UNIT 5
Restaurants & Cafes
Restaurants & Cafes
Lesson 1: Entering a Restaurant
いらっしゃいませ — Your First Steps Inside
⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading
Before You Start
Eating out is one of the great joys of living in Japan — and the good news is that walking into any restaurant only requires a handful of phrases. In this lesson, you’ll learn exactly what to say from the moment you step through the door to the moment you sit down.
What you’ll learn:
- Understand “Welcome” — いらっしゃいませ
- Say how many people — 2人です
- Say whether you have a reservation — 予約しています / していません
- Request a seat type — テーブル席をお願いします
- Follow the staff to your table — こちらへどうぞ
- Handle a full restaurant — 満席です
1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ
いらっしゃいませ。
Irasshaimase.
Welcome.
何名様ですか。
Nan mee sama desu ka.
How many people? (polite)
2人です。
Futari desu.
Two people.
予約しています。
Yoyaku shite imasu.
I have a reservation.
予約していません。
Yoyaku shite imasen.
I do not have a reservation.
こちらへどうぞ。
Kochira e doozo.
This way, please.
禁煙席をお願いします。
Kinen seki o onegaishimasu.
Non-smoking seat, please.
テーブル席をお願いします。
Teeburu seki o onegaishimasu.
Table seat, please.
少々お待ちください。
Shooshoo omachi kudasai.
Please wait a moment.
満席です。
Manseki desu.
We are full. / No seats available.
2. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント
① いらっしゃいませ — you don’t need to reply
This is the standard greeting you’ll hear at every restaurant, shop, and café in Japan. You don’t need to say anything back — just smile and walk in. If you want to acknowledge it, a simple こんにちは is fine, but silence is perfectly normal.
② Counting people — special readings
1 and 2 people have unique Japanese readings. From 3 onwards it’s more regular, but note that 4 is よにん, not し.
1人 — ひとり (hitori) 2人 — ふたり (futari)
3人 — さんにん (san-nin) 4人 — よにん (yo-nin)
5人 — ごにん (go-nin) 6人 — ろくにん (roku-nin)
③ 予約しています vs 予約していません
If you made a reservation, say 予約しています. No reservation? Say 予約していません. You can also give your name: 〇〇で予約しています (“I have a reservation under 〇〇”).
店員: ご予約はありますか。Do you have a reservation?
→ はい、マリアで予約しています。 Yes, under Maria.
→ いいえ、予約していません。 No reservation.
④ Seat requests — 席をお願いします
Use 〇〇席をお願いします to request any type of seat. The most common requests:
テーブル席をお願いします。Table seat, please.
禁煙席をお願いします。Non-smoking seat, please.
窓側の席をお願いします。Window seat, please.
⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t say 2つです when asked how many people. 〜つ is for counting objects, not people. Always use 〇人です for people: 2人です, 3人です.
Don’t say 2つです when asked how many people. 〜つ is for counting objects, not people. Always use 〇人です for people: 2人です, 3人です.
3. Seat Types ／ 席のことば
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| テーブル席 | teeburu seki | table seat |
| カウンター席 | kauntaa seki | counter seat |
| 禁煙席 | kinen seki | non-smoking seat |
| 喫煙席 | kitsuen seki | smoking seat |
| 窓側の席 | madogawa no seki | window seat |
| 奥の席 | oku no seki | seat in the back |
💡 If the restaurant only has one type of seating, the staff will guide you directly. カウンターでも大丈夫です (“Counter seating is fine”) is a useful phrase when dining alone.
4. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ
💬 Conversation 1 — Two People
💬 Conversation 2 — One Person
💬 Conversation 3 — With a Reservation
💬 Conversation 4 — Without a Reservation
💬 Conversation 5 — Seat Request
5. Vocabulary ／ たんご
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| レストラン | resutoran | restaurant |
| カフェ | kafe | cafe |
| 予約 | yoyaku | reservation |
| 席 | seki | seat |
| 満席 | manseki | full / no seats |
| 何名様 | nan mee sama | how many people (polite) |
| 1人 | hitori | one person |
| 2人 | futari | two people |
| 3人 | san-nin | three people |
| 4人 | yo-nin | four people |
| 少々 | shooshoo | a moment / a little |
| また来ます | mata kimasu | I will come again |
6. Check Your Understanding ／ クイズ
Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.
Q1. What does 「何名様ですか。」 mean?
A. How much is it? B. How many people? C. What time is it? D. Do you have a reservation?
Answer: B
何名様ですか = “How many people?” This is the polite restaurant version of 何人ですか. You’ll hear this immediately when you enter any restaurant.
何名様ですか = “How many people?” This is the polite restaurant version of 何人ですか. You’ll hear this immediately when you enter any restaurant.
Q2. How do you say “Two people” at a restaurant?
A. 2時です。 B. 2つです。 C. 2円です。 D. 2人です。
Answer: D
2人 (futari) = “two people.” Never say 2つ (futatsu) — that’s for counting objects, not people.
2人 (futari) = “two people.” Never say 2つ (futatsu) — that’s for counting objects, not people.
Q3. How do you say “I have a reservation” in Japanese?
A. 予約していません。 B. 予約はどこですか。 C. 予約しています。 D. 予約をください。
Answer: C
予約しています = “I have a reservation.” Add your name: 〇〇で予約しています.
予約しています = “I have a reservation.” Add your name: 〇〇で予約しています.
Q4. What does 「こちらへどうぞ。」 mean?
A. Thank you. B. Please wait a moment. C. How many people? D. This way, please.
Answer: D
こちらへどうぞ = “This way, please.” The staff says this when guiding you to your seat. Reply with ありがとうございます.
こちらへどうぞ = “This way, please.” The staff says this when guiding you to your seat. Reply with ありがとうございます.
Q5. What does 「満席です。」 mean?
A. We are full. B. It is delicious. C. Please wait. D. This way, please.
Answer: A
満席 = “full / no seats.” If you hear this, say わかりました and try another restaurant, or ask どのくらい待ちますか (“How long is the wait?”)
満席 = “full / no seats.” If you hear this, say わかりました and try another restaurant, or ask どのくらい待ちますか (“How long is the wait?”)
Q6. You want a non-smoking table. What do you say?
A. カウンターでも大丈夫です。 B. テーブル席をお願いします。 C. 禁煙席をお願いします。 D. 窓側の席をお願いします。
Answer: C
禁煙席をお願いします = “Non-smoking seat, please.” 禁煙 = no smoking. 喫煙 = smoking allowed.
禁煙席をお願いします = “Non-smoking seat, please.” 禁煙 = no smoking. 喫煙 = smoking allowed.
7. Match the Meaning ／ れんしゅう
Match each phrase with its English meaning. Check your answers below.
いらっしゃいませ。 → ______
何名様ですか。 → ______
2人です。 → ______
予約しています。 → ______
予約していません。 → ______
こちらへどうぞ。 → ______
少々お待ちください。 → ______
Choices: A. I have a reservation. B. Please wait a moment. C. Welcome. D. Two people. E. This way, please. F. I do not have a reservation. G. How many people?
Answers: いらっしゃいませ = C ／ 何名様ですか = G ／ 2人です = D ／ 予約しています = A ／ 予約していません = F ／ こちらへどうぞ = E ／ 少々お待ちください = B
🚀 Mini Mission
Today’s mission: Practice entering a restaurant in Japanese.
Try this with your teacher, or say it aloud at home before your next restaurant visit:
2人です。／ 予約していません。／ テーブル席をお願いします。／ ありがとうございます。
📘 Review ／ まとめ
In this lesson, you learned how to enter a restaurant in Japanese. The most important phrases are:
2人です。(Two people.)
予約していません。(No reservation.)
テーブル席をお願いします。(Table seat, please.)
ありがとうございます。(Thank you.)
予約していません。(No reservation.)
テーブル席をお願いします。(Table seat, please.)
ありがとうございます。(Thank you.)
💡 Remember: 1人 = ひとり, 2人 = ふたり — these two are special readings. From 3 onwards, use 〇にん.
FAQ
Q. Do I need to reply to いらっしゃいませ?
No, you don’t. いらっしゃいませ is a standard greeting — like a verbal welcome mat. Japanese people typically don’t reply to it either. Just smile, nod, and wait for the next question. A quiet こんにちは is fine if you want to say something, but it’s completely optional.
Q. What if I only want to say “one person” — is it really ひとり and not いちにん?
Yes — 1人 is always ひとり, and 2人 is always ふたり. These are native Japanese words (和語) rather than Sino-Japanese numbers. From 3人 onwards, you use the 〇にん pattern. Just memorize ひとり and ふたり — they come up constantly.
Q. What should I say if the restaurant is full?
If you hear 満席です, say わかりました。また来ます。 (“I understand. I’ll come again.”) and leave politely. If you don’t mind waiting, ask 少々お待ちすれば大丈夫ですか (“Is it okay if I wait a little?”) — though simply waiting and nodding also works.
🍜 Practice with a real teacher
Want to Practice with a Teacher?
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