Friendly to Senior
Care · Conversation
初めてのお給料で何を買われましたか。 — What did you buy with your first salary? (Care · Conversation, Friendly to Senior, JLPT N4)
You
初めてのお給料で何を買われましたか。
はじめてのおきゅうりょうでなにをかわれましたか。
What did you buy with your first salary?
Romaji: Hajimete no okyuuryou de nani wo kawaremashita ka. / Reply Romaji: Ryoushin ni okurimono wo kaimashita yo. Okaasan ni kimono no kiji wo.
Reply
両親に贈り物を買いましたよ。お母さんに着物の生地を。
りょうしんにおくりものをかいましたよ。おかあさんにきもののきじを。
I bought presents for my parents. A kimono fabric for my mother.
Gesture & etiquette
Sit at eye level, light smile, attentive listening posture. When they share, nod and echo a key word ('お母様に着物!') — invites elaboration. Take in their pride in the memory.
First-salary memories often involve gifts for parents — a vivid Showa-era theme of filial gratitude. The honorific passive '買われました' frames it respectfully. Avoid 'do you remember' phrasing — just ask the question directly. Their answer often opens deeper memories of family, of early career independence.