Japanese for Real Estate: Vocabulary, Keigo, and Client Conversations

On a Friday afternoon, a Japanese family newly arrived in Vietnam asks you to find an apartment. The husband works all day, so the wife goes to view places with you, and she asks three questions right away: 日当たりはどうですか, 管理費は含まれていますか, 敷金は返ってきますか. You understand every word, but you are not sure what tone to use when answering so you stay polite and do not over-promise.

Many Japanese clients ask closely about each payment and speak indirectly when they disagree. They notice how you name each item, and mixing up a term like 敷金 or 管理費 will make them ask again; ask again too many times and trust drops. The hard part of this job is how you speak, rarely vocabulary.

This article is for sales staff and brokers in Vietnam working with Japanese clients renting or buying homes, and for Japanese learners who want to enter the field. In the middle are vocabulary tables step by step, from listings to handover, then five grammar points, three sample dialogues with translations, how to practice, and frequently asked questions.

• What Japanese clients ask when house hunting
• Vocabulary by workflow step
• Five grammar points you use all day
• Three sample dialogues
• How to practice for real estate work
• Frequently asked questions
• Where to start

What Japanese clients ask when house hunting

Many Japanese clients sales meet in Vietnam are 駐在員 (employees sent by their company on a fixed-term assignment) and some individual workers. They are used to Japan’s rental system, so they bring a few expectations and a few fixed questions. The table below lists what you will hear most often and what the client really wants to know.

Japan’s rental system also has 礼金, a payment usually not refunded, paid to the landlord when signing, and 原状回復, the obligation to return the unit to its original condition when leaving. Clients who lived in Japan will ask about both, even when the contract in Vietnam has no matching line item. The most honest answer is to state clearly which charges this contract includes, for example 「こちらの契約には礼金の項目はございません」, then point to the clause.

Another thing: clients often want someone who can speak Japanese at every step, from viewings to problems after move-in. If you can handle that, your value is right there. So the vocabulary tables below follow real work order, not alphabetical order.

Vocabulary by workflow step

The set of 42 words used in the game at the end of the article fits in these five tables, plus a few extras like 物件, 賃料, and 原状回復. Each table has kana readings because kanji in listings and contracts often have two or three readings. Example sentences use illustrative amounts, not market prices.

Listings, property types, and parties in the transaction

In Japanese, people call the landlord 大家 or 家主 in casual talk; 貸主 is the contract term. With clients, use 貸主様 or オーナー様. オーナー appears a lot in listings and conversation, and it sounds lighter.

Viewings and amenities

How 2LDK and 3LDK appear on Japanese listings is what clients are used to seeing. L is living room, D is dining room, K is kitchen, and the number in front is bedrooms. When showing a unit in Vietnam, you can say 「日本の表記で言うと、2LDKです」 so they picture it immediately. Keep 日当たり (sun exposure) and 眺望 (view) in mind too; clients ask about them on many viewings.

Rent, deposit, and fees

家賃 and 賃料 both mean rent, but 賃料 is what you see in contracts and listings, while 家賃 is what clients say in conversation. 光熱費 bundles electricity, water, and gas; bills in Vietnam are often split by type, so when quoting prices say clearly which items the tenant pays from their own bills. On 住宅ローン, foreigners’ loan eligibility depends on the bank and current rules, so only say 「銀行にご確認いただく必要があります」 and do not promise.

Contracts and negotiation

契約 is a heavy word. When the client is only inquiring, use お申し込み (application, reservation) for a lighter tone, and say 契約 only when both sides are about to sign. That holds in many industries, but in real estate the wrong word can sound like you committed on the landlord’s behalf.

Handover and after move-in

For Japanese clients, handover is when they inspect most closely. They may photograph every corner, note scratches on the floor, and ask whether those marks were there before. Prepare a condition sheet both sides sign, and use 「入居前の状態」 (condition before move-in) when talking about existing damage.

Five grammar points you use all day

The client is a stranger, often older than you and paying for service, so you use keigo for most of the appointment. The five points below are the sentence patterns that repeat most. You do not need the whole keigo system at once; just use these patterns correctly.

1. Honorific for the client, humble for yourself

Basic pattern: client verbs use 尊敬語, e.g. ご覧になる (view), いらっしゃる (come, be present). Your verbs use 謙譲語, e.g. お + verb stem (ます dropped) + する, or ご + noun + する/いたす.

• お部屋をご覧になりますか。(Would you like to see the room?)
• こちらからご案内いたします。(I will guide you from this side.)
• 資料をお送りします。(I will send you the materials.)

A common mistake for learners from Vietnam is using honorific for yourself, e.g. 私が部屋をご覧になります. The correct line is 私が部屋をご案内します (I will show you the room). Another mistake is calling the client あなた, which sounds very rude. Use surname + 様, e.g. 田中様, or お客様.

2. 〜ていただけますか and 〜てもよろしいでしょうか

Both are used when asking the client to do something or asking permission. 〜ていただけますか is a request; 〜てもよろしいでしょうか is asking permission.

• こちらにご記入いただけますか。(Could you fill this in for me?)
• 少々お待ちいただけますか。(Could you wait a moment?)
• お部屋の写真を撮ってもよろしいでしょうか。(May I take photos of the room?)

Learners often use 〜てください with clients because beginner textbooks drill it. 〜てください is grammatically fine, but when the client is someone you serve it sounds like a mild order. Switch to 〜ていただけますか for things like signing, showing ID, waiting.

3. 〜となっております and 〜でございます when stating conditions

When describing the unit or contract, real estate staff often use 〜となっております (it is set as follows) instead of 〜です. This pattern sounds like you are reading given information, not giving a personal opinion.

• 家賃は管理費込みとなっております。(Rent includes the management fee.)
• 駐車場は別料金となっております。(Parking is charged separately.)
• こちらがお部屋の間取りでございます。(This is the room layout.)

If you end every sentence with です the client still understands, but the tone stays flat and a bit like a new hire. Do not overdo the opposite: 〜でございます for everything sounds theatrical. Use it for formal moments like handing documents or introducing yourself; use です for the rest.

4. Conditions with 〜場合は and 〜たら

Every contract has conditions, so 〜場合は (in the case that) shows up constantly. 〜たら is for something that has not happened yet and you want the client to contact you when it does.

• ペットを飼う場合は、貸主様の許可が必要です。(If you keep a pet, you need the landlord’s permission.)
• 契約を更新しない場合は、1か月前までにお知らせください。(If you do not renew, please notify us one month ahead.)
• 不具合を見つけたら、すぐにご連絡ください。(If you find a defect, contact us right away.)

A common mistake is using 〜と for requests, e.g. 来月になると連絡してください. 〜と does not work with requests or commands. The correct form is 来月になったら連絡してください. Drill this: conditional clause plus request afterward → 〜たら or 〜場合は.

5. Cushion words and soft refusals

Japanese refusals in business are rarely plain いいえ or できません. People add cushions like 恐れ入りますが, 申し訳ございませんが, あいにく, then use 〜かもしれません or 難しい to leave room. In price negotiation this is the pattern you use most.

• 恐れ入りますが、その金額は難しいかもしれません。(I am sorry; that amount may be difficult.)
• 申し訳ございませんが、貸主様に確認してからお返事いたします。(I am sorry; I will confirm with the landlord and reply.)
• あいにく、そのお部屋はすでに契約済みです。(Unfortunately, that unit is already under contract.)

For Vietnamese speakers, the most common mistake is answering 大丈夫です. In Japanese, 大丈夫です can mean yes or no, so clients often read you backwards. To agree, say 承知いたしました or かしこまりました; to refuse, use one of the three patterns above.

Three sample dialogues

The three dialogues below use the grammar patterns from above. Read them aloud, cover the right column, then translate back yourself. Amounts in the examples are illustrative.

Showing a client a property

Negotiating rent and deposit

The sales rep’s last line is worth noting: you do not stop at 「日本語の契約書はありません」; you offer an alternative right away. That is the negotiation style to copy. Check any promise about contract format with your company’s legal team first.

Apartment handover

How to practice for real estate work

Start by playing the real estate word set in Falling Stars or Pop It. Play a few rounds until you see kanji and can say the meaning, then return to the tables above and read each example sentence aloud.

Next step is listening. Pick one episode from the Japanese podcast, transcribe line by line, and compare to the original. Line-by-line transcription shows where you misheard, especially particles and endings like 〜ております, 〜いただけますか, things new learners’ ears skip. For a path, see courses, and use the vocabulary test to see where you stand.

Outside WELE: Japan Foundation’s free Irodori textbook teaches clean everyday Japanese and fits the foundation layer. For field vocabulary, the best move is reading real listings on Japanese sites like SUUMO or HOME'S, where 間取り, 専有面積, and 管理費 appear in every ad. Those site names are for you to find reading material; content and prices there are the Japan market, not Vietnam. When you want to test yourself, JLPT mock tests on WELE show where you stand.

If your work also touches contracts or running a company, see Japanese for legal work and contracts and Japanese for business owners. All other professions are at Japanese by profession, and this industry’s page is Japanese for real estate.

Frequently asked questions

What Japanese level do you need to sell real estate to Japanese clients?

There is no single bar; each company states different requirements in job posts, and requirements change. When you talk to clients directly, listening and speaking matter more than certificates. Read the job description where you apply carefully and ask the recruiter straight.

Do you have to use keigo with Japanese clients?

In client work you use です・ます from nearly the first sentence; full keigo depends on formality and the client’s age. Master the five patterns in the grammar section, especially 〜ていただけますか and 〜となっております. Higher keigo you can pick up gradually with Japanese clients and colleagues.

Can foreigners buy property in Vietnam?

Rules on foreign ownership change over time and by property type, so check current regulations before answering clients. You can say 「最新の規定を確認してからご案内いたします」 and have legal or in-house counsel confirm. Never answer from memory.

How do 敷金 and 礼金 differ?

敷金 is a security deposit, usually returned when the tenant leaves after deducting repair costs if any. 礼金 is paid to the landlord at signing and is usually not refunded. Contracts in Vietnam may not have the second item, so show the client what this contract actually includes.

Do you need kanji for real estate vocabulary?

Yes, but only recognition level. Listings and contracts are in kanji, so you need to read 賃貸, 敷金, 管理費, 契約. For speaking, kana is enough. Short high-frequency words like 家賃 and 鍵 stick fast.

Where to start

If you do only one thing today, play one round of the word set in Falling Stars, then pick five sentences from the tables above and say them aloud at your next client viewing.