This episode focuses on language you meet at an ID photo booth – machine instructions, the name of the service, a stated price, and a casual complaint that it’s too expensive. You’ll learn how automated voice guidance sounds, vocabulary for official documents, how to say prices, and the useful すぎる pattern for “too much.”
✅ Learn polite machine and kiosk instructions
✅ Master price expressions with 円
✅ Practice the すぎる pattern and casual complaints with じゃん
Introduction
In this lesson, we explore a realistic everyday scene: stepping into an ID photo booth (証明写真機) in Japan. These booths are common near train stations, shopping centers, and city offices. You hear a polite voice telling you what to do, you pick the type of photo you need, the price appears, and you may react with surprise at the cost. This sequence mixes formal machine language with a natural casual reaction, which makes it great practice for real-life Japanese.
サービスメニューを選んでください
Meaning & Usage
This is a standard instruction heard on machines, kiosks, and automated systems. It politely asks the user to choose from the available service options.
サービス – service (katakana loanword)
メニュー – menu (katakana loanword)
を – object particle
選んで (えらんで) – choose (て-form of 選ぶ)
ください – please (polite request)
Translation
- Please select a service from the menu
- Please choose a service option
- Please pick from the service menu
Understanding 選ぶ (To Choose)
選ぶ (えらぶ) – to choose, to select, to pick
Common uses:
- 好きなものを選ぶ – choose what you like
- メニューから選ぶ – choose from the menu
- 色を選ぶ – choose a color
Related words:
- 選択 (せんたく) – selection (more formal/technical, common on screens)
- 選択肢 (せんたくし) – options, choices
Understanding 〜てください (Polite Request)
〜てください is the standard polite request or instruction form:
Formation:
- Verb て-form + ください
- 選ぶ → 選んで + ください = 選んでください
Machine and sign language: Instructions on machines almost always use this form or its more formal cousins:
- ボタンを押してください – Please press the button
- お金を入れてください – Please insert money
- 画面にタッチしてください – Please touch the screen
Katakana Loanwords on Screens
Notice that サービス and メニュー are both katakana loanwords:
Why this matters:
- Technology and service vocabulary is full of katakana
- Easy to recognize once you know the sounds
- Common examples: スタート (start), キャンセル (cancel), スキャン (scan)
Formality Variations
Machine (our phrase):
- 選んでください – Please select (standard polite)
More formal (staff or signage):
- お選びください – Please choose (honorific)
- ご選択ください – Please make a selection (very formal)
Casual (friend to friend):
- 選んで – Pick one
Examples
画面から、サービスメニューを選んでください。
→ Please select a service from the screen.
お好きなコースを選んでください。
→ Please choose the course you like.
プランを選んでください。
→ Please choose a plan.
Related Machine Instruction Phrases
ボタンを押してください – Please press the button
お待ちください – Please wait
カードを入れてください – Please insert your card
確認してください – Please confirm
もう一度お試しください – Please try again
証明写真
Meaning & Usage
This is the name of the service shown on the menu: an ID photo, used for official documents. It is a noun and often appears as a menu button or a sign on the booth.
証明写真 (しょうめいしゃしん) – ID photo, identification photo
Translation
- ID photo
- Passport-style photo
- Photo for official documents
Understanding the Kanji
証明 (しょうめい) – proof, certification
写真 (しゃしん) – photograph
Combined meaning: A photo that serves as proof of identity.
When People Need 証明写真
Japan has many situations that require a standardized photo:
- パスポート – passport
- 運転免許証 (うんてんめんきょしょう) – driver’s license
- マイナンバーカード – My Number Card
- 履歴書 (りれきしょ) – resume (photo attached)
- 学生証 (がくせいしょう) – student ID card
- 資格試験 (しかくしけん) – qualification exam applications
Related Vocabulary
証明写真機 (しょうめいしゃしんき) – ID photo booth/machine
サイズ – size (photo size options)
枚数 (まいすう) – number of sheets/prints
背景 (はいけい) – background
撮影 (さつえい) – photographing, shooting
Understanding Photo Sizes (Common Phrases)
Booths often ask you to choose the purpose or size:
- パスポート用 – for a passport
- 履歴書用 – for a resume
- 免許証用 – for a driver’s license
Pattern: Noun + 用 (よう) = for [purpose]
Examples
証明写真を撮りたいんですが。
→ I’d like to get an ID photo taken.
履歴書用の証明写真が必要です。
→ I need an ID photo for my resume.
駅の前に証明写真機があるよ。
→ There’s an ID photo booth in front of the station.
Related Documents Vocabulary
身分証明書 (みぶんしょうめいしょ) – identification document
申請 (しんせい) – application
提出 (ていしゅつ) – submission
更新 (こうしん) – renewal
1,500円です。
Meaning & Usage
This simply states a price: 1,500 yen. です makes it a polite statement. You hear it constantly at shops, restaurants, and machines.
1,500 (せんごひゃく) – one thousand five hundred
円 (えん) – yen
です – is (polite)
Translation
- It’s 1,500 yen
- That will be 1,500 yen
- 1,500 yen, please
Understanding Large Numbers in Japanese
Basic building blocks:
- 千 (せん) – thousand
- 百 (ひゃく) – hundred
- 十 (じゅう) – ten
Reading 1,500:
- 1,000 = 千 (せん)
- 500 = 五百 (ごひゃく)
- 1,500 = 千五百 (せんごひゃく)
Note: In 1,000, Japanese often says せん without saying いち (one) first.
Pronunciation Changes for Hundreds
Hundreds have sound changes you should memorize:
- 100 – ひゃく
- 200 – にひゃく
- 300 – さんびゃく (sound change)
- 400 – よんひゃく
- 500 – ごひゃく
- 600 – ろっぴゃく (sound change)
- 700 – ななひゃく
- 800 – はっぴゃく (sound change)
- 900 – きゅうひゃく
Understanding Thousands
- 1,000 – せん
- 2,000 – にせん
- 3,000 – さんぜん (sound change)
- 4,000 – よんせん
- 5,000 – ごせん
- 6,000 – ろくせん
- 7,000 – ななせん
- 8,000 – はっせん (sound change)
- 9,000 – きゅうせん
- 10,000 – いちまん
Understanding 円 (Yen)
円 (えん) is the counter and currency name:
Pattern:
- Number + 円 = amount in yen
- 100円 (ひゃくえん) – 100 yen
- 1,500円 (せんごひゃくえん) – 1,500 yen
Asking and Stating Prices
Asking:
- いくらですか – How much is it?
- おいくらですか – How much is it? (more polite)
Answering:
- 1,500円です – It’s 1,500 yen
- 1,500円になります – It comes to 1,500 yen (service language)
Examples
これは1,500円です。
→ This is 1,500 yen.
合計で1,500円になります。
→ The total comes to 1,500 yen.
1,500円お預かりします。
→ I’ll take 1,500 yen from you. (common cashier phrase)
Related Money Vocabulary
値段 (ねだん) – price
高い (たかい) – expensive
安い (やすい) – cheap
お釣り (おつり) – change (money returned)
税込 (ぜいこみ) – tax included
高すぎるじゃん…
Meaning & Usage
This is a casual complaint: “That’s way too expensive, isn’t it?” It combines the adjective 高い (expensive), the すぎる pattern for “too much,” and じゃん for casual emphasis. The trailing dots show a sigh or disbelief.
高 (たか) – high, expensive (stem of 高い)
すぎる – to be too much, to exceed
じゃん – isn’t it (casual assertion)
… – trailing off (sigh, disappointment)
Translation
- That’s way too expensive!
- It costs too much, doesn’t it…
- Isn’t that too pricey…
Understanding すぎる (Too Much)
すぎる is attached to adjectives and verbs to mean “too [adjective]” or “[verb] too much.”
With い-adjectives:
- Remove い + すぎる
- 高い → 高すぎる (too expensive)
- 大きい → 大きすぎる (too big)
- 安い → 安すぎる (too cheap)
With な-adjectives:
- Remove な/だ + すぎる
- 静か → 静かすぎる (too quiet)
- 有名 → 有名すぎる (too famous)
With verbs:
- Verb stem + すぎる
- 食べる → 食べすぎる (eat too much)
- 飲む → 飲みすぎる (drink too much)
- 働く → 働きすぎる (work too much)
Conjugation: すぎる is itself a る-verb, so it conjugates normally:
- 高すぎる – is too expensive
- 高すぎた – was too expensive
- 高すぎない – is not too expensive
- 高すぎます – is too expensive (polite)
Understanding じゃん (Casual Assertion)
じゃん is a casual particle that:
- Points out something as obvious or noteworthy
- Invites the listener to agree
- Feels natural among friends, family, and young people
Origin:
- Contraction of じゃない (isn’t it)
Other examples:
- いいじゃん – That’s good, isn’t it
- 簡単じゃん – It’s easy, isn’t it
- 高すぎるじゃん – It’s way too expensive, isn’t it
The Meaning of the Trailing Dots
The “…” at the end suggests:
- A sigh or groan
- Reluctance to accept the situation
- Muttering to oneself, not really addressing anyone
- A feeling of “I guess I have to pay it anyway”
Casual vs Polite Variations
Casual (our phrase):
- 高すぎるじゃん – It’s too expensive!
- 高すぎる – Too expensive
- 高っ! – Wow, expensive! (very casual exclamation)
Polite:
- 高すぎますね – It’s too expensive, isn’t it
- ちょっと高いですね – It’s a bit expensive, isn’t it (softer)
Softer/indirect (used with staff):
- もう少し安いのはありますか – Do you have something a bit cheaper?
Examples
え、1,500円?高すぎるじゃん…
→ Eh, 1,500 yen? That’s way too expensive…
このラーメン、高すぎるじゃん。
→ This ramen is way too expensive.
食べすぎちゃった。やばい。
→ I ate too much. Uh-oh.
Related Price Reaction Expressions
高い! – Expensive!
ちょっと高いな – A bit pricey
安い! – Cheap!
コスパが悪い (コスパがわるい) – Poor value for money
値段の割に (ねだんのわりに) – Considering the price
Putting It All Together: At the ID Photo Booth
Natural Flow
These phrases combine into a short, realistic scene:
Scene structure:
- サービスメニューを選んでください – Machine instruction
- 証明写真 – User selects the ID photo service
- 1,500円です。 – Machine or screen shows the price
- 高すぎるじゃん… – User’s casual reaction
This captures a very ordinary moment: following polite machine instructions, making a selection, and then grumbling about the price.
Common Mistakes
❌ Mixing up 高い meanings
高い has two main meanings: expensive and tall/high.
Context shows which: 値段が高い (price is high/expensive), 山が高い (the mountain is high).
❌ Wrong form with すぎる
Wrong: 高いすぎる
Correct: 高すぎる
Drop the final い from い-adjectives before すぎる.
❌ Misreading 1,500
Wrong: 一千五百 read as いちせんごひゃく
Correct: せんごひゃく
The いち before せん is normally omitted for exactly 1,000-1,999 (while 1万 does need いち: いちまん).
❌ Using じゃん with polite speech
Wrong: 高すぎるじゃんです
Correct: 高すぎますね
じゃん belongs to casual speech only.
❌ Forgetting を with 選ぶ
Wrong: サービスメニュー選んでください (formal sign or voice)
Correct: サービスメニューを選んでください
Machine voices and signs keep the particle を for clarity, though in casual speech it is often dropped.
Practice Dialogue
Scenario: Using an ID photo booth near a station
音声: いらっしゃいませ。サービスメニューを選んでください。
ユイ: えーと、証明写真っと…
音声: 証明写真ですね。用途を選んでください。
ユイ: 履歴書用でいいかな。
音声: 1,500円です。お金を入れてください。
ユイ: え、1,500円?高すぎるじゃん…
友達: でも、写真館よりは安いと思うよ。
ユイ: まあ、そうだけどさ。仕方ないか。
Voice: Welcome. Please select a service from the menu.
Yui: Let’s see, ID photo…
Voice: ID photo. Please choose the purpose.
Yui: I guess the resume one is fine.
Voice: It’s 1,500 yen. Please insert your money.
Yui: What, 1,500 yen? That’s way too expensive…
Friend: But I think it’s cheaper than a photo studio.
Yui: Well, true. I guess it can’t be helped.
Cultural Notes
Photo Booths and Everyday Services in Japan
This episode’s phrases give a glimpse of daily life:
Machines That Talk: Many Japanese machines (ticket machines, ATMs, photo booths, elevators) give spoken instructions in a polite, steady tone. This is part of a service culture where even machines are expected to be courteous.
証明写真機 Everywhere: ID photo booths are conveniently placed at stations, shopping malls, and near public offices. Because Japan requires standardized photos for many procedures (job applications, licenses, passports), these booths are heavily used, and prices are often higher than students expect.
The Resume Photo (履歴書の写真): Job seekers traditionally attach a formal photo to their resume, which makes ID photos a regular part of job hunting (就職活動). Many people even visit photo studios for better quality.
Price Awareness: Japanese consumers are very attentive to value for money (コスパ). A casual reaction like 高すぎるじゃん is a relatable, everyday complaint, usually muttered rather than said to staff, since open complaining to service workers is considered impolite.
Katakana Vocabulary: Words like サービス and メニュー show how modern services use katakana loanwords, a key reading skill for anyone living in Japan.
Wrap-up
This episode explored a practical scene at an ID photo booth. サービスメニューを選んでください is typical polite machine language, 証明写真 names a very common service in Japan, 1,500円です。 states a price and teaches number reading, and 高すぎるじゃん… gives a natural casual complaint using the すぎる pattern.
Together, these phrases show how formal machine Japanese and casual spoken Japanese live side by side in daily life. Mastering them helps you use machines confidently, read prices, and react naturally like a native speaker.