People in Japan tend to be pretty good about returning lost items. So, if you lose something, there’s a high chance you’ll get it back. Of course, that means if you yourself find a lost item, then it’s best to try and return it.

Recently, a Canadian friend of mine told me he found an 落とし物 (otoshimono, a thing that was dropped) in a cafe, a pair of Beats earbuds. He approached the staff with them, trying to explain that the 拾い物 (hiroimono, a thing that was found) may have been left behind by the person sitting next to him.

Japanese is primarily a language that deals with nouns. Instead of focusing on the verb, like in English — you dropped something, I found this — we wrap up similar sentiments by using terms such as 忘れ物 (wasuremono, a forgotten thing), 食べ物 (tabemono, a thing you eat/ food) or 飲み物 (nomimono, a thing you drink/ drinks).

Creating these words is simple. First, take the stem of a Japanese verb, which is a verb in masu-form without the “masu,” and then add “物” (mono, thing) on the end. For example, let’s try doing this with 落とします (otoshimasu, to drop). First, remove “ます” (masu), which leaves you with “落とし.” Now, simply stick “物” on the end for “落とし物.” Similarly, 生きます (ikimasu, to live) first becomes “生き” and then, “生き物” (ikimono, a living thing/ creature).

So, if you see someone drop something, you can pick it up and easily say to them, “すみません、落とし物ですよ” (Sumimasen, otoshimono desu yo, Excuse me, you dropped this). If you spot someone leave something behind — even if it is clearly an item you recognize like an umbrella or an iPhone — you can ask, “すみません、忘れ物じゃないですか？” (Sumimasen, wasuremono ja nai desu ka?, Excuse me, did you forget this?)

Back to my friend at the cafe. He took the earbuds to the counter and said, “これ、忘れ物だと思うんですけど...” (Kore, wasuremono da to omou-n-desu kedo..., I think someone forgot this...). For even more detail, he could have said, “隣の人が置いていってしまったみたいなんですが...” (Tonari no hito ga oite-itte-shimatta mitai nan desu ga..., I think the person sitting next to me left it behind...). In either of these examples, though, it’s more natural not to finish the sentence. There is a particular aspect to Japanese in which things are said indirectly and this kind of trailing off allows the listener to take time to understand the situation on their own.

In the second sentence, using the 〜てしまった (~te-shimatta) structure conveys the idea that the action was done unintentionally. For example, adding しまった to the te-form of 忘れる will give you 忘れてしまった！ (wasurete-shimatta!, I totally forgot!), which might be the response of someone you return a 忘れ物 to.

A more casual form of this structure adds “ちゃった” (chatta) to the verb stem, giving us 忘れちゃった (wasurechatta, I totally forgot), 食べちゃった (tabechatta, I totally ate [all of it]) or 言っちゃった (icchatta, I blurted it out), all of which indicate some kind of unintentional or accidental action.

In their response to my Canadian friend, the cafe staff will almost certainly not use the same level of casual Japanese. They’re likely to respond with something along the lines of, “ありがとうございます。お預かりしておきます” (Arigatō gozaimasu. O-azukari shite-okimasu, Thank you very much. We’ll hold on to it).

All done, correct? Nope! There’s more to this story. Even in busy, busy Tokyo, my friend who returned the headphones left the cafe and then spotted the person who had been sitting next to him on the street. What a coincidence!

People who walk around Tokyo aren’t used to strangers approaching them. Or, more likely, they’re used to ignoring strangers who approach them because those people are often trying to sell them something or are looking for a date. To initiate a conversation, you’ll need to be careful not to scare the person you’re talking to, especially if you are a man approaching a woman.

First, gently try to make the person understand the context: “すみません、さっきカフェにいましたよね？忘れ物をしませんでしたか？” (Sumimasen, sakki kafe ni imashita yo ne? Wasuremono o shimasen deshita ka?, Excuse me, you were at a cafe earlier, weren’t you? I think you forgot something?) Even if you are 100% sure that the person forgot something, phrase things in the form of a question. If you’re lucky, the person will remember and should respond with, “あ、忘れてしまった！” (A, wasurete-shimatta!, Oh, I did forget something!). With that out of the way, reply with “やっぱり! カウンターに預けてあります” (Yappari! Kauntā ni azukete-arimasu, I knew it! I left it at the counter).

In adding ある (aru, to be) to the te-form of a verb (usually transitive), you can indicate that somebody, possibly yourself, performed an action intentionally and the result is still in that state: 飲み物はもう買ってありますよ (Nomimono wa mō katte-arimasu yo, The drinks have already been bought [by someone]).

If you find something on the street, it is probably best to return the item to a 交番 (kōban, police box). When reporting an item to the police, you have the right to claim up to 20% of the value of the object due to 拾得者の権利 (shūtokusha no kenri, the rights of the finder). However, to claim this right you’ll need to report the lost item within a certain time frame. 7日以内に警察に届けないと, 拾得者の権利がなくなります (Nanoka inai ni keisatsu ni todokenai to, shūtokusha no kenri ga nakunarimasu, If you do not report [the item] to the police within seven days, you will lose finder’s rights).

Also, if you find cash in the street, don’t keep it. 落とし物を拾って、そのまま自分の物にしてしまうのは犯罪です (Otoshimono o hirotte, sonomama jibun no mono ni shite-shimau no wa hanzai desu, It is a crime to pick up a lost item and keep it for yourself). Maybe that’s why you’re likely to have lost items returned to you in Japan.

Don't forget these vocabulary terms

  • 置きっぱなし (okippanashi, leaving something where it is): カフェでパソコンを置きっぱなしにしてトイレにいかないほうがいいですよ (Kafe de pasokon o okippanashi ni shite toire ni ikanai hō ga ii desu yo, It is better not to leave your computer [on the table] when you go to the bathroom at a cafe).

  • 置き去り (okizari, leave someone behind/abandon): 彼女は子どもたちを置き去りにして、家を出てしまった (Kanojo wa kodomo-tachi o okizari ni shite, ie o dete-shimatta, She [actually] left the kids in the house and went out).

  • 置いてきぼり (oitekibori, leave someone behind [while others are making progress]): 高齢者は情報化社会に置いてきぼりにされている (Kōreisha wa jōhōka shakai ni oitekibori ni sarete-iru, The elderly are being left behind in the information society).

  • 置き忘れる (okiwasureru, to leave something behind/misplace): メガネを置き忘れちゃった (megane o okiwasurechatta, I’ve totally misplaced my glasses).

  • ほったらかし (hottarakashi, leave alone/neglect): 出かける時、長い間子犬をほったらかしにしてはいけません (Dekakeru toki, nagai aida koinu o hottarakashi ni shite wa ikemasen, You musn't leave your puppy alone for a long time when you go out).