Explore the clues at the entrance to an Edo-period shop.
The idea
看板 is a sign and のれん is a curtain hung at an entrance. A name or mark can identify a business; 品物 means goods. These examples use modern polite Japanese to describe an imagined historical scene.
Examples
- 店の前に看板がかかっています。A sign hangs in front of the shop.
- 看板に店の名前が書いてあります。The shop name is written on the sign.
- 入口にのれんがかかっています。A curtain hangs at the entrance.
- のれんに店の印があります。The curtain bears the shop’s mark.
- この店は布を売っています。This shop sells cloth.
- のれんを通って店に入りました。I entered the shop through the curtain.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
A mark on a curtain identifies a shop; it does not by itself tell you what is sold. Look for a name or information about the goods too.
Try it yourself
Choose the word for a shop sign: （看板／のれん）
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看板
看板 means a sign; のれん is an entrance curtain.
Choose the word for an entrance curtain: （のれん／品物）
Show answer or example answer
のれん
のれん is the entrance curtain; 品物 means goods.
What does this shop sell? （布／船）
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布
布 means cloth. The sentence says that the shop sells it; 船 means boat.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Choose the word for a shop sign: （看板／のれん）
Choose the word for an entrance curtain: （のれん／品物）
What does this shop sell? （布／船）
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Describe an imagined shop entrance in Japanese, naming its sign, curtain and goods.