Question
I’m on a quick trip through Japan and just realized my wallet is gone — cards, cash, IC card, all of it. I think I left it on the train between Kyoto and Osaka, and a station attendant has just walked over to help me. My heart is racing and I want to explain quickly. How do I say “I lost my wallet” in Japanese?
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
財布をなくしました。
Saifu o nakushimashita.
I lost my wallet.
Take a breath — station staff hear this phrase often, and they know what to do. Saifu means “wallet,” and nakushimashita is the polite past form of nakusu, the verb for losing something by accident. Japanese drops the “I” and the “my” because the situation makes it obvious.
If you want to say where it happened, slot the place in front: 電車の中で財布をなくしました, densha no naka de saifu o nakushimashita, “I lost my wallet on the train.”
One practical tip: if you think you lost it inside a station, tell the 駅員ekiin (station staff) first — their lost-and-found system is impressive. If it went missing on the street, walk into the nearest 交番koban, the small neighborhood police box, and they will help you file a report.