Quick Phrasebook

Getting a server's attention: just say "Sumimasen!" a bit louder, raise a hand slightly. Staff work the whole floor as a team rather than one server per table, so nobody's coming by to check on you — speaking up is the normal, expected way to signal you're ready. It covers "excuse me," "sorry," AND "hey, over here" — one word does all three jobs in Japan.

Generic counter (works for almost any item, no need to learn counter classifiers): hitotsu (1) · futatsu (2) · mittsu (3) · yottsu (4) · itsutsu (5). Point + say the number + onegaishimasu and you're understood everywhere.

Onegaishimasu vs. kudasai: both mean "please" and both work constantly, but they're not identical. Onegaishimasu is the safer default — it works whether you're pointing at an item, asking for a service, or requesting the check. Kudasai attaches directly to a named/pointed-at thing ("Kore o kudasai" = "give me this") and is best kept to physical items you're naming. As a tourist, if you only learn one, make it onegaishimasu.

Ramen shops often ask 2-3 separate questions (noodle firmness, broth richness, sometimes oil amount) with 2-3 options each. If you don't have a preference, "futsuu de" (regular/normal) answers any of them — it's the safe default across the board.

Staff will often ask first — see "What they'll ask you" below. You may also hear/see ten'nai de (店内で, "in-store") at conbini or fast-food-style counters specifically — it's the same "eating here" answer, just the more formal/written register used at a register rather than a sit-down table. "Mochikaeri" and its noun form "omochikaeri" (お持ち帰り, seen on signage) are the same word at two politeness levels.

"Gochisousama deshita" is the one that really lands — it's the standard line for thanking staff for a good meal on your way out, said with a slight bow. "Itadakimasu" is said just before you start eating (closer to "I humbly receive this" than "bon appétit," but functions similarly).

In big cities more people speak English than you'd expect, especially younger staff and tourist-facing jobs — in small towns, less. Leading with "sumimasen" before anything, and a nodded "arigatou gozaimasu" after, softens every interaction regardless of how much English gets you through.

"Daijoubu desu" (大丈夫です) is your all-purpose polite "no thanks / I'm fine" — it works as the answer to almost every yes/no question above.

Only one number system in Japanese — same words for counting, money, everything. Prices combine as hyaku (100), sen (1,000), man (10,000):
___ sen (thousand) ___ hyaku (hundred) en
That's the shape most register prices take.
E.g. ¥580 = "gohyaku hachijuu en."

📺 10 Japanese Restaurant Phrases You Actually Need — real conversational usage, not textbook delivery.