Ordering food in a Japanese restaurant is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in the culture! This lesson builds upon what you learned about food preferences in the previous lesson and provides essential phrases and vocabulary to help you confidently navigate a dining experience. Let's learn how to order like a pro and understand what the restaurant staff might say to you.
This section expands upon the basic vocabulary, offering more specific and useful terms.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| メニュー | menyū | Menu | Borrowed from English. |
| 注文（ちゅうもん） | chūmon | Order | As a noun; "to order" is 注文する (chūmon suru). |
| おすすめ | osusume | Recommendation | Can also mean "recommended." |
| ください | kudasai | Please (give me) | A polite request, typically used when receiving something. |
| いくらですか | ikura desu ka | How much is it? | Useful when the price isn't clearly displayed. |
| お会計（かいけい） | okaikei | Bill/Check | Adding お (o) makes it more polite. |
| お水（おみず） | omizu | Water | Politer version of 水 (mizu). |
| ご飯（ごはん） | gohan | Rice | Also means "meal" in general. |
| 味噌汁（みそしる） | misoshiru | Miso Soup | A staple in Japanese meals. |
| お箸（おはし） | ohashi | Chopsticks | Adding お (o) makes it more polite. |
| 取り皿（とりざら） | torizara | Small plate (for sharing) | Useful for sharing dishes. |
| 予約（よやく） | yoyaku | Reservation | Noun form. 予約する (yoyaku suru) is "to make a reservation." |
| 禁煙席（きんえんせき） | kin'enseki | Non-smoking seat | |
| 喫煙席（きつえんせき） | kitsuen'seki | Smoking seat | |
| 少々お待ちください（しょうしょうおまちください） | shōshō omachi kudasai | Please wait a moment | Polite phrase used by staff when they need a bit more time. |
This section elaborates on the basic phrases, offering more variations and grammatical explanations.
メニューをください。 Menyū o kudasai. "Please give me the menu." Explanation: This is a standard phrase. You can also say メニューをお願いします。(Menyū o onegai shimasu.) which is slightly more polite.
おすすめは何ですか。 Osusume wa nan desu ka? "What do you recommend?" Explanation: The wa particle indicates the topic. Nan desu ka? means "What is it?".
これをください。 Kore o kudasai. "I'll have this, please." Explanation: Kore means "this." You can also use are (that - over there) or sore (that - near the listener). For example, pointing to an item on the menu that's further away, you could say あれをください。(Are o kudasai.)
水をお願いします。 Mizu o onegai shimasu. "Water, please." Explanation: Onegai shimasu is a more versatile "please" than kudasai, generally used for requests rather than receiving something. You can also use お水ください。(Omizu kudasai.) which is less formal.
お会計をお願いします。 Okaikei o onegai shimasu. "The bill, please." Explanation: A very common phrase. Another option, especially if you're ready to pay at the counter, is お会計、お願いします。(Okaikei, onegai shimasu.)
[Item] を [Number] つください。 [Item] o [Number] tsu kudasai. "Please give me [Number] [Item]." Example: ビールを二つください。(Bīru o futatsu kudasai.) - "Two beers, please." Futatsu means "two" when counting general items. Counters are important in Japanese! (More on counters below.)
[Item] はありますか。 [Item] wa arimasu ka? "Do you have [Item]?" Example: ベジタリアンメニューはありますか。(Bejitarian menyū wa arimasu ka?) - "Do you have a vegetarian menu?"
[Item] は入っていますか。 [Item] wa haitte imasu ka? "Does it contain [Item]?" Example: これに肉は入っていますか。(Kore ni niku wa haitte imasu ka?) - "Does this contain meat?" Niku means meat.
[Allergy] アレルギーがあります。 [Allergy] arerugī ga arimasu. "I have a [Allergy] allergy." Example: ナッツアレルギーがあります。(Nattsu arerugī ga arimasu.) - "I have a nut allergy."
すみません。 Sumimasen. "Excuse me." Explanation: Used to get someone's attention. Very important!
[Quantity]でお願いします。 [Quantity] de onegai shimasu. "I'd like [quantity]."
In Japanese, you can't just say "two beers". You need to use a counter word that depends on what you are counting. Here are a few very common counters:
Let's see these in action:
| Number | General (つ) | People (人) | Small Objects (個) | Cylindrical (本) | Flat Objects (枚) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ (hitotsu) | 一人 (hitori) | 一個 (ikko) | 一本 (ippon) | 一枚 (ichimai) |
| 2 | ふたつ (futatsu) | 二人 (futari) | 二個 (niko) | 二本 (nihon) | 二枚 (nimai) |
| 3 | みっつ (mittsu) | 三人 (sannin) | 三個 (sanko) | 三本 (sanbon) | 三枚 (sanmai) |
| 4 | よっつ (yottsu) | 四人 (yonin) | 四個 (yonko) | 四本 (yonhon) | 四枚 (yonmai) |
| 5 | いつつ (itsutsu) | 五人 (gonin) | 五個 (goko) | 五本 (gohon) | 五枚 (gomai) |
So, "Three people" would be 三人 (sannin), and "One bottle of beer" would be ビール一本 (bīru ippon). "Three dumplings" would be 餃子三個 (gyōza sanko).
These dialogues provide more realistic restaurant scenarios.
Dialogue 1: At a Ramen Shop
Customer: すみません。 Sumimasen. "Excuse me."
Staff: はい、何名様ですか。 Hai, nanmei-sama desu ka? "Yes, how many people?" (-sama is a very polite suffix)
Customer: 一人です。カウンター、いいですか。 Hitori desu. Kauntā, ii desu ka? "One person. Is the counter okay?"
Staff: はい、どうぞ。こちらへ。 Hai, dōzo. Kochira e. "Yes, please. This way."
(After being seated)
Customer: メニューをください。 Menyū o kudasai. "Please give me the menu."
Staff: はい、こちらです。 Hai, kochira desu. "Here you are."
Customer: (After looking at the menu) 一番人気は何ですか。 Ichiban ninki wa nan desu ka? "What is the most popular?"
Staff: 豚骨ラーメンが一番人気です。 Tonkotsu rāmen ga ichiban ninki desu. "Tonkotsu ramen is the most popular."
Customer: じゃあ、豚骨ラーメンと餃子三個をください。 Jā, tonkotsu rāmen to gyōza sanko o kudasai. "Then, tonkotsu ramen and three gyoza, please."
Staff: かしこまりました。 Kashikomarimashita. "Understood." (Very polite way to acknowledge an order)
(After eating)
Customer: お会計お願いします。 Okaikei onegaishimasu. "The bill, please."
Staff: ありがとうございます。全部で1200円になります。 Arigatō gozaimasu. Zenbu de sen ni-hyaku en ni narimasu. "Thank you. That will be 1200 yen in total."
Customer: (Hands over money) はい。 Hai. "Here."
Staff: 1200円、お預かりします。 Sen ni-hyaku en, o-azukari shimasu. "I'm receiving 1200 yen."
Staff: ありがとうございました！ Arigatō gozaimashita! "Thank you very much!"
Dialogue 2: Making a Reservation by Phone
Customer: もしもし。 Moshi moshi. "Hello?" (Phone greeting)
Staff: はい、[Restaurant Name]です。 Hai, [Restaurant Name] desu. "Yes, this is [Restaurant Name]."
Customer: 今晩、予約したいんですが。 Konban, yoyaku shitai n desu ga. "I'd like to make a reservation for tonight."
Staff: 何名様ですか。 Nanmei-sama desu ka? "How many people?"
Customer: 二人です。 Futari desu. "Two people."
Staff: 何時がよろしいですか。 Nanji ga yoroshii desu ka? "What time would you like?"
Customer: 7時半でお願いします。 Shichi-ji han de onegai shimasu. "7:30, please."
Staff: 禁煙席と喫煙席、どちらがよろしいですか。 Kin'enseki to kitsuenseki, dochira ga yoroshii desu ka? "Smoking or non-smoking?"
Customer: 禁煙席でお願いします。 Kin'enseki de onegai shimasu. "Non-smoking, please."
Staff: かしこまりました。お名前をお伺いしてもよろしいですか。 Kashikomarimashita. O-namae o o-ukagai shite mo yoroshii desu ka? "Understood. May I ask your name?" (Very polite)
Customer: [Your Name]です。 [Your Name] desu. "[Your Name]."
Staff: [Your Name]様、7時半に禁煙席で二名様ですね。お待ちしております。 [Your Name]-sama, shichi-ji han ni kin'enseki de nimei-sama desu ne. Omachi shite orimasu. "[Your Name]-sama, 7:30, non-smoking, two people. We will be waiting for you."
Customer: はい、ありがとうございます。 Hai, arigatō gozaimasu. "Yes, thank you."
Here's a list of phrases you might hear from the restaurant staff:
| Japanese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| いらっしゃいませ。 | Irasshaimase. | Welcome! |
| 何名様ですか。 | Nanmei-sama desu ka? | How many people? |
| こちらへどうぞ。 | Kochira e dōzo. | This way, please. |
| メニューでございます。 | Menyū de gozaimasu. | Here is the menu. (Very polite) |
| ご注文はお決まりですか。 | Gochūmon wa o-kimari desu ka? | Are you ready to order? |
| 注文は何になさいますか。 | Chūmon wa nani ni nasaimasu ka? | What will you order? (Very polite) |
| 少々お待ちください。 | Shōshō omachi kudasai. | Please wait a moment. |
| お待たせいたしました。 | O-matase itashimashita. | Sorry for the wait. |
| こちら、[Dish Name]でございます。 | Kochira, [Dish Name] de gozaimasu. | Here is your [Dish Name]. (Very polite) |
| ごゆっくりどうぞ。 | Go-yukkuri dōzo. | Please enjoy. |
| ありがとうございました。 | Arigatō gozaimashita. | Thank you very much! |
| またお越しくださいませ。 | Mata o-koshi kudasaimase. | Please come again. (Very polite) |
Now it's your turn to practice!
ラーメンを ____ 、餃子を____ 、ご飯を ____ ください。