Can I help you?
Yes, I'm looking for a gift for a Japanese family here that I'm going to stay with. What do you recommend?
Pen sets are always a good gift.
Isn't that too small? You know... I'm here to learn Japanese in a college for a whole year. I think it's a long time and it'll be a great trouble to the family, so I'll...
Well, I see... But we Japanese consider it important to respect each other, rather than give expensive gifts.
Yes, all right, let's see pen sets. There's sets with a pen and a pencil, and bigger sets with four pens.
Don't give a set of four pens to your Japanese friend. In fact, don't give four of anything.
Why is that?
The Japanese word 'four' sounds like the word for 'death'. It means bad luck.
Thanks a lot. In that case, I'll take the single pen and pencil set.
Good choice. These sets make very good gifts. After all, pens write in any language.
Right.