Using a Coin Laundry for the First Time — JLPT N5 Japanese Conversation
The situation
Yattan (ヤッタン) stands in front of a washing machine at a coin laundry, looking lost, and asks a fellow customer nearby (近くの人) for help.
すみません、このコインランドリー、初めてなんです。使い方がわかりません。
すみません、この コインランドリー、はじめてなんです。つかいかたが わかりません。
Excuse me, this is my first time at a coin laundry. I don't understand how to use it.
大丈夫ですよ。まず、洗濯物をこの中に入れてください。
だいじょうぶですよ。まず、せんたくものを この なかに いれてください。
It's okay. First, please put your laundry inside here.
洗剤はどこに入れますか。
せんざいは どこに いれますか。
Where do I put the detergent?
洗剤は要りません。自動で出ますよ。
せんざいは いりません。じどうで でますよ。
You don't need detergent. It comes out automatically.
そうなんですね。お金はいくらですか。
そうなんですね。おかねは いくらですか。
Oh, I see. How much is it?
400円です。お金をここに入れてください。
よんひゃくえんです。おかねを ここに いれてください。
It's 400 yen. Please put the money in here.
どのくらいかかりますか。何分ですか。
どのくらい かかりますか。なんぷんですか。
How long does it take? How many minutes?
30分くらいです。乾燥機はあちらを使ってください。
さんじゅっぷんくらいです。かんそうきは あちらを つかってください。
About 30 minutes. For the dryer, please use the one over there.
よくわかりました。ありがとうございます！
よく わかりました。ありがとうございます！
I understand now. Thank you so much!
Key expressions
- 使い方がわかりません — "I don't understand how to use it." Take a verb stem and add 〜方 (かた) to make "the way of doing": 使う → 使い方, 読む → 読み方. See 〜方 (how to do something) for the full pattern.
- 〜に入れてください — "Please put ~ in." The particle に marks the destination (この中に, ここに), and the て-form + ください makes it a polite request. See 〜てください and requests for how this request pattern is built.
- いくらですか — "How much is it?" いくら is the question word for price; add ですか to make it a polite question. Pair it with お金は to point clearly at the cost.
- どのくらい / 何分ですか — "How long? / How many minutes?" どのくらい asks about amount or duration in general, while 何分 (なんぷん) asks specifically for a number of minutes. Both are answered with 〜くらい ("about ~").
About coin laundries in Japan
Coin laundries (コインランドリー) are everywhere in Japanese cities and are a lifesaver for travelers and people without a dryer at home. A washing machine (洗濯機) typically costs a few hundred yen, and the detergent (洗剤) is usually dispensed automatically, so you don't bring your own. Big dryers (乾燥機) run separately, often about 100 yen per 10 minutes. Traditionally everything runs on coins, but more and more machines now accept IC cards and PayPay. If you get stuck, the survival phrase is 「使い方を教えてください」("Please teach me how to use it").
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to bring my own detergent to a Japanese coin laundry?
Usually not. Most modern washing machines dispense detergent automatically, so the price already includes it. That's why the customer says 洗剤は要りません ('you don't need detergent').
How do I ask 'how do I use this?' in Japanese?
Turn the verb into a noun with 〜方 (かた): 使う ('use') becomes 使い方 ('way of using'). Then say 使い方がわかりません ('I don't understand how to use it') or 使い方を教えてください ('please teach me how to use it').
Can I pay with something other than coins?
Increasingly, yes. Coins are still standard, but many coin laundries now take IC cards (like Suica) and QR payments such as PayPay. Older machines may still be coins only, so keep some 100-yen coins handy.