セルフ

せるふ

noun

self-service; do-it-yourself (in compounds)

1. self-service; self-

Short for セルフサービス. Marks a service the customer performs themselves — pumping gas, pouring water, carrying a tray, scanning purchases. Used almost entirely in compounds and on signs.

お水(みず)はセルフです。

Water is self-service.

セルフのガソリンスタンドは値段(ねだん)が安(やす)い。

Self-service gas stations are cheaper.

最近(さいきん)はスーパーのセルフレジが増(ふ)えて、並(なら)ぶ時間(じかん)が短(みじか)くなった。

Self-checkout machines have increased at supermarkets recently, and the wait in line has gotten shorter.

Frequently seen on shop signage as a single word: セルフ (self-service) versus フルサービス (full service).

Common collocations

セルフサービス: self-service
セルフレジ: self-checkout register
セルフのガソリンスタンド: a self-service gas station
セルフでどうぞ: please help yourself
セルフケア: self-care

Similar words

自分(じぶん)で: by oneself — the plain Japanese way to say the same thing in speech
無人(むじん): unstaffed — emphasizes that no employee is present at all
自動(じどう): automatic — the machine does it, rather than the customer

Related Words

Compare: 無人(むじん) (unstaffed)

general

Added 2026.8.5 9:20 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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