Lesson 6 : How to Order Food in Japanese Without Looking Like a Foreigner

Hello, and very good morning if you are reading this during morning or good evening if you are reading this during evening or good night if you are reading this before you end your day.

Today, i will share my knowledge about on how to talk with your friends to go for a lunch and how to make an order from a restaurant.

Please make sure you had not taken a meal before continuing the reading so that you can go to the restaurant ASAP in order to practice what you had learnt.

So, when are you going for a lunch with your friends​, you can say,

Erm,....where are you going to go for a lunch ?

Ano, hiru gohanwo dokode tabemasuka ?

あの、ひるごはん、どこで たべますか ?

So, the respond should be, 

let's go to the             .

              ni ikimashou

          に行きましょう。

Its okay in Japan if you just mention the name of the food without mentioning the name of the restaurant.

For instance,

You: Hiru gohanwo dokode tabemasuka ? (where are you going to go for a lunch ? )

Friend: Ano, hanbaagaa ni iki mashou. ( let's go to the hamburger. )

Kana	Romaji	English
スープ	suupu	soup (any kind)
サラダ	sarada	Salad
サンドイッチ	sandoitchi	Sandwich
ハンバーガー	hanbaagaa	Hamburger
ホットドッグ	hottodoggu	Hotdog
フライドポテト	furaidopoteto	fries, fried potatoes
フライドチキン	furaidochikin	fried chicken
ステーキ	suteeki	Steak
ピザ	piza	Pizza
スパゲッティー	supgettii	Spaghetti

if you want to go to the Japanese restaurant, here are some suggestion,

1. Ramen (ラーメン) Restaurants

Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or fish broth. You usually get a choice or soy sauce or miso flavoring for the soup. Ramen is often topped with chashu (thin cut pork), negi and nori. Practically every region of Japan has its own unique variety of ramen.

 2. Yakitori (やきとり) Restaurants

Grilled chicken skewer restaurants — a popular drinking food.

3. Soba (そば) Restaurants

Japanese buckwheat noodles served hot or cold with a variety of toppings.

4. Izakaya (居酒屋)

Izakaya are essentially Japanese pubs. They serve a variety of popular drinking foods such as Japanese fried chicken, edamame, yakitori and sashimi.

5. Tonkatsu (とんかつ) Restaurants

Breaded deep-fried pork served with shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup and Japanese pickles. It's served with Tonkatsu Sauce (a thick sweet sauce similar to Worcestershire sauce).

6. Sushi (すし) Restaurants

Sushi is perhaps more popular in Western countries such as the US and Canada than it is in Japan. Japanese sushi is very different from Western varieties.

7. Tempura (天ぷら) Restaurants

In Japan there is a great variety of Tempura restaurants ranging from street vendors to 5-star restaurants.

8. Shabu-shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) Restaurants

Japanese hot pot restaurants. Patrons cook a variety of fresh ingredients in a hot pot at their table.

9. Takoyaki (たこ焼き) Restaurants

Ball-shaped Japanese pancakes with octopus inside. It's usually topped with a sweet sauce, mayonnaise and pickled ginger.

10. Kare Raisu (カレーライス) Restaurants

Japanese style curry with rice. A national obsession.

11. Udon (うどん) Restaurants

Thick Japanese wheat-flour noodles.

  

12. Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) Restaurants

Okonomiyaki evolved from the practice of cooking left-overs in a Japanese pancake batter. Okonomiyaki can be translated as "what ever you like grilled". 

At many okonomiyaki restaurants you can pick and choose the ingredients for your pancake. Common ingredients include cheese, mochi, vegetables, noodles, pork and seafood. Often customers cook their own okonomiyaki on a grill in the table

 13. Monjayaki (もんじゃ焼き) Restaurants

Monjayaki is essentially the Tokyo version of Okonomiyaki. The batter is more liquid and the ingredients are chopped finely. The result is a crunchy, thin pancake. Like okonomiyaki, customers cook their own on a grill built into the table.

 14. Gyuudon (牛丼) Restaurants

Fried thin cut beef on a bowl of rice. Gyuudon chains are usually fast and cheap.

 15. Kushiage Restaurants

Skewers of deep fried meat and vegetables.

16. Champon (ちゃんぽん) Restaurants

A Japanese-Chinese dish from Nagasaki. It's essentially ramen in a thick soup with pork, seafood and vegetables.

 

17. Teishoku (ていしょく) Restaurants

Teishoku means "set" in Japanese. Teishoku restaurants specialize in set menus and are usually economical.

18. Yakiniku (焼き肉) Restaurants

The Japanese version of Korean BBQ (it has evolved to be very different). Customers cook their own meat at the table. A coal grill is provided.

19. Sukiyaki (すき焼き) Restaurants

A nabe (hot pot) of thinly sliced beef, vegetables and noodles cooked in a special soup. It's dipped in raw eggs before being eaten.

20. Tendon Restaurants

Tempura on a bowl of rice. Tempura restaurants can be very expensive in Japan. It's fine cuisine. Tendon is the cheaper version.

  

21. Teppanyaki (鉄板焼き) Restaurants

Teppanyaki evolved after WWII as a way to entertain tourists to Japan. It's still mostly found in tourist areas today. It involves cooking Western (American) foods on a iron griddle in a theatrical show.

Last but not least, lets we learn on how to make an order in Japanese. 

Once you entering that restaurant or dining place, you will always be greeted with,

 “いらっしゃいませ” 

(irasshai mase).

Welcome.

The first question they will ask is,

“何名様ですか?” 

nan mei sama desu ka? 

How many people?

To reply, simply say,

“三人です” 

(san nin desu) 

for three people, 

or with a sheepish smile you can say,

 “一人です” 

( hitori desu )

one person only.

Once you are at your table with a menu, the waiter or waitress might ask,

 “お飲み物は?” 

( onomi mono wa? )

Would you like a drink? 

or 

“お飲み物はいかが致しますか?” 

( onomi mono wa ika ga itashimasu ka? )

What would you like to drink?

Ordering a drink in Japan is relatively simple. You just need to say,

 ( the name of the item ) + onegai shimasu.

                + お願いします” .

            + Please. 

Many drink names are similar to English names, so if you say something like beer (ビール- biiru) or Coca Cola (コカ・コーラ- koka koora), then you will probably be understood.

This is some of the drinks in Japan.

Kana	Romaji	English
みず	Mizu	Water
おちゃ	Ocha	green tea, tea in general
にほんちゃ	Nihoncha	Japanese green tea
むぎちゃ	Mugicha	Japanese iced barley tea
こうちゃ	Koucha	black tea (lit. "crimson tea")
コーヒー	Koohii	Coffee
ぎゅうにゅう・ミルク	gyuunyuu/miruku	Milk
ジュース	juusu	Juice
オレンジジュース	orenjijuusu	orange juice
レモネード	remoneedo	Lemonade
ソーダ	sooda	soda, pop
おさけ	osake	sake (rice wine), alcohol in general
にほんしゅ	nihonshu	Japanese sake
ワイン	wain	Wine
ビール	biiru	Beer

If you and your 3 friends want to have a lunch together, you can ask the waiter to give

orenjijuusu yottsu onegaishimasu

オレンジジュース四つおねがいします。

4 orange juice please.

This is the number for counting object or thing,

number	hiragana	kanji	romaji
1	ひとつ	一つ	hitotsu
2	ふたつ	二つ	futatsu
3	みっつ	三つ	mittsu
4	よっつ	四つ	yottsu
5	いつつ	五つ	itsutsu
6	むっつ	六つ	muttsu
7	ななつ	七つ	nanatsu
8	やっつ	八つ	yattsu
9	ここのつ	九つ	kokonotsu
10	とお	十	tō

So, that's all from me.

Arigatou gozaimasu. 

Now you can go to the Japan's restaurant happily becoz you can order with Japanese style. hehehe