Translation guide
The act of looking at items in store windows or browsing without intending to buy. In Japanese, this is commonly expressed with a specific phrase, but there are also related expressions for browsing or just looking.
To express the activity of walking around and looking at items in shop windows or stores without the intention of purchasing anything.
The most direct and common way to say 'window-shopping'. It is a loanword from English and widely understood.
I often go window-shopping on weekends.
冷やかし (ひやかし) can be used when you want to emphasize that you are just looking and not buying. It is common to say 冷やかしです or 冷やかしで見ているだけです to a shop assistant.
I'm just looking.
I enjoyed window-shopping with my girlfriend.
Literally 'to look with the intention of just browsing/teasing'. It implies looking without buying, often used in casual contexts. Can sometimes carry a nuance of 'just looking, not buying' when entering a store.
I told the clerk, 'I'm just looking.'
Means 'to look around' or 'to browse'. It can be used for window-shopping when the context is clear, but it is more general.
I like browsing around department stores.
Literally 'to gaze at shop windows'. This is more specific to looking at window displays, but less common as a set phrase for the activity.
I walked around the city at night gazing at the shop windows.