Decoding Japan's Single-Kanji Shop Signs: 営, 支, 込, 替, 旬

🏮 One kanji, one big meaning

Hi everyone! Sakura here 🌸

Walk down a Japanese street and you'll see tiny shop signs with a single kanji on them. The kanji is doing the work of a whole word — a 'survival abbreviation' for things that need to be communicated fast and compactly.

Let me decode the most common ones.

🚪 Is the shop open or not?

The quickest single-kanji signal you'll see on a noren (cloth curtain) or wooden plaque tells you whether to walk in.

📖 Open / closed kanji

Kanji	Reading	Full word	Means
営えい	ei	営業中えいぎょうちゅう	Open for business
支し	shi	支度中したくちゅう	Getting ready (wait)
休きゅう	kyū	定休日ていきゅうび	Regular day off
満まん	man	満席まんせき	All seats taken

💡 Tip: Wooden plaque with 支 = we're prepping, please wait. Plaque with 営 = come on in.

🍱 Menu shorthand: prices and portions

Inside the restaurant, single-kanji shorthand also appears on menus. The ones that matter most:

📝 Menu shorthand

800円えん (込こ) — 800 yen, tax included
牛丼ぎゅうどん並なみ — regular-size gyūdon
替か 100円えん — extra noodles (kaedama) 100 yen
大だい / 中ちゅう / 小しょう — large / medium / small

⚠️ If you don't see 込 and instead see 税別ぜいべつ or 税抜ぜいぬき (tax-exclusive), expect ~10% on top at the register.

🍢 Praise kanji: 旬, 厳, 究

Izakaya and small specialty shops use single kanji to brag about quality.

📖 Brag kanji

Kanji	Reading	Means	Used for
旬しゅん	shun	seasonal peak	this fish is at its best right now
厳選げんせん	gensen	strictly chosen	hand-picked ingredients
究きわみ	kiwami	the ultimate	the chef's signature
銘めい	mei	renowned label	premium sake brand

If you see 旬しゅん on a menu, that item is in season — order it.

🍶 Drink-section single kanji

Single kanji Means
生なま draft (beer)
瓶びん bottled
樽たる from the barrel (premium sake)
地じ local (as in 地酒じざけ local sake)

Single kanji	Means
生なま	draft (beer)
瓶びん	bottled
樽たる	from the barrel (premium sake)
地じ	local (as in 地酒じざけ local sake)

🗣️ A real walk-up

🗣️ At a small ramen shop

Sign reads: 営えい + small lantern below says 旬の魚さかなあり.

Translation: We're open. Seasonal fish today.

Walk in confidently.

✨ Sakura's recap

営 / 支 = open vs prep. Check before walking in.
満 = full. Try again.
込** = tax included; 税別 / 税抜** = tax extra.
替 on ramen menus = noodle refill (kaedama).
旬 / 厳選 / 究み = the chef telling you try this.

Once you can read single-kanji signs, navigating little Japanese alleys feels half native. 🍶