This is the Japanese you see most often at restaurants in Japan, for checking quickly on the spot.
Besides the meaning, for some words it also tells you what to do there.
Signs differ from restaurant to restaurant, so if there are signs in the restaurant or the staff tell you something, go by that first.
The words in this dictionary
Words you see before you go in
- 営業中 — open
- 準備中 — closed for now
- 定休日 — regular closing day
- 本日貸切 — reserved for a private party today
- 現金のみ／各種カード使えます — cash only / cards accepted
- 喫煙可能店 — smoking allowed
- 禁煙／全席禁煙 — no smoking / no smoking at any seat
- 券売機／食券 — ticket machine / meal ticket
Words you see when you order
- 高額紙幣使えません — large bills not accepted
- おつり／返却 — change / return
- 売切 — sold out
- トッピング — topping
- 替玉 — noodle refill
- 定食 — set meal
- 丼 — rice bowl
- 牛丼／牛めし — beef bowl / beef bowl (Matsuya’s name)
- 並盛 — regular size
- 大盛／特盛 — large / extra large
- 小盛／ミニ — small / mini
- おかわり自由 — free refills
- 1人前 — one serving
- ドリンクバー — drink bar
- お冷 — water
- セルフサービス — self-service
- 飲み放題 — all-you-can-drink
- ラストオーダー — last order
- モーニング — morning service
- 店内／お持ち帰り — eat in / take out
- 時価 — market price
Words you see while you eat
Words you see when you pay
- 会計／お会計 — paying / paying (polite)
- 伝票 — bill
- レジ — register
- レシート — receipt
- 席料／テーブルチャージ — seat charge / table charge
- サービス料 — service charge
- 深夜料金 — late-night charge
- 税込／税抜 — tax included / tax not included
Words you see before you go in
営業中 (open)
It means the restaurant is open.
準備中 (closed for now)
It means the restaurant isn’t open right now, because it’s before opening time or a break.
定休日 (regular closing day)
The day the restaurant is regularly closed.
本日貸切 (reserved for a private party today)
It means the restaurant is reserved for a private party that day, so other customers can’t go in.
現金のみ／各種カード使えます (cash only / cards accepted)
「現金のみ」 means you can pay only in cash, and 「各種カード使えます」 means various cards are accepted. If you want to pay by card, look at the signs at the entrance or the register. If you can’t find one, show your card to the staff when you go in and check.
→ “How to Order at a Restaurant in Japan — It Starts at the Entrance: Look for Just 3 Things“
喫煙可能店 (smoking allowed)
These are the characters on a sign posted at the entrance or elsewhere, and they mean the whole restaurant is a room where you can smoke (喫煙可能室). People under 20 can’t go in, even if they don’t smoke.
→ “How to Order at a Restaurant in Japan“
禁煙／全席禁煙 (no smoking / no smoking at any seat)
「禁煙」 means no smoking, and 「全席禁煙」 means no smoking at any seat in the restaurant. As a rule, smoking is banned indoors at restaurants in Japan.
券売機／食券 (ticket machine / meal ticket)
A 券売機 is a vending machine for meal tickets, and a 食券 is the ticket for the food you bought. At a restaurant with a ticket machine, buy your ticket before you sit down.
→ “Ramen Shops and Other Restaurants with a Ticket Machine — Buy Your Ticket First, Then Just Wait“
Words you see when you order
高額紙幣使えません (large bills not accepted)
It means large bills, such as 10,000-yen and 5,000-yen bills, can’t be used in this machine. If you carry a few 1,000-yen bills and some coins, you’re less likely to get stuck at the ticket machine.
→ “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine“
おつり／返却 (change / return)
「おつり」 means the change from the money you paid, and 「返却」 means giving back the money you put in. Some machines have the two as one button, 「おつり・返却」. After you take your ticket, also check that your change has come out.
→ “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine“
売切 (sold out)
It means it’s already gone and you can’t order it.
トッピング (topping)
Extra ingredients that go on top of a dish. On a ticket machine, they may be lined up on smaller buttons.
→ “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine“
替玉 (noodle refill)
A refill of noodles only.
→ “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine“
定食 (set meal)
A set for one person, made up of rice, a main dish and so on, served all at once. You choose by the name of the main dish, as in 「とんかつ定食」.
→ “Teishoku Restaurants and Donburi (Gyudon) Shops — Pick a Main Dish, and It Comes on One Tray“
丼 (rice bowl)
A bowl of rice with a dish on top. At donburi shops, you choose how much rice you want by characters such as 「並盛」 and 「大盛」.
→ “Teishoku Restaurants and Donburi (Gyudon) Shops“
牛丼／牛めし (beef bowl / beef bowl (Matsuya’s name))
A rice bowl topped with beef. At Matsuya, gyudon is called 「牛めし」, so look for these characters on the menu and the ticket machine.
→ “Teishoku Restaurants and Donburi (Gyudon) Shops“
並盛 (regular size)
It means the regular size. The number of sizes and what they’re called differ from place to place, so compare the characters on the menu or the ticket machine and choose.
大盛／特盛 (large / extra large)
「大盛」 is more than the regular size, and 「特盛」 is even more. Some places use them for the amount of noodles, not just rice. On days you want to eat a lot, choose these characters.
小盛／ミニ (small / mini)
Less than the regular size. On days you want less, these characters let you choose an amount you can finish.
おかわり自由 (free refills)
It means you can have as many refills as you like. Whether you can get more rice differs from place to place.
→ “Teishoku Restaurants and Donburi (Gyudon) Shops“
1人前 (one serving)
The amount for one person. For yakiniku, hot pots and course meals, even if a price is shown for 「1人前」, you may only be able to order two servings or more.
→ “Eating Out in Japan Q&A — Look at the Entrance, and Ask When You’re Unsure“
ドリンクバー (drink bar)
A corner where, once you pay, you can choose what you like from the drinks lined up and pour your own, as many cups as you like. Whenever you want a drink, you can go and get it yourself without calling the staff.
お冷 (water)
Water. At some places, you get your water yourself, too, from the same corner as the drink bar.
→ “Family Restaurants in Japan“
セルフサービス (self-service)
It means you go and get it yourself, or pour it yourself. If you see 「お水はセルフサービス」, go and get your water yourself.
→ “Family Restaurants in Japan“
飲み放題 (all-you-can-drink)
A way of ordering where you can drink as much as you like from a separate drinks menu for a set time. Before you order, check the time limit and that menu.
→ “Izakaya (居酒屋) and the Otoshi Cover Charge — A Little Dish May Arrive Before You Order“
ラストオーダー (last order)
It means the latest time the restaurant takes orders. With all-you-can-drink, at some places the last order is a little before time’s up.
→ “Izakaya (居酒屋)“
モーニング (morning service)
A service that kissaten (Japanese coffee shops) offer in the morning hours. At some places, when you order a drink, things like toast or a boiled egg come with it. In Nagoya and Aichi, you can come across it at kissaten in the morning.
→ “Cafés and Kissaten (Japanese Coffee Shops) — Order at the Register First, or Sit Down First?“
店内／お持ち帰り (eat in / take out)
「店内」 means eating or drinking inside, and 「お持ち帰り」 means taking it with you (「テイクアウト」 also means taking it with you). If you’re asked at the register, say which one you want.
→ “Cafés and Kissaten (Japanese Coffee Shops)“
時価 (market price)
It means the price changes with what the restaurant pays for fresh fish and other items. Ask the staff for the price before you order.
Words you see while you eat
お通し (small starter dish)
At an izakaya, a small dish of food that comes before you order. There may be a charge for it when you pay, so if you’re wondering, ask the staff when it’s served. Then you won’t panic if there’s an 「お通し」 line on your receipt.
→ “Izakaya (居酒屋)“
おしぼり (wet hand towel)
A small damp towel for wiping your hands (sometimes it’s paper). Some places bring it to your seat, and some keep them in the drink bar corner.
取り皿 (small plate for sharing)
A small plate for sharing food. Take your share from the dish in the middle onto your 取り皿, and eat from there.
返却口 (dish return)
The place where you return your dishes after eating. If the people around you are carrying their dishes back, do the same.
Words you see when you pay
会計／お会計 (paying / paying (polite))
Paying for what you’ve had. 「お会計」 is the more polite way to say it. If there’s a line on the bill you don’t understand, ask the staff before you pay.
伝票 (bill)
A slip of paper with what you ordered and the amounts. At some places, you take it to the register near the exit and pay there.
→ “How to Order at a Restaurant in Japan“
レジ (register)
Where you pay. At a place where you bought a ticket from a ticket machine, you’ve already paid, so you can leave without stopping at the register.
→ “Restaurants with a Ticket Machine“
レシート (receipt)
A slip of paper showing what you paid for and the amounts.
席料／テーブルチャージ (seat charge / table charge)
A charge for using a seat. It’s also written 「お席料」. When there’s a seat charge, it’s often written on the menu or on a notice in the restaurant.
→ “Izakaya (居酒屋)“
サービス料 (service charge)
A charge for service, added on top of the price of what you order. If there’s a line on the bill you don’t understand, ask the staff.
深夜料金 (late-night charge)
A charge added late at night. If you go in late at night, check whether the menu mentions a late-night charge.
税込／税抜 (tax included / tax not included)
「税込」 is a price that includes consumption tax, and 「税抜」 is a price that doesn’t. When the characters 「税込」 or 「税抜」 are shown, you can tell which price it is.
If you’re not sure
If you can’t read the characters, or don’t know what they mean, ask the staff before you eat or before you pay.
Show them the screen of your translation app, or point at the characters and ask.
※ The characters on signs, where things are placed and how charges work differ from restaurant to restaurant, and can change. When you actually eat out, check the signs in the restaurant and what the staff tell you.
