I took this picture near the restroom in a Sukiya restraunt in Nipponbashi, Osaka. The sign is a pretty self-explanatory 'Don't drink and drive' message' so let's learn it in Japanese.
First let's read from the top(上) left(左) under the swerving car and glass of beer:
飲酒運転
飲酒（いんしゅ）- Here we use the Kanji for 'drink' 飲 and 'sake' 酒 which is Japanese for 'alcohol' to make the word 'inshu' which is 'drinking alcohol'.
運転（うんてん）- Here we have the Kanji 運 which means 'fortune/luck' and is also used for 'drive/transport'. 転 for 'revolve/turn around/change' when used together makes 'driving/operation'.
All together 飲酒運転 is 'drunk driving'.
To the right (右) in red (赤):
運転（うんてん）- Here we have the Kanji 運 which means 'fortune/luck' and is also used for 'drive/transport'. 転 for 'revolve/turn around/change' when used together makes 'driving/operation'.
All together 飲酒運転 is 'drunk driving'.
To the right (右) in red (赤):
ご車でご来店
ご車（くるま）- Here we have 'gokuruma' where ご is used as an honorable prefix for 'your car'.
で- 'de' is a particle that has many uses and meanings. When partnered with a transportation vehicle で takes the meaning of 'by' so 車で is 'by car'.
ご来店（ごらいてん）- Here we see ご again with 'goraiten' where 来 means 'come' and 店 commonly read as 'mise' means 'store'. Together 来店 means 'coming to the store'.
All together ご車でご来店 is 'Coming to the store by car'.
The rest of sign is as follows:
で- 'de' is a particle that has many uses and meanings. When partnered with a transportation vehicle で takes the meaning of 'by' so 車で is 'by car'.
ご来店（ごらいてん）- Here we see ご again with 'goraiten' where 来 means 'come' and 店 commonly read as 'mise' means 'store'. Together 来店 means 'coming to the store'.
All together ご車でご来店 is 'Coming to the store by car'.
The rest of sign is as follows:
お客様には、アルコール類の販売をお断りさせていただきます。
お客様（おきゃくあま）- 'okyakusama' is the word for 'customer'.
には、- 'niwa' are the two particles に and は. に is giving direction which would translate 'to the customer' and はis marking the subject.
アルコール類（るい）- In Katakana is 'alcohol' and the Kanji 類 'rui' is a designator of 'class/family/kind' which includes the whole list of alcoholic beverages that can impair your abilities.
の - 'no' is the possessive particle.
販売（はんばい）- 'hanbai' is the noun for 'sales/selling' that uses the Kanji 売 for 'sell'.
を - 'wo' is the linking particle to a verb.
お断りさせて（おことわりさせて）- 'okotowarisasete', although we read this as one word it's actually made up of noun and verb, the noun お断り which means 'refuse' and させてwhich is a form of
する 'suru' which is 'to do'. It is very common is Japanese to add a noun + する to make a verb for doing the noun, whatever it may be. This form する uses させて in the causative form.
Here I will direct you to Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese page of 'Cause to be Passive' for the full explanation.
いただきます- 'itadakimasu' in the root form いただく 'itadaku' is the verb for 'I will receive' it is the standard expression used before every meal or food/drink offered to you by someone else. Like in this sentence, it can also be used with important information you want someone 'to receive'.
This sentence in essence reads, 'To the customer coming by car, the selling of alcohol beverages will be refused.'
Now (今) let's look (見ましょう) at the Kanji (漢字) in (中) the picture (絵) below (下):
末成年者飲酒（すえせいねんしゃいんしゅ）- 'sueseinenshainshu' OK, to understand this let's break it apart:
末 - 'sue' means 'end/close/future' which in this case I believe means 'future'.
成年 - 'seinen' has the Kanji 成 for 'become/change/grow' and the Kanji 年 for 'year' which together means 'adult age'.
者 - 'sha' is the Kanji used to label a type of 'person'.
飲酒 - We saw this above as 'drinking alcohol'.
All together this means literally (including the 'NO' indication in the sign) 'NO future adult age person drinking' or 'No underage drinking'.
２０歳末満（さいまつみつる）- 'saimatsumitsuru' which means '20 at the end of the year full'.
The rest is the same as under （下） the top （上） sign about the store's authority to refuse the sale of alcohol, in this case to 'minors'. You may be surprised, or not, that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20 years old, but to ease your jealousy the Japanese driving age is 18 years old.
以上です。
後ほど。
ジョシュア
には、- 'niwa' are the two particles に and は. に is giving direction which would translate 'to the customer' and はis marking the subject.
アルコール類（るい）- In Katakana is 'alcohol' and the Kanji 類 'rui' is a designator of 'class/family/kind' which includes the whole list of alcoholic beverages that can impair your abilities.
の - 'no' is the possessive particle.
販売（はんばい）- 'hanbai' is the noun for 'sales/selling' that uses the Kanji 売 for 'sell'.
を - 'wo' is the linking particle to a verb.
お断りさせて（おことわりさせて）- 'okotowarisasete', although we read this as one word it's actually made up of noun and verb, the noun お断り which means 'refuse' and させてwhich is a form of
する 'suru' which is 'to do'. It is very common is Japanese to add a noun + する to make a verb for doing the noun, whatever it may be. This form する uses させて in the causative form.
Here I will direct you to Tae Kim's Guide to Learning Japanese page of 'Cause to be Passive' for the full explanation.
いただきます- 'itadakimasu' in the root form いただく 'itadaku' is the verb for 'I will receive' it is the standard expression used before every meal or food/drink offered to you by someone else. Like in this sentence, it can also be used with important information you want someone 'to receive'.
This sentence in essence reads, 'To the customer coming by car, the selling of alcohol beverages will be refused.'
Now (今) let's look (見ましょう) at the Kanji (漢字) in (中) the picture (絵) below (下):
末成年者飲酒
末成年者飲酒（すえせいねんしゃいんしゅ）- 'sueseinenshainshu' OK, to understand this let's break it apart:
末 - 'sue' means 'end/close/future' which in this case I believe means 'future'.
成年 - 'seinen' has the Kanji 成 for 'become/change/grow' and the Kanji 年 for 'year' which together means 'adult age'.
者 - 'sha' is the Kanji used to label a type of 'person'.
飲酒 - We saw this above as 'drinking alcohol'.
All together this means literally (including the 'NO' indication in the sign) 'NO future adult age person drinking' or 'No underage drinking'.
２０歳末満
This part of the sign has two readings and clarifies the meaning:
２０歳末満（さいみまん）- 'saimiman' which means 'Less than 20 years old'.This part of the sign has two readings and clarifies the meaning:
２０歳末満（さいまつみつる）- 'saimatsumitsuru' which means '20 at the end of the year full'.
The rest is the same as under （下） the top （上） sign about the store's authority to refuse the sale of alcohol, in this case to 'minors'. You may be surprised, or not, that the legal drinking age in Japan is 20 years old, but to ease your jealousy the Japanese driving age is 18 years old.
以上です。
後ほど。
ジョシュア
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