These are the dialogues for podcast #09 ““How to order Sushi at a Japanese Restaurant”
In this week’s podcast Yoshiko and Alex discuss useful Japanese vocabulary and cultural points and advice for ordering sushi at a Japanese restaurant like a native.
The good news is you don’t have to learn a huge amount of vocabulary to order your your favorite dishes if you learn just a few useful key phrases.
Sushi Vocabulary
大将 Taishō – (Sushi) chef
サーモン Saamon – Salmon
マグロ Maguro – Tuna
たまご Tamago – Egg
雲丹 Uni – Sea urchin
いくら Ikura – Salmon roe
貫 Kan – Counter for sushi
一貫 Ikkan – 1 piece of sushi
二貫 Nikan – 2 pieces
三貫 Sankan – 3 pieces
一貫ずつ Ikkan zutsu – One piece of each
お願いします Onegaishimasu – Please
さび抜き Sabinuki – Without wasabi
あがり一丁 Agari ichō – Tea
できますか Dekimasu ka – Can you make it?
お冷や Ohiya – Cold water
お椀 Owan – Soup
茶碗蒸し Chawan Mushi – Egg and custard dish
えんがわ Engawa – Fin of flounder (flatfish)
ごちそうさまでした Gochisōsama deshita – That was delicious
回転寿し Kaitenzushi – Conveyor belt sushi
お腹いっぱい Onaka ippai – I’m full
刺身 Sashimi – Slices of fish
寿司 Sushi – Slices of fish on rice
つまみ Tsumami – Used when ordering just the meat of the fish rather than sushi
ガリ Gari – Slices of ginger in sweet vinegar
Main Dialogue
A: 大将！サーモン２貫ください Taishō! Saamon Ni Kan Kudasai – Chef, 2 pieces of salmon please.
B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes
A: 雲丹といくら１貫ずつできますか Uni to ikura Ikkan zutsu dekimasu ka – Can you do 1 sea urchin and 1 salmon roe?
B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes
A: さび抜きでお願いします Sabi nuki de onegaishimasu – Without wasabi please.
B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes
A: お腹いっぱい。大将あがり一丁 Onaka ippai. Taishō agari ichō – I’m full. Chef, 1 tea please.
B: はいよ Hai yo – Yes
10 Cultural Tips for Ordering Sushi
Here are 10 useful cultural points that will really help you when ordering sushi in Japan.
When you order from a sushi chef it is custom to refer to them as 大将 – Taishō. This means various things including general, boss, cheif etc. but in this context is used specifically to adress a sushi chef.
When counting pieces of Sushi you usually use the counter “kan”. For example:
一貫 – Ikkan – One piece of sushi
二貫 – Nikan – Two pieces of sushi
三貫 – Sankan – Three pieces of sushi
四貫 – Yonkan – Four pieces of sushi
Japanese
Pronunciation
English
大将サーモンを一貫下さい
Taishō saamon o ikkan kudasai
One piece of salmon please chef
大将マグロを二貫ください
Taishō maguro o nikan kudasai
Two pieces of tuna please chef
大将たまごを三貫ください
Taishō tamago o sankan kudasai
Three piece of egg please chef
大将雲丹を四貫ください
Taishō uni o yonkan kudasai
Four pieces of sea urchin please chef
An important thing to remember is it is not so common to order more than 2 or 3 pieces of the same type of sushi at the same time. The most common is ２貫 Nikan – two pieces of sushi. It is possible to say something like this:
たまごを二貫、サーモンを二貫、マグロを二貫ください
Tamago o nikan, saamon o nikan, maguro o nikan kudasai
2 pieces of egg, 2 salmon and 2 tuna please.
5) Use the word “agari” to order green tea
When you want to order tea say あがり一丁 agari ichō. This is a special way to order green tea that is particular to sushi restaurants. When you order, they usually bring it to you in a cup. However, in many conveyor belt sushi restaurants it’s common to make your own tea by putting green ...