山田 : それをください。
田中 : あの赤いケーキは何ですか？
Waitress : あれはラズベリーチーズケーキです。
田中 : じゃあ、あのケーキをください。
| Waitress | : | Nani ni shimashō ka? | What shall I bring you? |
| Tanaka | : | Kōhii o kudasai. | Please bring me coffee. |
| Yamada | : | Appuru jūsu to pan o kudasai. | Please bring me apple juice and bread. |
| Tanaka | : | Watashi mo pan o kudasai. | Please bring bread to me too. |
| Yamada | : | Sore wa nan desuka? | What is that (close to you)? |
| Waitress | : | Kore wa buruberii chiizukēki desu. | This (close to me) is blueberry cheesecake. |
| Yamada | : | Sore o kudasai. | Please give me that (close to you). |
| Tanaka | : | Ano akai kēki wa nan desuka? | What is that red cake (over there)? |
| Waitress | : | Are wa razuberii chiizukēki desu. | That (over there) is raspberry cheesecake. |
| Tanaka | : | Jā, ano kēki o kudasai. | Well, then, please bring me that cake (over there). |
Dialogue vocabulary
| akai | 赤い | red |
| ano/are | あの/あれ | that (over there) |
| appuru jūsu | アップルジュース | apple juice |
| buruberi chiizukēki | ブルベリチーズ ケーキ | blueberry cheesecake |
| desu | です | is/are |
| jā | じゃあ | Well, then … |
| kēki | ケーキ | cake |
| kōhii | コーヒー | coffee |
| kono/kore | この/これ | this (by me) |
| mo | も | too |
| nani/nan | 何 | What? |
| pan (from Portuguese pão) | パン | bread |
| ~ o kudasai. | 〜 を ください。 | Please give/bring me ~. |
| razuberii chiizukēki | ラズベリーチーズケーキ | raspberry cheesecake |
| shimashō ka? | しましょうか | will you have/will you do? |
| sono/sore | その/それ | that (by you) |
| watashi | 私 | I |
Culture and vocabulary notes
Jā is often used at the beginning of sentence in the same way that “well” or “well then” is used in English. Watakushi is a more formal word for “I” or “me” than watashi. The particle mo adds the meaning too or also. Thus the expression watashi mo can be translated as “Me too.”
• LESSON 1 •
Ordering at a Coffee Shop
In this lesson, you will learn a sentence pattern that will permit you to order various items at a restaurant or shop. You will also learn the Japanese words for many basic food items.
Vocabulary
| aisu kōhii | アイスコーヒー | iced coffee |
| aisukuriimu | アイスクリーム | ice cream |
| aisukuriimu sōda | アイスクリーム ソーダ | ice cream soda |
| aisu tii | アイステイー | iced tea |
| appuru pai | アップルパイ | apple pie |
| batā | バター | butter |
| chokorēto sheiku | チョコレート シェイク | chocolate shake |
| hamu sandoitchi (hamu sando)2 | ハムサンドイッチ (ハムサンド） | ham sandwich |
| jūsu | ジュース | juice |
| kōcha | 紅茶 | black tea |
| kōra | コーラ | cola |
| kokoa | ココア | cocoa |
| mikkusu sandoitchi (mikkusu sando) | ミックスサンドイッチ （ミックスサンド） | combination sandwich (usually ham, cheese, egg and tomato) |
| miruku | ミルク | milk |
| mizu | 水 | water (cold) |
| ocha | お茶 | tea (any kind) |
| omuraisu | オムライス | rice omelet |
| orenji jūsu | オレンジ ジュース | orange juice |
| pai | パイ | pie |
| remonēdo | レモネード | lemonade |
| sandoitchi (sando) | サンドイッチ | sandwich |
| sōda | ソーダ | soda |
| tomato jūsu | トマト ジュース | tomato juice |
Culture and vocabulary notes
Coffee shops or tea rooms, called kissaten (喫茶店), are numerous in Japan and are very popular places to meet friends and relax. You can order all kinds of soft drinks, desserts, and even light-lunch items such as sandwiches there. Many of these items are foreign loanwords and so are written in katakana.
In any situation that involves buying or shopping, kudasai can mean “Please bring (me),” “Please sell (me),” or “Please give (me).” The o in Kōhii o kudasai is called a particle. It has no meaning in itself but indicates that the preceding word is the direct object in the sentence. Other particles will be introduced later.
There are no articles like “a” or “the” in Japanese. Although in English you tend to say, “Please give me some ice cream,” Japanese usually just say, “Please give me ice cream.”
Grammar
The first sentence pattern below shows you the simplest way to ask for something in Japanese. It consists of the item (a noun) you want, a particle, and a word meaning “please.” Look carefully at the sentence pattern that follows.
| Sentence Pattern 1 | |
| NOUN + o / kudasai.〜を ください。 | Please give me + NOUN. |
Examples
| Sōda o kudasai.ソーダをください。 | Please give me soda. |
| Jūsu o kudasai.ジュースをください。 | Please give me juice. |
| Kēki o kudasai.ケーキをください。 | Please give me cake. |
| Aisukuriimu o kudasai.アイスクリームをください。 | Please give me ice cream. |
| Kokoa o kudasai.ココアをください。 | Please
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