UNIT 5
Restaurants & Cafes
Restaurants & Cafes
Lesson 3: Asking About the Menu
これは何ですか — Understanding What You’re Eating
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
Japanese menus can be overwhelming — unfamiliar kanji, unknown dishes, and ingredients you might not be able to eat. In this lesson, you’ll learn the questions that let you confidently navigate any menu: ask what a dish is, get a recommendation, check for spice, and confirm what’s inside before you order.
What you’ll learn:
- Ask “What is this?” — これは何ですか
- Ask “What kind of dish is this?” — これはどんな料理ですか
- Ask for a recommendation — おすすめは何ですか
- Ask what’s popular — 人気のメニューは何ですか
- Ask if it’s spicy — これは辛いですか
- Check ingredients — 〇〇が入っていますか
- Ask for a photo or English menu
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
これは何ですか。
Kore wa nan desu ka.
What is this?
これはどんな料理ですか。
Kore wa donna ryoori desu ka.
What kind of dish is this?
おすすめは何ですか。
Osusume wa nan desu ka.
What do you recommend?
人気のメニューは何ですか。
Ninki no menyuu wa nan desu ka.
What is a popular menu item?
これは辛いですか。
Kore wa karai desu ka.
Is this spicy?
肉が入っていますか。
Niku ga haitte imasu ka.
Does it have meat?
卵が入っていますか。
Tamago ga haitte imasu ka.
Does it have egg?
写真はありますか。
Shashin wa arimasu ka.
Do you have a picture?
英語のメニューはありますか。
Eego no menyuu wa arimasu ka.
Do you have an English menu?
2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
① これは何ですか vs これはどんな料理ですか
これは何ですか asks for the name (“What is it?”). これはどんな料理ですか asks for a description (“What kind of dish is it?”). Use the second when you want more detail — for example, when you know it’s called “唐揚げ” but don’t know what that means.
② おすすめ vs 人気
おすすめ = “recommendation” (what the staff personally suggests). 人気 = “popular” (what other customers order most). Both are great questions when you’re undecided. Often the answer overlaps!
客: おすすめは何ですか。What do you recommend?
店員: ラーメンがおすすめです。I recommend the ramen.
客: じゃあ、ラーメンをお願いします。Then ramen, please.
③ 〇〇が入っていますか — checking ingredients
Replace 〇〇 with any ingredient. The answers are はい、入っています (yes, it contains it) or いいえ、入っていません (no, it doesn’t).
肉が入っていますか。Does it contain meat?
卵が入っていますか。Does it contain egg?
牛乳が入っていますか。Does it contain milk?
えびが入っていますか。Does it contain shrimp?
④ If you can’t eat something
Use 〇〇は食べられません (“I can’t eat 〇〇”) or for allergies: 〇〇アレルギーがあります (“I have a 〇〇 allergy”).
⚠️ Common Mistake
辛い (karai) means “spicy” — not “sour.” Sour is すっぱい (suppai). Don’t confuse them. Also note that 辛い can also be read as “tsurai” meaning “painful/difficult” — in a food context it always means spicy.
辛い (karai) means “spicy” — not “sour.” Sour is すっぱい (suppai). Don’t confuse them. Also note that 辛い can also be read as “tsurai” meaning “painful/difficult” — in a food context it always means spicy.
3. Taste & Ingredient Words ／ あじとざいりょう
🌶️ Taste Words ／ あじ
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 辛い | karai | spicy |
| 甘い | amai | sweet |
| しょっぱい | shoppai | salty |
| すっぱい | suppai | sour |
| 少し辛い | sukoshi karai | a little spicy |
🥚 Ingredient Words ／ ざいりょう
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 肉 | niku | meat |
| 魚 | sakana | fish |
| 卵 | tamago | egg |
| 牛乳 | gyuunyuu | milk |
| えび | ebi | shrimp |
| チーズ | chiizu | cheese |
| 小麦 | komugi | wheat |
4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — What Is This?
💬 Conversation 2 — Recommendation
💬 Conversation 3 — Popular Item
💬 Conversation 4 — Spicy Food
💬 Conversation 5 — Ingredient Check
💬 Conversation 6 — English Menu
5. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| 料理 | ryoori | dish / cooking |
| おすすめ | osusume | recommendation |
| 人気 | ninki | popular |
| 辛い | karai | spicy |
| 甘い | amai | sweet |
| 入っています | haitte imasu | contains / has |
| 入っていません | haitte imasen | does not contain |
| 写真 | shashin | photo / picture |
| 英語 | eego | English language |
| アレルギー | arerugii | allergy |
6. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.
Q1. How do you ask “What is this?” in Japanese?
A. これはいくらですか。 B. これはどこですか。 C. これは何ですか。 D. これはだれですか。
Answer: C
これは何ですか = “What is this?” This is your go-to phrase for any unfamiliar item on a Japanese menu.
これは何ですか = “What is this?” This is your go-to phrase for any unfamiliar item on a Japanese menu.
Q2. How do you ask “What do you recommend?” in Japanese?
A. 人気のメニューは何ですか。 B. おすすめは何ですか。 C. これは辛いですか。 D. 英語のメニューはありますか。
Answer: B
おすすめは何ですか = “What do you recommend?” A asks about the popular item, B is a staff recommendation, C is about spice, D is for an English menu.
おすすめは何ですか = “What do you recommend?” A asks about the popular item, B is a staff recommendation, C is about spice, D is for an English menu.
Q3. What does 「これは辛いですか。」 mean?
A. Is this sweet? B. Is this expensive? C. Is this sour? D. Is this spicy?
Answer: D
辛い = spicy. 甘い = sweet. 高い = expensive. すっぱい = sour. Always check before ordering!
辛い = spicy. 甘い = sweet. 高い = expensive. すっぱい = sour. Always check before ordering!
Q4. What does 「卵が入っていますか。」 mean?
A. Do you have eggs? B. Is there an egg price? C. Does it contain egg? D. Do you sell eggs?
Answer: C
〇〇が入っていますか = “Does it contain 〇〇?” 入っています = is inside/contained. Use this for allergy or dietary checks.
〇〇が入っていますか = “Does it contain 〇〇?” 入っています = is inside/contained. Use this for allergy or dietary checks.
Q5. What does 「英語のメニューはありますか。」 mean?
A. Do you have an English menu? B. Is English popular? C. Do you speak English every day? D. Is this an English restaurant?
Answer: A
英語のメニューはありますか = “Do you have an English menu?” Try this first at any restaurant — many places in Japan now have English, Chinese, or Korean menus.
英語のメニューはありますか = “Do you have an English menu?” Try this first at any restaurant — many places in Japan now have English, Chinese, or Korean menus.
Q6. The staff says 「ラーメンがおすすめです。」 You want to order it. What do you say?
A. まだです。 B. じゃあ、ラーメンをお願いします。 C. これは辛いですか。 D. 以上です。
Answer: B
じゃあ、〇〇をお願いします = “Then 〇〇, please.” じゃあ is a natural connector meaning “then / in that case” — very useful in restaurant conversations.
じゃあ、〇〇をお願いします = “Then 〇〇, please.” じゃあ is a natural connector meaning “then / in that case” — very useful in restaurant conversations.
7. Match the Meaning ／ れんしゅう
Match each phrase with its English meaning. Check your answers below.
これは何ですか。 → ______
おすすめは何ですか。 → ______
人気のメニューは何ですか。 → ______
これは辛いですか。 → ______
肉が入っていますか。 → ______
写真はありますか。 → ______
英語のメニューはありますか。 → ______
Choices: A. Does it have meat? B. What do you recommend? C. Is this spicy? D. What is this? E. Do you have an English menu? F. What is a popular menu item? G. Do you have a picture?
Answers: これは何ですか = D ／ おすすめは何ですか = B ／ 人気のメニューは何ですか = F ／ これは辛いですか = C ／ 肉が入っていますか = A ／ 写真はありますか = G ／ 英語のメニューはありますか = E
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Practice asking about a menu in Japanese.
At your next restaurant visit, try at least one of these:
これは何ですか。／ おすすめは何ですか。／ これは辛いですか。／ 肉が入っていますか。
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson, you learned how to ask questions about any Japanese menu. The four most important phrases are:
これは何ですか。(What is this?)
おすすめは何ですか。(What do you recommend?)
これは辛いですか。(Is this spicy?)
肉が入っていますか。(Does it contain meat?)
おすすめは何ですか。(What do you recommend?)
これは辛いですか。(Is this spicy?)
肉が入っていますか。(Does it contain meat?)
💡 Don’t forget the fallback: 英語のメニューはありますか (“Do you have an English menu?”) — if you feel overwhelmed, just start there.
FAQ
Q. What is the difference between おすすめ and 人気?
おすすめ = what the staff personally suggests — it might be today’s special or a dish the chef is proud of. 人気 = what other customers order most. Both are reliable choices, but おすすめ is more personal and can vary by day.
Q. What should I say if I have a food allergy?
Say 〇〇アレルギーがあります (“I have a 〇〇 allergy”). For example: えびアレルギーがあります (shrimp allergy). You can also say 〇〇は食べられません (“I can’t eat 〇〇”). Restaurant staff in Japan take food allergies very seriously, so don’t hesitate to ask.
Q. What if the restaurant doesn’t have an English menu?
Use photos! Many Japanese restaurants display plastic food models outside or have picture menus. Point at whatever looks good and say これをお願いします. You can also ask 写真はありますか (“Do you have a picture?”) before deciding. Adventurous eating in Japan is very rarely disappointing.
🍜 Practice with a real teacher
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
Asking about menus, checking for allergies, and understanding staff answers takes real conversation practice. Try a free trial lesson with a professional teacher and never feel lost at a Japanese restaurant again.
Online or in-person — both available on request.