If you are traveling to Japan, know these 28 phrases so you can survive a restaurant in Japan. Walking into a Japanese restaurant feels exciting, but intimidating if you don't know the language. This article introduces you to 28 must-know phrases you can use at Japanese restaurants from making reservations, ordering to asking for special menus or recommendations. Let's get started.
Essential Words & Phrases For Your Next Japanese Food Outing
It is no doubt that there are a ton of amazing restaurants that serve authentic and brilliant food in Japan. However, have you been in a situation where you were completely lost because of the language barriers? Here I listed essential words and phrases that you hear and say very often in a restaurant setting. After learning these words, you will be able to navigate your Japanese food adventure easily and more confidently.
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いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) – Welcome (to the restaurant)
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開いていますか？ (aite imasu ka?) – Are you open?
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席は空いていますか？ (seki wa aite imasu ka?) – Do you have seats open?
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何名さまですか？ (nanmei sama desu ka?) – For How many?
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二人です (futari desu) – For two.
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予約はありますか？ (yoyaku wa arimasu ka?) – Do you have reservation?
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6時に予約しています。 (rokuji ni yoyaku shite imasu) – I have a reservation at 6.
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予約していなくても大丈夫ですか？ (yoyaku shiteinakutemo daijoubu desu ka?) – Is it ok if I didn’t make a reservation?
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待ち時間はどのくらいですか？ (machijikan wa donokurai desu ka?) – How long is the wait time?
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お腹が空きました (onaka ga sukimashita) – I’m hungry.
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英語のメニューはありますか？ (eigo no menyu- wa arimasu ka?) – Do you have an English menu?
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おすすめはありますか？ (osusume wa arimasu ka?) – Do you have recommendations?
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人気のメニューはどれですか？ (ninki no menyu- wa dore desu ka?) – What is a popular menu?
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水を二つください (mizu wo futatsu kudasai) – Two water please.
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からあげを一つください (karaage wo hitotsu kudasai) – One karaage (fried chicken) please.
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これはなんですか？ (kore wa nandesu ka?) – What is this?
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豚骨ラーメンお願いします。 (tonkotsu ra-men onegaishimasu) – Tonkotsu ramen please.
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これは辛いですか？ (kore wa karai desu ka?) – Is this spicy?
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フォークをもらえますか？ (fo-ku wo moraemasu ka?) – Could I have a fork?
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いただきます (itadakimasu) – Thank you for the food. Let’s eat. Bon Appetite.
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おいしいです (oishii desu) – It’s delicious.
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お腹いっぱいです (onaka ippai desu) – I’m full.
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ごちそうさまでした (gochisou sama deshita) – Thank you for the meal.
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お会計をお願いします (okaikei wo onegaishimasu) – Check please.
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カードは使えますか？ (ka-do wa tsukaemasu ka?) – Can I use the (credit) card?
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現金で払います (genkin de haraimasu) – I will pay by cash.
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クーポン使えますか？ (ku-pon tsukaemasu ka?) – Can I use the coupon?
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ありがとうございました (arigatou gozaimashita) – Thank you so much.
If you are worried about memorizing all these phrases above, check out my video introducing Japanese phrases you can use at a restaurant below as an audio guide.
Sound Like A Native In A Restaurant
Learn each phrase in context. I added detailed explanations and situations you might here&say each phrase.
Phrases: Before the Meal
いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) – Welcome (to the restaurant)
When you step into a restaurant, you will be greeted with this phrase by the waiter or waitress. It means “welcome (to the store)” and is a common word to greet customers when they enter their establishment. Simply greet back こんにちは (konnichiwa) – Hello or ask for a table for your party. You don’t greet back with いらっしゃいませ.
開いていますか？ (aite imasu ka?) – Are you open?
When you get to the restaurant, but the inside is dim and you are not sure if they are open, use this phrase to ask if it’s within their business hour. You can also call them on the phone and ask 今日開いていますか？ (kyou aite imasu ka?) – Are you open today?
席は空いていますか？ (seki wa aite imasu ka?) – Do you have seats open?
If the restaurant looks busy, or there are people waiting in front of the restaurant, use this phrase to check the current availability.
何名さまですか？ (nanmei sama desu ka?) – For How many?
– 二人です (futari desu) – For two.
When you are asked this, you can respond by the number of people in your party.
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ひとりです (hitori desu) – 1 person
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ふたりです (futari desu) – 2 people
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さんにんです (sannin desu) – 3 people
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よにんです (yonin desu) – 4 people
or more politely:
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１名です(いちめい) – 1 person
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２名です(にめい) – 2 people
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１０名です(じゅうめい) – 10 people
予約はありますか？ (yoyaku wa arimasu ka?) – Do you have reservation?
– 6時に予約しています。 (rokuji ni yoyaku shite imasu) – I have a reservation at 6.
– 予約していなくても大丈夫ですか？ (yoyaku shiteinakutemo daijoubu desu ka?) – Is it ok if I didn’t make a reservation?
予約はありますか？ or 予約していますか？ means “do you have reservation?” or “did you make a reservation? If you did, tell them your name and the time you reserved.
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5時半に予約した山田です (goji han ni yoyaku shita Yamada desu) – I made a reservation at 5:30 under the name Yamada.
If you do not have reservation, you could say:
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いいえ (iie) – No, I did not.
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予約していません (yoyaku shiteimasen) – I did not make a reservation.
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予約していなくても大丈夫ですか？ (yoyaku shiteinakutemo daijoubu desu ka?) – Is it ok if I didn’t make a reservation?
待ち時間はどのくらいですか？ (machijikan wa donokurai desu ka?) – How long is the wait time?
You can also ask どれくらい待ちますか？ (dorekurai machimasu ka?) Learn the typical responses at the same time:
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１５分ほどです (juugo fun hodo desu) – about 15 minutes
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一時間ほどです (ichijikan hodo desu) – about an hour
Phrases: When Ordering
お腹が空きました (onaka ga sukimashita) – I’m hungry
In Japanese, “I’m hungry” is expressed as “my stomach is empty”.
英語のメニューはありますか？ (eigo no menyu- wa arimasu ka?) – Do you have an English menu?
＿はありますか？ (_ wa arimasuka?) means “Is there _?” or “Do you have _?” You can change 英語のメニュー to different words to create more sentences.
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日本酒はありますか？ (nihonshu wa arimasu ka?) – Is there Japanese sake?
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うどんはありますか？ (udon wa arimasu ka?) – Is there udon noodle?
おすすめはありますか？ (osusume wa arimasu ka?) – Do you have recommendations?
人気のメニューはどれですか？ (ninki no menyu- wa dore desu ka?) – What is a popular menu?
If there are a lot of good menu options and you are being indecisive, just ask for recommendations or popular menu items. You definitely can’t go wrong with it!
水を二つください (mizu wo futatsu kudasai) – Two water please.
からあげを一つください (karaage wo hitotsu kudasai) – One karaage (fried chicken) please.
＿を＿つください (_ wo _ tsu kudasai) means “Please give me (number of) _” Add a dish name in the first blank and a number in the second blank. That’s how you order at a restaurant in Japanese. Read this post to learn about how to count in Japanese.
これはなんですか？ (kore wa nandesu ka?) – What is this?
これ means “this” and なんですか means “what is _?” This is one of the most essential Japanese phrases a learners should memorize. It literally opens the door to learning so many Japanese words and phrases you don’t know. Just point a picture or a written word and say “kore wa nandesu ka?” and hopefully they will give you the answer that you can understand!
豚骨ラーメンお願いします。 (tonkotsu ra-men onegaishimasu) – Tonkotsu ramen please.
＿おねがいします (_ onegaishimasu) is a polite expression to ask for something. It can be used to order food item at a restaurant.
これは辛いですか？ (kore wa karai desu ka?) – Is this spicy?
Not many Japanese dishes are spicy, but if you cannot handle any spice, this phrase will be very useful to you. Change 辛い to different taste words: これは甘いですか？ (kore wa amai desu ka?) – Is this sweet? これは酸っぱいですか？ (kore wa suppai desu ka?) – Is this sour? これは苦いですか？ (kore wa nigai desu ka?) – Is this bitter? etc.
フォークをもらえますか？ (fo-ku wo moraemasu ka?) – Could I have a fork?
You can also say フォークはありますか？ (fo-ku wa arimasu ka?) when you need a fork instead of chopsticks. No shame, everyone has to practice. Japanese people are just lucky that they got to practice when they were 4. (> <) BUT, if you are eating ramen… using chopsticks makes the bowl tastes better (in my complete personal opinion). Using forks in a ramen bowl… just doesn’t do it. Just saying (> <)
Phrases: Eating And After
いただきます (itadakimasu) – Thank you for the food. Let’s eat. Bon Appetite.
This is probably one of the most famous Japanese phrases out there. There is not exact an English translation for it, but the idea is that you thank the food put in front of you. The mindset behind this is that you think of all the hands that raised the crops and livestocks that are used in the dish and all the hands that prepared them. I love this phrase as it reflects the beauty of Japanese people’s mind of how they show respect to others.
おいしいです (oishii desu) – It’s delicious.
Hope you have many chances to say this word when you eat food in Japan!
お腹いっぱいです (onaka ippai desu) – I’m full.
In Japanese, “I’m full.” is expressed as “my stomach is full.” I find it interesting that the expression is similar to English phrase. It looks like feeling the full stomach after yummy food is universal!
ごちそうさまでした (gochisou sama deshita) – Thank you for the meal.
Like いただきます, ごちそうさまでした is a phrase of showing respect and gratitude to the food and the chef. The literal meaning of this phrase is “it was a feast”, complimenting the dishes that were served for you. Many people say this to the waiter/waitress or the casher when they leave the restaurant.
お会計をお願いします (okaikei wo onegaishimasu) – Check please.
お会計 means “check out”. Another way of asking for the check is: お勘定お願いします (okanjou onegaishimasu). These are interchangeable and have the same meaning.
カードは使えますか？ (ka-do wa tsukaemasu ka?) – Can I use the (credit) card?
カード here refers to the credit card in most cases. Although cashless check out has been becoming more popular in Japan, there are still a lot of places that do not accept cards especially small venders or street food stalls. Contactless payment methods are popular have become popular these days, it might by difficult for foreigners to enroll in one, so it is generally a good idea to carry some cash for food budget when traveling Japan.
現金で払います (genkin de haraimasu) – I will pay by cash.
Or “現金で” for short. When you want to use credit card to pay, say: カードで. Easy right?
クーポン使えますか？ (ku-pon tsukaemasu ka?) – Can I use the coupon?
I love using coupons! The difficult part is to find the coupon.
ありがとうございました (arigatou gozaimashita) – Thank you so much.
A common greeting when you leave the place.
If you are a visual learner, check out my Japanese flashcard set to learn the restaurant phrases. This set focuses on the must-learn restaurant phrases you just learned.
Enjoy Eating And Learning
Mastering these restaurant phrases will unlock a new door to see Japan from a different angle. Hope this helped you connect with the culture and people and feel more confident using Japanese in real-life settings. Don’t try to memorize all at once, but just try using one or two on your next trip. Maybe it will take your dining experience to somewhere higher. Practice with your friends and family. Maybe you get too nervous on the spot and forget everything you learned, but that’s ok! At the end of the day, the most important thing is to enjoy the food and enjoy meeting nice people along the way.
