Soul Food in Japan

Japanese Food Phrasebook

The Eating Phrasebook

Find the Japanese phrase you need for entering a restaurant, reading a menu, ordering food, asking about ingredients, or paying. Show the big text to the staff, or say the romaji out loud.

Most useful phrase

すみません

Sumimasen

Excuse me / to call staff over

Use this to get a staff member's attention politely.

Essential phrases

Browse by situation

Entering & getting seated2 phrases
Reading the menu & recommendations2 phrases
Ordering food2 phrases
Ingredients & dietary needs4 phrases

Replace 〇〇 with the ingredient. For a serious allergy, show the written Japanese — don't rely on speech.

Customizing your order5 phrases
Drinks1 phrase
Paying3 phrases
Polite basics2 phrases

How to order any dish

One ready-made phrase for every dish on the site. Search, then show the big text or say the romaji.

Search a dish name to see its ordering phrase.

Order any dish

Choose a dish, then show or play a simple Japanese phrase to order it.