How to book a table at a restaurant in Japanese
今夜7時に二名で予約をお願いします。
kon'ya shichi ji ni nimei de yoyaku o onegai shimasu.
“A table for two at seven tonight, please.”
When: Your opening line on the phone
The moment
You call a small izakaya in Shibuya to book a table for two tonight. They may already be full at the time you want, and you still need to give your name.
A2 · Unit 1 · Eating out
The lines
Booking for two at seven
Stack the details first, then the request: 「今夜7時に二名で予約をお願いします。」 On the phone 二名 sounds smoother than 二人, and お願いします carries the whole polite ask.
今夜7時に二名で予約をお願いします。
kon'ya shichi ji ni nimei de yoyaku o onegai shimasu.
“A table for two at seven tonight, please.”
When to use it: Your opening line on the phone
What you’ll hear back: かしこまりました。お名前をお願いいたします。 kashikomarimashita. o-namae o onegai itashimasu. (Certainly. Your name, please.)
Taking the later slot
When you hear 「7時は満席ですが、9時なら空いております」, the time after が is the offer. Take it with 「じゃあ、9時でお願いします。」 — じゃあ means in that case, and 〜でお願いします locks the time in.
じゃあ、9時でお願いします。
jā, ku ji de onegai shimasu.
“Nine o'clock then, please.”
When to use it: After they say your time is full
What you’ll hear back: はい、9時で承りました。お待ちしております。 hai, ku ji de uketamawarimashita. omachi shite orimasu. (Yes, nine o'clock is booked. We look forward to seeing you.)
Words for this scene
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 満席 | manseki | fully booked, no seats free |
申し訳ありません、8時まで満席です。 I'm sorry, we're fully booked until eight. Tip: The time you hear just before 満席 is when tables open. | ||
| テラス席 | terasu-seki | terrace seat, outside table |
テラス席は空いていますか。 Is there a table free on the terrace? Tip: Ask while booking — staff seat you indoors by default. | ||
| 予約した山田です | yoyaku shita Yamada desu | I'm Yamada, I have a booking |
7時に予約した山田です。 I'm Yamada, with a seven o'clock booking. Tip: Bookings are filed by surname; give the time first. | ||
Your objective
Book a table for tonight: give the number of people, a time and your name, and take another time if yours is full.
- the number of people
- a time
- your name
Lines that get it done
- 今夜7時に二名で予約をお願いします。
- じゃあ、9時でお願いします。
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You phone a restaurant to reserve a table for two at seven tonight. What do you say?
- 今夜7時に二名で予約をお願いします。
- 今夜7時に二名をいただきます。
- 今夜7時に二名で予約を食べます。
- 今夜7時に二名で予約を払いました。
Show the answer
今夜7時に二名で予約をお願いします。
Time, then party size, then 予約をお願いします is the standard reservation request.
2. The staff say 「9時まで満席です」. What are they telling you?
- Every table is taken until nine.
- The kitchen stops serving at nine.
- They open at nine tonight.
- The booking must be for at least nine people.
Show the answer
Every table is taken until nine.
満席 means all seats are full, so the first free slot is nine o'clock.
3. Seven is full but nine is free, and nine works for you. What do you say?
- じゃあ、9時でお願いします。
- じゃあ、9時は満席です。
- じゃあ、9時が空いております。
- じゃあ、9時を予約しました。
Show the answer
じゃあ、9時でお願いします。
じゃあ accepts the offer and 〜でお願いします books that time.