Decoding the Japanese Menu
Walking into a Japanese restaurant and being handed a menu entirely in Japanese can be intimidating even for intermediate learners. Restaurant menus use specific vocabulary that you might not encounter in textbook study, and the organization of dishes follows cultural conventions unfamiliar to Western diners. However, Japanese menus are actually highly structured and predictable once you learn the system. This guide gives you the vocabulary to confidently order at any Japanese restaurant.
Menu Sections
Most Japanese menus are organized into standard sections:
- Zensai (前菜) or Otoshi (お通し): Appetizers and small starters
- Sarada (サラダ): Salad
- Yakimono (焼き物): Grilled dishes
- Agemono (揚げ物): Deep-fried dishes
- Nimono (煮物): Simmered or stewed dishes
- Gohan mono (ご飯物): Rice dishes
- Men rui (麺類): Noodle dishes
- Suimono / Shirumono (吸い物/汁物): Soups
- Dezaato (デザート): Dessert
- Nomimono (飲み物): Drinks
Essential Protein Vocabulary
- Gyuuniku (牛肉): Beef
- Butaniku (豚肉): Pork
- Toriniku (鶏肉): Chicken
- Sakana (魚): Fish
- Ebi (海老): Shrimp
- Ika (イカ): Squid
- Tako (タコ): Octopus
- Toufu (豆腐): Tofu
- Tamago (卵): Egg
Cooking Methods on Menus
Understanding cooking method kanji helps you figure out any dish:
- Yaki (焼): Grilled or pan-fried (yakiniku, yakitori, yakisoba)
- Age (揚): Deep-fried (karaage, tempura)
- Ni (煮): Simmered (nikujaga, nimono)
- Mushi (蒸): Steamed (chawanmushi)
- Nama (生): Raw (sashimi, nama biiru for draft beer)
- Itame (炒め): Stir-fried (yasai itame)
Useful Ordering Phrases
- Sumimasen (すみません): Excuse me (to call a server)
- [dish] wo kudasai (〇〇をください): I would like [dish], please
- [dish] wo hitotsu (〇〇を一つ): One [dish]
- Osusume wa nan desu ka (おすすめは何ですか): What do you recommend?
- Okaikei onegaishimasu (お会計お願いします): Check please
- Arerugi ga arimasu (アレルギーがあります): I have allergies
Special Dietary Terms
Niku nashi (肉なし) means without meat. Bejitarian (ベジタリアン) means vegetarian. Biigan (ビーガン) means vegan. Guruten furii (グルテンフリー) means gluten-free. Learn more food-related Japanese vocabulary on KotobaPeek to expand your dining confidence.