Useful everyday kanji - out and about

Here are a few handy kanji if you're out and about.

洋 ('you') means 'Western'. Two useful places to know this kanji are in a bathroom (where it denotes Western-style toilets, ie non-squat toilets) and a bookstore, where it indicate the foreign book section.

番 ('ban') means 'number'. 一番 means 'number one'.

店 ('mise') means 'shop'. At the end of a word (as part of a compound) it is usually said 'ten', like 売店 ('baiten'; shop, stand).

市 ('shi') means 'city'. Other useful address-related kanji include 町 ('chou' - 'town' or 'neighbourhood') 区 ('ku' - ward) and 県 ('ken' - prefecture).

For doors, elevators and buttons:

押す (osu, push)

引く (hiku, pull)

閉 (close)

開 (open)

For stores:

営業中 (eigyouchuu) - open (literally 'in the middle of business' or 'in the middle of sales')

準備中 (junbichuu) - closed (literally 'in the middle of preparation')

This kanji 営業 (eigyou) is handy because it's also used in 'operating hours' (営業時間 eigyoujikan) or 'operating days' (営業日 eigyoubi) on shops and restaurants.