GidePass Lens · Japan
Japanese menu translator: read dishes and order food in Japan
Start with the original Japanese dish name, then understand its preparation and what the price includes. This guide helps you ask clear questions at the table without treating a translated name as a complete recipe.
GidePass · Reviewed
Keep kanji, kana and the price in the same result
A translated label helps you choose, while the original Japanese text helps staff identify the item. Keep both. Photograph one clear section with its price and quantity; a distant picture of a full wall menu can lose the useful detail. If the text is unreadable, ask for help rather than inventing a name or amount.
A set meal and a single dish are different orders
Check whether the menu says 定食 or 単品. Read the included dishes, portion and available options before confirming. Do not add rice or another side automatically if it already belongs to the set. A photograph or common recipe cannot establish exactly what a restaurant includes today.
Ask about stock and sauces
JNTO describes dashi as an important part of Japanese cooking, made from ingredients such as bonito or kelp. That is why a short vegetable or noodle name is not enough to establish the broth. Ask what is used in the actual preparation, including sauces and garnishes. A menu translation cannot certify ingredient absence or cross-contact.
Check the ordering method and any table charge
Ask staff how to place your order if the setup is unfamiliar. At an izakaya, JNTO explains that dishes are often shared and that a small automatically served appetiser can form part of a table charge. Ask about any such charge before ordering instead of assuming that every small dish is complimentary.
Yen amounts need their labels
Keep ¥ or 円, the full amount and any tax or portion label together. Do not silently convert it into another currency or turn a missing price into an estimate. Ask for clarification where a menu gives several amounts or an unclear handwritten note. The examples below are invented teaching material, not live scans or current restaurant prices.
Useful phrases for your meal
- メニューをお願いします。
- The menu, please.
- これを一つお願いします。
- One of this, please.
- この料理には何が入っていますか。
- What does this dish contain?
- ご飯は付いていますか。
- Is rice included?
- お会計をお願いします。
- The bill, please.
PREPARED EDITORIAL EXAMPLE
Keep the original name, price and question together
These invented menu lines and prices illustrate what to check. They are not a live Lens scan, a real restaurant menu or a claim of current local prices.
焼き魚定食
¥1,400Grilled fish set meal
Prepared example: ask which fish and accompaniments are included.
天ぷら盛り合わせ
¥1,200Assorted tempura
Ask which ingredients are in the assortment and how they are prepared.
ご飯 · 単品
¥250Rice · ordered separately
Check whether your chosen meal already includes rice.
Sources and further reading
Food examples describe common preparations. Restaurant recipes, portions and charges vary.