How to order a meal in Japanese
親子丼とウーロン茶をお願いします。
oyakodon to ūroncha o onegai shimasu.
“An oyakodon and an oolong tea, please.”
When: When the server comes to take your order
The moment
It is noon and you sit down at a busy set-meal shop in Tokyo. You need the menu, one main dish and something to drink before the lunch rush swallows you.
A1 · Unit 2 · Café & food
The lines
Ordering food and a drink together
At a table you simply name what you want and finish with 「お願いします」. Put 「と」 between the two items, so 「親子丼とウーロン茶をお願いします。」 orders the dish and the drink in one breath.
親子丼とウーロン茶をお願いします。
oyakodon to ūroncha o onegai shimasu.
“An oyakodon and an oolong tea, please.”
When to use it: When the server comes to take your order
What you’ll hear back: かしこまりました。少々お待ちください。 kashikomarimashita. shōshō omachi kudasai. (Certainly. One moment, please.)
Asking what is good here
When the menu defeats you, ask 「おすすめは何ですか。」 — what do you recommend? Staff answer with one specific dish, and that dish is almost always the safe bet.
おすすめは何ですか。
osusume wa nan desu ka.
“What do you recommend?”
When to use it: When you cannot decide what to order
What you’ll hear back: 今日は日替わり定食がおすすめです。 kyō wa higawari teishoku ga osusume desu. (Today I recommend the daily set.)
Words for this scene
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| メニューをお願いします | menyū o onegai shimasu | the menu, please |
すみません、メニューをお願いします。 Excuse me, could I have the menu? Tip: Open with sumimasen — that is how you call a server over. | ||
| 日替わり定食 | higawari teishoku | the daily set meal |
今日の日替わり定食は何ですか。 What is today's daily set meal? Tip: Lunch only, cheapest on the board, and it arrives fastest. | ||
| 以上です | ijō desu | that's everything |
親子丼とお茶で、以上です。 The oyakodon and a tea — that's everything. Tip: Closes your order; without it the server keeps waiting. | ||
Your objective
Ask for the menu, then order one main dish and one drink.
- the menu
- a main dish
- a drink
Lines that get it done
- メニューをお願いします · menyū o onegai shimasu · the menu, please
- 親子丼とウーロン茶をお願いします。
- 親子丼とお茶で、以上です。 · The oyakodon and a tea — that's everything.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. The server is at your table and you want an oyakodon plus an oolong tea. What do you say?
- 親子丼とウーロン茶をお願いします。
- 親子丼とウーロン茶が好きです。
- 親子丼とウーロン茶はどこですか。
- 親子丼とウーロン茶はおいしいです。
Show the answer
親子丼とウーロン茶をお願いします。
Naming the two items and adding お願いします is how you actually place the order.
2. You cannot decide what to eat. How do you ask the server what is good here?
- おすすめは何ですか。
- これはいくらですか。
- お名前は何ですか。
- 今、何時ですか。
Show the answer
おすすめは何ですか。
おすすめ means the recommendation, so this asks straight out what the staff suggest.
3. You have named everything you want. How do you tell the server your order is finished?
- 以上です。
- いただきます。
- ごちそうさまでした。
- はじめまして。
Show the answer
以上です。
以上です is the set phrase that closes an order; the others belong to other moments.