Learn the key pattern to order at a restaurant
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| Let's take a closer look at the conversation. |
| Do you remember how Mark asks for water? |
| "Excuse me, water, please." |
| すみません、みずを おねがいします。(Sumimasen, mizu o onegai shimasu.) |
| First is すみません (sumimasen), meaning, "Excuse me," in this context. す-み-ま-せ-ん. すみません。 |
| Note: This expression can also be a mild apology and even a very polite thank you. It's most fundamental, and perhaps most frequent use, though, is when you want to get someone's attention. In this case, Mark wants to get the attention of the server. |
| After this is みず (mizu), "water." み-ず. みず. |
| Note, おひや (o-hiya), "water," is another common word used to ask for water. おひや |
| Next is を(o), the object-marking particle. を. |
| Think of を as a marker for the thing receiving the action. In this sentence, it marks みず, "water," as the object of the request. |
| Last is the phrase, おねがいします(onegai shimasu), meaning "please." お-ね-が-い-し-ま-す. おねがいします. |
| All together, it's すみません、みず を おねがいします。 |
| "Excuse me, water, please." |
| すみません、みずを おねがいします。(Sumimasen, mizu o onegai shimasu.) |
| Let's take a closer look at the response. |
| Do you remember the server's response, |
| "Yes, understood." |
| はい、かしこまりました。(Hai, kashikomarimashita.) |
| First is はい (hai), "yes." はい. はい. |
| Next is かしこまりました (kashikomarimashita), meaning "understood." かしこまりました. かしこまりました. |
| かしこまりました is from the verb かしこまる (kashikomaru), meaning "to understand." かしこまる. |
| Note かしこまる is a form of humble speech. The standard neutral way to say "to understand" is わかる(wakaru). |
| Note in Japanese places of business, including restaurants and convenience stores, complex Japanese phrases are commonly used to show respect to the customer. Even as a beginner, you should be aware of them, as you will hear these phrases in daily life. |
| Together, it's はい、かしこまりました, meaning "Yes, understood." |
| はい、かしこまりました。(Hai, kashikomarimashita.) |
| The pattern is |
| すみません、{ITEM} を おねがいします。 |
| (Sumimasen, {ITEM} o onegai shimasu.) |
| "Excuse me, {ITEM}, please." |
| すみません、{ITEM} を おねがいします。 |
| To use this pattern, simply replace the {ITEM} placeholder with the object you are requesting. |
| Imagine you'd like a menu. メニュー, メニュー. メニュー。 |
| Say, "Excuse me, a menu, please." |
| Ready? |
| すみません、メニュー を おねがいします。(Sumimasen, menyū o onegai shimasu.) |
| "Excuse me, a menu, please." |
| すみません、メニュー を おねがいします。(Sumimasen, menyū o onegai shimasu.) |
| Note that when Mark wanted to get the server's attention, he loudly calls for him by saying, すみません. |
| In Japanese culture, it's not impolite and often expected that you'll call for your server's attention in this way. |
| Alternatively, you can also say おねがいします to get a waiter's attention. |
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