お惣 菜 屋(そうざいや)

おそうざいや

noun

deli; prepared-food shop

1. deli; prepared-food shop; side-dish shop

A shop that sells ready-made dishes and side dishes for home consumption. These shops are a common feature of Japanese shopping streets, department store basements, and supermarkets, offering a wide variety of cooked foods from croquettes to simmered vegetables.

お惣菜屋(そうざいや)でコロッケを買(か)った。

I bought croquettes at the deli.

駅前(えきまえ)のお惣菜屋(そうざいや)はいつも混(こ)んでいる。

The deli in front of the station is always crowded.

仕事(しごと)で疲(つか)れた日(ひ)は、お惣菜屋(そうざいや)で夕飯(ゆうはん)のおかずを何品(なんぴん)か買(か)って帰(かえ)る。

On days when I'm tired from work, I buy a few side dishes from the deli on the way home for dinner.

The polite prefix お is almost always attached in everyday speech; 惣菜屋(そうざいや) without お sounds somewhat blunt. The word combines 惣菜(そうざい) (side dishes, prepared foods) with 屋(や) (shop, store).

These shops are deeply embedded in Japanese daily life, particularly in 商店街(しょうてんがい) (shopping streets) and the basement food floors (デパ地下(でぱちか)) of department stores. They cater to busy households and single people who want home-style cooking without cooking themselves.

Common collocations

お惣菜屋(そうざいや)で買(か)う: to buy at a deli
町(まち)のお惣菜屋(そうざいや): neighborhood deli
お惣菜屋(そうざいや)の弁当(べんとう): deli bento box

Similar words

惣菜(そうざい): prepared side dishes — the food itself, not the shop
総菜(そうざい): same word, alternate kanji
デリ: deli — English loanword, used for Western-style delicatessens
弁当屋(べんとうや): bento shop — specializes in boxed lunches specifically

Related Words

Compare: 惣菜(そうざい) (prepared side dishes)

Compare: 総菜(そうざい) (same word, alternate kanji)

Compare: 弁当屋(べんとうや) (bento shop)

general

Added 2026.4.30 0:30 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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