Learning Japanese - Useful Phrases: Restaurants

Eating at restaurants has long been an intricate part of Japanese culture, especially for families to eat out a couple of times a month at sushi or yakiniku restaurants, or for "salary men" to eat at Izakaya's (pubs with a large selection of small food portions). But for anyone, going to restaurants in Japan is usually a very enjoyable experience as the staff are extremely polite and create a warm and friendly atmosphere with their courteous and energetic attitudes. From the huge "Irasshaimase!!" (welcome) as you enter the door to the "Thankyou's" and "Enjoy's" that are shouted and in most cases repeated by every available staff member each time you place an order.

Going to your local Sushi train or teppanyaki can also be a great way to learn Japanese or practice some new phrases you have picked up. So whether you are dining locally or visiting the land of the rising sun, here is a list of the most common phrases and words used in a Japanese restaurant situation.

When entering the restaurant:

*Irasshaimase - welcome *nanmei sama desuka? - how many people? *hitori - 1 person *futari - 2 people *sannin - 3 people *yonin - 4 people *gonin - 5 people *rokunin - 6 people *nananin - 7 people *hachinin - 8 people *kyuunin - 9 people *jyuunin - 10 people *tabako suwarimasuka? - will you be smoking? *hai - yes *suwanai - no

Ordering:

*gochuumon okimari desuka? - are you ready to order? *hai- yes *chotto matte kudasai - just a moment please *____arimasuka? - do you have____? *arimasu - yes (we do)*nai desu - no (we don't) *____kudasai - ____please * ____hitotsu kudasai - one____please *____futatsu kudasai - two____'s please *____mittsu kudasai - three____'s please *____yottsu kudasai - four____'s please *____izutsu kudasai - five____'s please *kore nan desuka? - what's this? *arigatou gozaimasu - thank you

Drinks (nomimono):

*omizu - water *ocha - green tea *koucha - tea *koohi - coffee *koora - cola *orenji jyuusu - orange juice *ringo jyuusu - apple juice *biiru - beer *wain - wine *attakai - warm/hot *tsumetai - cold

Food (tabemono):

*niku - meat *gyuniku - beef *toriniku - chicken *butaniku - pork *sakana - fish *yasai - vegetables *sarada - salad *pan - bread *men - noodles *furaido poteto - french fries *yakisoba - fried noodles

Note: most western food and drinks are the same or very similar in Japanese so if you get stuck, just say it in English slowly and they should get the idea.;)

Numbers/Money:

Note- Yen is pronounced as 'en' at the end of the price

*1 - ichi, 2 - ni, 3 - san, 4 - shi, 5 - go, 6 - roku, 7 - nana, 8 - hachi, 9 - kyu, 10 - jyu.

*Add a number then jyu (ten) to make twenty, thirty etc. For example nijyu = twenty, gojyu = fifty.

*Hyaku - hundred *Sen - Thousand *Man - Ten thousand *Jyuman - hundred thousand

*Some examples- 2,500 - Ni sen go hyaku, 11,400 - ichiman sen yon hyaku, 255 - ni hyaku go jyu go

(There are some minor changes made to numbers when grouping together but it will get too complicated to mention them here.)

Ganbatte (good luck) learning Japanese and have fun!!

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/

Useful Phrases - Shopping in Japan

Shopping in Japan is usually a very enjoyable experience as they take the Western motto "The customer is always right" to another level with "Okyakusama wa kamisama", literally "The customer is God!". And it is no exaggeration to say that you are treated like one. From the second you enter the door (or often meters before you reach it) you are greeted with a bellowing "IRASHAIMASE!" (WELCOME!) by the first staff member to spot you, then echoed by every other available attendant. The next part can get a little tricky if you don't know a lot of Japanese as they tend to follow you around the store offering intricate details about everything you stop to look at. Although they don't seem to do this anywhere as much when dealing with foreigners as they understand it is not custom to do so in most countries. But it's a great opportunity to practice or learn Japanese if you so wish. Either way, here are some of the most common words and useful Japanese phrases that will come in handy when shopping.

*Note: The Japanese language uses a lot of particles when writing that are usually dropped in conversation (unless when speaking extremely formally). Similar to Saying "I'm..." rather than "I am...". Most text books include these but I have omitted them to help you learn Japanese in a more natural manner.

When entering the store:

*Irasshaimase - Welcome *Nanika osagashi desuka? - Are you looking for something (in particular)?

*Miteru dake desu - I'm just looking *Hai, ____arimasuka? - Do you have any ____?

Clothing names: (many are derived from English names as you may pick up!)

*Zubon - Pants  *Denimu - Jeans  *Hanzubon - Shorts  *Shaatsu - Shirt  *Seeta - Sweater  *Boushi - Hat

*Buruzon/ Daun - Jacket  *Wanpiisu - Dress  *Mafura - Scarf  *Kutsu - Shoes  *Kutsushita - Socks

Colors:

*Aka - Red  *Ao - Blue  *Midori - Green  *Kiiro - Yellow  *Kuro - Black  *Shiro - White  *Pinku - Pink

*Orenji - Orange *Murasaki - Purple *Chairo - Brown

*____iro arimasuka? - Do you have it in ____(color)? *Chigau iro arimasuka? - Do you have a different color?

Other phrases:

*Kore wa ikura desuka? - How much is this?    *Chotto takai desu - It's a little expensive

*Mou sukoshi ____ no arimasuka? - Do you anything ____? (Ookii - Bigger, Chiisai - Smaller, Yasui - Cheaper)

*Chotto kangaemasu - I'll think about it        *Arigatou gozaimasu - Thank you

Numbers: (Note- Yen is pronounced as 'en' at the end of the price)

*1 - ichi, 2 - ni, 3 - san, 4 - shi, 5 - go, 6 - roku, 7 - nana, 8 - hachi, 9 - kyu, 10 - jyu.

*Add a number then jyu (ten) to make twenty, thirty etc. For example nijyu = twenty, gojyu = fifty.

*Hyaku - hundred  *Sen - Thousand  *Man - Ten thousand  *Jyuman - hundred thousand

*Some examples- 2,500 - Ni sen go hyaku, 11,400 - ichiman sen yon hyaku, 255 - ni hyaku go jyu go

(There are some minor changes made to numbers when grouping together but it will get too complicated to mention them here.

I have focussed on clothing shopping in this article but you can easily insert other words in their place. There are plenty of free Japanese dictionaries on the net where you can find the words for your particular purpose. GANBATTE! (good luck) with learning Japanese and HAPPY SHOPPING!

For a free video revealing the #1 secret to Learning Japanese Fast visit http://speedjapaneselearning.com/ftp1/