バッグ for a carried bag; 袋ふくろ for a shopping bag.

What does 袋ふくろいりますか mean? "Do you need a bag?" at the register.

How do you refuse a bag politely? 袋ふくろは大丈夫だいじょうぶです.

What is レジ袋ぶくろ? The plastic shopping bag at checkout.

How do you say "backpack"? リュック.

What is 紙袋かみぶくろ? A paper bag.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

かばん	かばん — bag (carried)
バッグ	バッグ — bag (fashion)
袋	ふくろ — bag (container)
レジ袋	レジぶくろ — shopping bag
紙袋	かみぶくろ — paper bag
リュック	リュック — backpack
エコバッグ	エコバッグ — reusable bag
手提げ	てさげ — bag with handles
別々	べつべつ — separate
お土産	おみやげ — souvenir

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. 袋ふくろいりますか? is the first real Japanese exchange most visitors have, and 袋ふくろは大丈夫だいじょうぶです is the reply I teach so they can answer without a second thought. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference dictionaries.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N5 · Read something at this level: JLPT N5 stories with audio

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