Shopping & Ordering: Where Beginners Become Customers
Shops and restaurants are the perfect training ground for real Japanese: the situations repeat, the staff phrases are predictable, and success is delicious. This chapter arms you with the three magic request patterns, the numbers-and-counters you drilled earlier, and complete walkthroughs of Japan's two most common scenes — the convenience store and the restaurant.
1. The Three Magic Request Patterns
| Pattern | Politeness | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜をください (o kudasai) | standard "please give me ~" | これをください。— This one, please. |
| 〜をおねがいします (o onegaishimasu) | softer, extra polite — also for services | コーヒーをおねがいします。— Coffee, please. お会計をおねがいします。— The bill, please. |
| 〜はありますか (wa arimasu ka) | "do you have ~?" | Wi-Fiはありますか。— Do you have Wi-Fi? もっと大きいのはありますか。— Do you have a bigger one? |
Combine with the こそあど pointers from the last chapter and you can buy anything without knowing its name: これをください (this one, near me), それをください (that one, near the clerk), あれをおねがいします (that one on the far shelf). Pointing with an open hand is politer than a single finger!
Ordering quantities
Slot a counter between the object and the verb: [thing] を [number+counter] ください:
りんごをみっつください。(Ringo o mittsu kudasai.) — Three apples, please.
ビールをにほんおねがいします。(Bīru o nihon onegaishimasu.) — Two (bottles of) beer, please.
切符をにまいください。(Kippu o nimai kudasai.) — Two tickets, please.
Forgot the right counter? The universal 〜つ (or even just the plain number) still communicates — accuracy is admired, but courage is served first.
2. Asking Prices — and Understanding Answers
すみません、これはいくらですか。(Sumimasen, kore wa ikura desu ka.) — Excuse me, how much is this?
— 1,500円です。(Sen gohyaku en desu.) — It's 1,500 yen.
This is where the numbers chapter pays out. Big numbers fly fast in shops; if you miss one, no shame: もう一度おねがいします (mō ichido onegaishimasu, "once more please") — or peek at the register display, the universal translator. Handy reactions: 高いですね (expensive!), 安いですね (cheap!), じゃあ、これをください (well then, I'll take this one).
3. Scene One: The Convenience Store (コンビニ)
Japan's convenience stores are legendary — and their staff follow a script. Here's what flies at you at the register, and your two all-purpose replies:
| You'll hear… | Meaning | Your reply |
|---|---|---|
| いらっしゃいませ! | Welcome! | (nothing — a nod is fine) |
| 袋はいりますか。(Fukuro wa irimasu ka.) | Do you need a bag? | はい、おねがいします。/ いいえ、だいじょうぶです。 |
| 温めますか。(Atatamemasu ka.) | Shall I heat it up? (bentō!) | はい、おねがいします。/ だいじょうぶです。 |
| ポイントカードはありますか。 | Do you have a point card? | ないです。/ だいじょうぶです。 |
| お箸はいりますか。(O-hashi wa irimasu ka.) | Do you need chopsticks? | はい、おねがいします。 |
Memorize the golden reply pair: おねがいします = yes please; だいじょうぶです = no thanks, I'm fine. (だいじょうぶ, "okay/fine", is modern Japanese's favorite soft "no".) Payment vocabulary: 現金 (genkin, cash), カード (kādo, card) — カードでおねがいします ("by card, please"). Place cash on the small tray by the register, not into the clerk's hand — that's the local custom, not coldness!
4. Scene Two: The Restaurant
Walking in
Staff: いらっしゃいませ。何名様ですか。(Irasshaimase. Nanmei-sama desu ka.) — Welcome! How many people?
You: 二人です。(Futari desu.) — Two. (Fingers up work great too — ふたり from the counters chapter!)
Ordering
You: すみません!(calls the server — totally polite in Japan, don't be shy!)
Staff: ご注文は?(Go-chūmon wa?) — Your order?
You: この天ぷら定食をひとつと、うどんをひとつおねがいします。
(Kono tenpura teishoku o hitotsu to, udon o hitotsu onegaishimasu.) — One of this tempura set and one udon, please.
Staff: お飲み物は?(O-nomimono wa?) — Anything to drink?
You: お水でだいじょうぶです。(O-mizu de daijōbu desu.) — Water is fine.
Can't decide? Deploy: おすすめは何ですか (Osusume wa nan desu ka — "What do you recommend?") then simply じゃあ、それをください. Instant local credibility. Menu displays and plastic food models (食品サンプル!) mean pointing + これ is always available as Plan B.
Paying and leaving
すみません、お会計をおねがいします。(Sumimasen, o-kaikei o onegaishimasu.) — The bill, please.
(at the register) カードでいいですか。(Kādo de ii desu ka.) — Is card okay?
(leaving) ごちそうさまでした!— Thank you for the meal!
Two glorious cultural facts: there is no tipping in Japan — none, ever, and attempting it causes polite panic; and payment usually happens at the register by the door, not at the table. Saying ごちそうさまでした to the staff on your way out is the real tip — it costs nothing and delights everyone.
5. Bonus Scene: Clothes Shopping
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 見ているだけです。(Mite iru dake desu.) | "Just looking." — the browser's shield! |
| 試着できますか。(Shichaku dekimasu ka.) | May I try it on? |
| ちょっと小さいです。もっと大きいのはありますか。 | It's a bit small. Do you have a bigger one? |
| Mサイズをおねがいします。 | Size M, please. |
Note the pattern もっと〜の (motto ~ no): もっと大きいの "a bigger one", もっと安いの "a cheaper one" — the の stands in for the item, exactly like "one" in English. And ちょっと ("a little") softens everything: ちょっと高いですね — "hmm, a bit pricey…" (the polite prelude to not buying it!).
6. Full Dialogue: Putting It All Together
Staff: いらっしゃいませ!
You: すみません、このケーキはいくらですか。(Sumimasen, kono kēki wa ikura desu ka.)
Staff: 450円です。(Yonhyaku gojū en desu.)
You: じゃあ、これをふたつと、コーヒーをひとつください。(Jā, kore o futatsu to, kōhī o hitotsu kudasai.)
Staff: お会計は1,350円です。袋はいりますか。(O-kaikei wa sen sanbyaku gojū en desu. Fukuro wa irimasu ka.)
You: だいじょうぶです。カードでおねがいします。(Daijōbu desu. Kādo de onegaishimasu.)
Staff: ありがとうございました!
You: どうも!(Dōmo!)
Every single piece — こそあど, いくら, numbers, counters, と, magic replies — came from chapters you've already conquered. You are genuinely operational in Japan now.
Summary & Key Takeaways
- Three magic patterns: 〜をください (give me ~), 〜をおねがいします (please/softer), 〜はありますか (do you have ~?).
- Quantities: [thing]を + [number+counter] + ください — りんごをみっつください.
- Price: これはいくらですか; repeat-rescue: もう一度おねがいします.
- Golden reply pair for all staff questions: おねがいします (yes please) / だいじょうぶです (no thanks).
- Restaurant flow: 何名様? → 二人です → すみません! → order with counters → お会計をおねがいします → ごちそうさまでした.
- おすすめは何ですか + じゃあ、それをください = effortless ordering.
- Culture: money goes on the tray, payment at the register, and no tipping — ever. Next: finding your way around town!