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How to Say ‘Is this tax-free?’ in Japanese

これは免税ですか？

kore wa menzei desu ka

[koh-reh wah men-zay dess kah]

Phrase Breakdown

これは

kore wa

this (topic)

これ means 'this', and は (read 'wa') marks the topic.

Example

これは何ですか？

What is this?

Words in this phrase

これ

kore

[koh-reh]

this

Refers to something close to the speaker.

Example

これが私の家です。

This is my house.

は

[wah]

topic marker

は marks the topic of the sentence.

Example

空席はありますか。

Are there any seats available?

免税ですか？

menzei desu ka

is it tax-free?

免税 (menzei) means 'tax exemption'. Hold the 'n' as a full beat: me-n-ze-i.

Example

免税店はどこですか？

Where is the duty-free shop?

Words in this phrase

免税

menzei

[men-zay]

tax-free

Refers to duty-free or tax exemption shopping for eligible travelers.

Example

この店は免税できます。

This shop can do tax-free purchases.

です

desu

[dess]

is; polite copula

A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.

Example

少し伺いたいです。

I would like to ask a little.

か

[kah]

question marker

Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.

Example

A席はありますか。

Are there A seats available?

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