Dictionary

konbini en · NOUN

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese コンビニ (konbini), which is a clipping of コンビニエンスストア (konbiniensu sutoa), which is from English convenience store. If English had a clipping of convenience store as *conveny (/kənˈviːni/), it would be analogous (i.e., morphologically and phonologically parallel) with konbini.

Meanings

1. A convenience store in Japan.
   • Just as it is almost impossible to walk through a Japanese town or city without encountering a vending machine, konbini are a fixture of the urban landscape, their brightly lit frontages holding out promise of round-the-clock sustenance and polite, if functional, customer service. 2024 November 8, Justin McCurry, “Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer: a day in the life of Japan’s beloved konbini stores”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
   • One-stop shops for everything, from clothes to make-up to household items, konbinis are open round the clock as “life infrastructure” (an official classification by the Japanese government), offering services that are vital to daily life. 2025 April 12, Ajesh Patalay, “Call of the konbini”, in HTSI, page 115:

Forms