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How to Say ‘Buy a cake’ in Japanese

ケーキを買います

keeki o kai masu

[kay-kee o kai mahs]

💬 Usage Tip: In Japanese, the thing comes before the action: [ケーキを買います] = cake + buy. You can swap the noun and keep the pattern: [プレゼントを買います].

Phrase Breakdown

ケーキ

keeki

[kay-kee]

cake

A cake, often for birthdays or parties.

Example

きょうケーキを買います。

I will buy a cake today.

を買います

o kai masu

buy (it)

を marks the object being bought. 買います is the polite present/future form of “buy.”

Example

プレゼントをかいます。

I will buy a present.

Words in this phrase

を

o

[o]

object marker

Shows that ケーキ is the thing being bought.

Example

ケーキを買います。

I buy a cake.

買い

kai

[kai]

buy

The verb stem meaning buy, used before ます.

Example

たんじょうびのケーキを買います。

I buy a birthday cake.

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite verb ending

Makes the verb polite: 買い + ます = 買います.

Example

ケーキを買います。

I buy a cake.

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