The Train Is Packed and Four Seats Sit Empty. Two Kanji Explain Why.
To say priority seat in Japanese, say 優先席 (yūsenseki).
The train is full, and nobody will touch these four seats.
In this video
- ここは優先席です。 koko wa yuusenseki desu. This is a priority seat.
- どうぞ、おかけください。 douzo, okake kudasai. Please, have a seat.
Kanji in this phrase
- 優先席
- ゆうせんせき
Why this phrase
Every Japanese train car has a block of differently coloured seats with 優先席 printed above them. Tourists collapse into them after a day of walking and get quiet stares, or sit while an elderly passenger stands. Teach the two kanji plus the unwritten rule: sitting there is fine when the car is quiet, and you stand up the moment somebody who needs it boards.
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