Japanese Essentials: Key Phrases for Ordering at a Restaurant

Ordering at a restaurant in Japan can be a little intimidating if you can’t read the menu. But fear no more as we have gathered a few key phrases for you to enjoy your meal!

How many of you are there?
Placing your Order
Sample Dialogue
Vocabulary
 

How many of you are there?

As soon as you enter the restaurant the floor staff will come to you and ask 何名様（なんめいさま）ですか (“how many people”?). Don’t know how to count in Japanese? No problem, use your fingers to indicate 2, 3 or more people. Simply reply  using the counter for people 人 (にん) and the copula です:
Remember that 1 person is ひとり and 2 persons ふたり.

• 1 person: ひとり（1人）
• 2 persons: ふたり（2人）
• 3 persons: さんにん（３人）
• number + にん

Placing your Order

The floor staff will guide you to your table, hand you the menu and a rolled wet towel called おしぼり, to wash your hands. If you can’t read Japanese, you can try and ask for an English menu with this phrase:
英語（えいご）のメニューがありますか。(Do you have an English menu?)

When you’ve decided on what to order you can get the server’s attention with a loud すみません or if available, press a call button on the table.
To order your food, use the following phrase:
カレー（を）ひとつお願（ねが）いします。(one curry please)
The phrase（を）お願（ねが）いします is a very polite way to make a request and can be translated as “please”.
The particle を, marking a direct object of a verb in a sentence, can be omitted. Be careful, this particle can be written “wo” but is always pronounced “o”.
ひとつ is a Japanese counter you can use to count dishes when making an order.
If you can’t read the dish name on the menu, simply point and say:
これ（を）ひとつお願（ねが）いします。(One of this, please.)

• これ: this

 

Sample Dialogue

店員：ご注文（ちゅうもん）、お決（き）まりですか。
マリ：はい。カレーひとつと生（なま）ビールひとつ、お願（ねが）いします。
店員：以上（いじょう）でよろしいですか。
マリ：はい、以上で。あ、あとお水もらえますか。
店員：かしこまりました。
Waiter: Are you ready to order?
Mary: Yes. I’ll have one curry and one beer, please.
Waiter: Will that be all?
Mary: Yes, that’s all. Oh, could I also have some water?
Waiter: Right away.

もらえます comes from the verb もらえる, “to receive” and in this particular context, the question translates “could I have”.
 

Vocabulary

• 注文（ちゅうもん）: order; the prefix ご is added to sound more polite
• お決（き）まりですか: a polite way to ask if you “are decided”
• はい: yes
• 生（なま）ビール: draft beer
• 以上（いじょう）で: that’s all
• よろしいですか: polite way to ask if “it’s okay?”
• あと: also
• 水（みず）: water, the prefix お is added to sound more polite
• かしこまりました ー translates as “alright”, “right away”. It’s a very polite way to say you have understood a request.

When you’re ready to leave, you can ask for the bill with the phrase お会計（かいけい）お願（ねが）いします or, if you already have the bill on your table, walk directly to the cashier to pay. Once you’ve done you can let the waiter know you appreciate the meal by saying:
ごちそうさまでした。(Thank you very much (for the meal.)
With these in mind, why not try ordering a bowl of Ramen! If in doubt of what’s on the menu, here’s how you can ask for guidance with regard to what’s on the menu!

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