Situation-Based Japanese 01: Start with Simple, Practical Expressions

Drawing from real-life experiences in Japan, this series introduces practical Japanese expressions that are simple, natural, and immediately useful. This article focuses on everyday situations in fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, and public spaces, making it easier for beginners to start communicating without worrying about complex grammar.

Everyday Fast-Food Restaurants

At ordinary fast-food restaurants in Japan, whether you are ordering a meal or a bowl of noodles, you can usually order from a tablet at your seat, use a self-service ticket machine that issues a meal ticket after payment, or scan a QR code and order on your phone. After eating, you can often pay at a self-checkout as well.

That means you can now have a simple meal in Japan without saying much Japanese at all. Even so, I would like to share a few useful phrases for this situation.

Basic phrases you will often hear from staff:

• 何名様ですか。
  This is the standard way staff ask how many people are in your party.

• 少々お待ちください。
  This means, “Please wait a moment.”

• ポイントカードお持ちでしょうか？
  A cashier uses this to ask whether you have a loyalty card.
  Why do cashiers in Japan ask this so often? Japan has many widely accepted point cards, and a large number of stores participate in these loyalty programs.

Simple and practical phrases for customers:

• これ、ください。
  This means, “This one, please.” It is probably the simplest way to order something.

• お水だけお願いします。
  This means, “Just water, please.”

• 別々にお願いします。
  You can use this when several people want to pay separately. In a casual situation, simply saying 別々 is often enough.

Convenience Stores

Convenience stores are a major part of everyday life in Japan, and many different tasks can be handled there. Plenty of people also buy food from a nearby convenience store during the workday.

At the major convenience-store chains, you can now shop and use many services with almost no Japanese. Still, knowing a few practical phrases is useful.

• お弁当を温めてください。
  Convenience stores in Japan almost always sell boxed meals from refrigerated shelves, so microwaves are available for heating them. Some stores place the microwave in a self-service area, while others keep it behind the counter where only staff can operate it.
  If you buy a boxed meal at a staffed register, the cashier will usually ask whether you would like it heated.

• ここで食べてもいいですか。
  This means, “May I eat here?”
  Larger convenience stores sometimes have a seating area, while others do not. If you want to eat a boxed meal or cup noodles inside, it is better to ask first.

• すみません、細かくしていただけますか。
  Convenience stores often have printers and photocopiers, but some machines accept only coins, not banknotes. If you do not have any coins, you can ask the staff to break a bill using this phrase.
  This happened to me once when I needed to photocopy some documents but had no change, so I asked a staff member for smaller coins.

Public Places

Japanese society places considerable importance on not inconveniencing others, expressed as 迷惑をかけない, and on being aware of other people’s personal space. Whether you are visiting Japan or living and working here long term, the following phrases are worth learning.

• ここで写真を撮ってもいいですか。
  May I take a photo here?

• ここで吸っても大丈夫ですか。
  Is it all right to smoke here?

• すみません、手に取って見てもいいですか。
  You can say this while shopping when you want to pick up a sample or product for a closer look.

• すみません、失礼します。
  For example, if you need to reach across someone on a train to take your bag from the overhead rack, it is polite to say this first.