Ordering, set meals, the izakaya and cooking at home: the Japanese you need around food.
31 sentences · 3 dialogues · 19 words
Food is one of the main reasons people visit Japan, and one of the easiest ways into the language: menus, ticket machines and shop counters repeat the same words every day.
Eating has its own phrases and manners — what you say before and after a meal, how you order in a busy restaurant, what you do with chopsticks. Knowing them makes every meal more relaxed.
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19 words from the word lists, ordered by level. A coloured edge shows what you have already practised.
Short dialogues to read along and repeat. Say one part first, then the other.
You go into a small restaurant alone at lunchtime.
いらっしゃいませ。何名様ですか。Welcome. How many of you?
一人です。Just one.
こちらへどうぞ。ご注文がお決まりになりましたら、お呼びください。This way, please. Call me when you’re ready to order.
すみません、焼き魚定食をお願いします。Excuse me, the grilled-fish set meal, please.
ご飯の大盛りは無料ですが、いかがですか。A large portion of rice is free — would you like one?
じゃあ、大盛りでお願いします。Then a large portion, please.
You are allergic to eggs and ask before ordering.
すみません、卵のアレルギーがあるんですが、このラーメンは大丈夫ですか。Excuse me, I have an egg allergy — is this ramen all right?
少々お待ちください。確認してきます。One moment, please. I’ll go and check.
お待たせしました。スープには入っていませんが、麺に卵が入っています。Sorry to keep you waiting. There’s none in the soup, but the noodles contain egg.
そうですか。じゃあ、ほかのものにします。I see. Then I’ll have something else.
こちらのうどんでしたら、卵は使っていません。This udon is made without egg.
じゃあ、それをお願いします。Then I’ll have that, please.
A friend shows you how to make curry at home.
じゃあ、一緒にカレーを作ろう。Right, let’s make curry together.
うん。何をすればいい？OK. What should I do?
まず、野菜を小さく切ってくれる？First, could you cut the vegetables into small pieces?
いいよ。玉ねぎも？Sure. The onions too?
うん。それから、肉と一緒に炒めてね。Yes. Then fry them together with the meat.
いいにおい！早く食べたいな。Smells good! I can’t wait to eat.
The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.
では、いただきます。Well then, let’s eat.
おいしいです！It’s delicious!
水をください。Water, please.
お茶をもう一杯ください。Another cup of tea, please.
肉と魚、どちらがいいですか。Which would you like, meat or fish?
これは辛いですか。Is this spicy?
私は野菜が好きです。I like vegetables.
お箸をお願いします。Chopsticks, please.
二人です。Two people.
何名様ですか。How many in your party?
すみません、注文をお願いします。Excuse me, we’d like to order.
これは何が入っていますか。What’s in this?
卵のアレルギーがあります。I have an egg allergy.
肉を食べられないんです。I can’t eat meat.
お会計をお願いします。The bill, please.
野菜を切って、油で炒めてください。Cut the vegetables and fry them in oil.
お弁当を温めますか。Shall I heat up your packed lunch?
甘いものが食べたいな。I feel like something sweet.
今日の定食は何ですか。What is today’s set meal?
ご飯の大盛りはできますか。Can I have a large portion of rice?
ご飯のおかわりは無料です。Refills of rice are free.
刺身は醤油につけて食べます。You dip sashimi in soy sauce.
居酒屋で友達と飲みました。I had drinks with friends at an izakaya.
味噌汁の作り方を教えてもらえますか。Could you show me how to make miso soup?
和食は見た目もきれいですね。Japanese food looks beautiful too, doesn’t it?
この店は食べ放題で、九十分までです。This place is all-you-can-eat, for up to ninety minutes.
旬の魚が一番おいしいです。Fish in season tastes best.
だしの取り方で、味がずいぶん変わります。The way you make the stock changes the flavour a lot.
素材の味を生かした料理が多いです。Many dishes bring out the natural flavour of the ingredients.
地方によって、味付けがかなり異なります。Seasoning varies quite a lot from region to region.
お口に合うかどうか分かりませんが、どうぞ召し上がってください。I’m not sure it will be to your taste, but please help yourself.
6 questions on the words and sentences of this field. The word questions count in your progress like any other exercise.
Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in Japanese, then open it to compare.
では、いただきます。
お箸をお願いします。
お会計をお願いします。
刺身は醤油につけて食べます。
Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.
