In this lesson you will learn how to complete your restaurant experience — asking about the taste of unfamiliar dishes, getting the waiter’s recommendation, requesting the check, finding where to pay, and using the proper expression when leaving. You will also learn taste-related vocabulary and how negative questions work differently in Japanese.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Asking about a beef dish

Ms. Shaw is at a restaurant looking at the menu. She wants a beef dish.

Romaji	English
Shoo: Biifu wa doko desu ka?	Where are the beef dishes?
Ueetoresu: Kochira de gozaimasu.	They are here.
Shoo: Kore wa karai desu ka?	Is this one spicy?
Ueetoresu: Iie, karaku arimasen yo.	No, it isn’t.
Shoo: Jaa, kore onegai shimasu.	I’ll have it, then.
(After the meal)
Shoo: Sumimasen. Okanjoo onegai shimasu.	Excuse me. Check, please.
Ueetoresu: Hai. Maido arigatoo gozaimasu.	Here you are. Thank you very much.

Situation 2 — Asking about fish dishes

Mrs. Henderson is at a Japanese-style restaurant and decides to try a fish dish.

Romaji	English
Hendaason: Sakana wa doko desu ka?	Where are the fish dishes?
Ueetoresu: Kochira desu.	They are here.
Hendaason: Kore wa shiokaraku arimasen ka?	Isn’t this one salty?
Ueetoresu: Ee, sukoshi shiokarai desu ne.	Yes, it’s a little salty.
Hendaason: Kore wa?	How about this one?
Ueetoresu: Sore wa shiokaraku gozaimasen.	That one isn’t salty.
Hendaason: Jaa, kore onegai shimasu.	I’ll have this one, then.
(After the meal)
Ueetoresu: Osumi desu ka?	Are you finished?
Hendaason: Ee.	Yes.
Hendaason: Okanjoo wa doko desu ka?	Where do I pay?
Ueetoresu: Achira de gozaimasu.	Over there, please.
Hendaason: Doomo.	Thanks.

Situation 3 — Asking for a recommendation

Mr. Johnson wants to have tempura and asks which dish is good.

Romaji	English
Jonson: Tenpura wa doko desu ka?	Where are the tempura dishes?
Ueetoresu: Kochira de gozaimasu.	They are here.
Jonson: Dore ga oishii desu ka?	Which one is good?
Ueetoresu: Soo desu ne. Kore wa taihen oishii desu yo.	Well, this one is very good.
Jonson: Jaa, sore kudasai.	I’ll have it, then.
(At the cashier)
Jonson: Ikura desu ka?	How much is it?
Reji no hito: Happyaku-gojuu-en ni narimasu.	It comes to 850 yen.
Jonson: Hai.	Here you are. (paying)
Reji no hito: Hyaku-gojuu-en no okaeshi desu. Maido arigatoo gozaimasu. Mata doozo.	Here’s 150 yen in change. Thank you very much. Please come again.
Jonson: Gochisoosama.	It was very good. (Thank you for the meal.)

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Taste Words

Romaji	English	Kana
karai	hot and spicy	からい
shiokarai	salty	しおからい
amai	sweet	あまい
suppai	sour	すっぱい
nigai	bitter	にがい
oishii	delicious, good (tasting)	おいしい
atsui	hot (temperature)	あつい
tsumetai	cold (temperature)	つめたい

Cooking Methods

Romaji	English	Kana
ageta	fried	あげた
nita	cooked in broth	にた
yaita	grilled	やいた
nama no	raw	なまの

Restaurant Vocabulary

Romaji	English	Kana
biifu	beef	ビーフ
pooku	pork	ポーク
tori	chicken	とり
sakana	fish	さかな
yasai	vegetables	やさい
gohan	cooked rice	ごはん
soosu	sauce	ソース
maguro	tuna	まぐろ
toro	fatty part of tuna	トロ
okanjoo	bill, check	おかんじょう
reji	cash register, cashier	レジ
gochisoosama	thank you for the meal (polite)	ごちそうさま
dore	which one?	どれ
taihen	very	たいへん
osumi desu ka	are you finished? (polite)	おすみですか
chippu	tip	チップ
demae	delivery of prepared food	でまえ

Grammar & Usage Notes

Asking About Taste

To ask about the taste of a dish before ordering:

Kore wa (taste word) desu ka? — Is this one (taste)?

Japanese	English
Kore wa karai desu ka?	Is this one spicy?
Kore wa shiokarai desu ka?	Is this one salty?
Kore wa amai desu ka?	Is this one sweet?
Kore wa suppai desu ka?	Is this one sour?

Negative Questions and Answers

In Japanese, a softer way to ask is with a negative question:

Kore wa karaku arimasen ka? — Isn’t this spicy?

The answers work differently from English:

Situation	Japanese answer	English equivalent
Dish is NOT spicy	Hai, karaku arimasen.	(Yes, it’s true that) it’s not spicy.
Dish IS spicy	Iie, karai desu.	(No, it’s not the case — ) it IS spicy.

This is the opposite of English, where “No” would confirm the negative. Hai confirms the statement is true; Iie denies it.

Negative Forms of Taste Words

Affirmative	Negative
shiokarai (desu) — salty	shiokaraku arimasen — not salty
karai (desu) — spicy	karaku arimasen — not spicy
amai (desu) — sweet	amaku arimasen — not sweet
suppai (desu) — sour	suppaku arimasen — not sour
nigai (desu) — bitter	nigaku arimasen — not bitter

Asking for a Recommendation

Dore ga oishii desu ka? — Which one is good? / Which do you recommend?

If the waiter points to a dish, that’s the recommendation. If you want what they point to:

Sore kudasai. / Sore onegai shimasu. — I’ll have that one.

Asking About Cooking Methods

Japanese	English
Kore wa yaita sakana desu ka?	Is this grilled fish?
Kore wa ageta niku desu ka?	Is this fried meat?
Kore wa nita yasai desu ka?	Are these vegetables cooked in broth?
Kore wa nama no sakana desu ka?	Is this raw fish?

Paying the Check

To ask for the check:

Okanjoo onegai shimasu. — Check, please.

To find out where to pay:

Okanjoo wa doko desu ka? — Where do I pay?

Possible answers from the staff:

Japanese	English
Koko / kochira de onegai shimasu.	Here, please.
Achira desu.	Over there.
Reji de onegai shimasu.	At the cashier, please.

Leaving the Restaurant

When leaving, say:

Gochisoosama (deshita). — Thank you for the good meal.

The cashier or waiter will likely respond:

Maido arigatoo gozaimashita. Mata doozo. — Thank you. Please come again.

Practice Exercises (練習)

A. Substitution Drill — Asking About Taste

Base: Kore wa karai desu ka? (Is this spicy?)

Practice with: amai (sweet), shiokarai (salty), suppai (sour), nigai (bitter), atsui (hot), tsumetai (cold)

B. Transformation Drill — Negative Responses

Question	Negative answer
Karai desu ka?	Karaku arimasen.
Amai desu ka?	Amaku arimasen.
Shiokarai desu ka?	Shiokaraku arimasen.
Suppai desu ka?	Suppaku arimasen.
Nigai desu ka?	Nigaku arimasen.

C. Production Exercise

What do you say when you want to:

Get the attention of a waitress → Sumimasen.
Ask if they have an English menu → Eego no menyuu wa arimasu ka?
Ask the waitress to come with you to the display → Chotto issho ni kite kudasaimasen ka?
Ask for a knife and fork → Naifu to fooku onegai shimasu.
Ask someone to buy a meal ticket for you → Kore no shokken o katte kudasaimasen ka?
Ask where the cashier is → Okanjoo wa doko desu ka?
Ask if they serve teriyaki → Teriyaki wa arimasu ka?
Order the same thing someone else is eating → Are onegai shimasu.
Ask the waitress to wait (you haven’t decided) → Chotto matte kudasai.
Ask for the check → Okanjoo onegai shimasu.
Order one dish of tempura → Tenpura hitotsu onegai shimasu.
Make sure a dish is not salty → Kore wa shiokaraku arimasen ka?
Order one more bottle of beer → Biiru moo ip-pon onegai shimasu.
Thank the waitress when leaving → Gochisoosama deshita.

D. Role Play — Complete Restaurant Experience

Using the menu, work through a full restaurant scenario with your instructor:

Waitress asks if you’re ready → Say “wait a moment”
Look at the menu, ask where beef/fish/chicken dishes are
Ask about the taste of a dish you’re interested in
Order the dish if the taste suits you, otherwise try another
Order drinks
Ask for the check
Find out where to pay
Thank the staff and leave

Cultural Notes

Hai and Iie with negative questions: This is one of the trickiest aspects of Japanese for English speakers. When a Japanese person with imperfect English answers a negative question like “Don’t you want to come?” they may say “No” when they mean “Yes, I do want to come” — because in Japanese, Iie (no) would deny the negative statement. Be aware of this difference in cross-cultural communication.

Gochisoosama: This expression literally relates to the effort of preparing a feast. Saying Gochisoosama deshita when leaving a restaurant is a gracious way to express appreciation for the meal, and it is commonly used by Japanese diners.

Kanji to recognize:

Kanji	Romaji	English
駐車場	chuushajoo	parking lot
休憩所	kyuukeijo	rest area
お手洗い	otearai	restroom
化粧室	keshooshitsu	powder room
地下鉄	chikatetsu	subway
右折禁止	usetsu kinshi	no right turn
発売中	hatsubaichuu	now on sale

Placing an Order and Paying

What You Will Learn

Lesson Material