← Japanese from zero to A1
A1
Lesson 5. Ordering: “please give me,” “I'll have this,” and counting with ～つ
I can order food and a drink, say how many, ask if they have what I need, and finish my order.
Ordering: ください, にします, ありますか
Ordering: ください, にします, ありますか
The goal of this lesson: order food and a drink in a café, say how many, and finish the order.
Things are counted with their own set of words: ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ, よっつ, いつつ, むっつ, ななつ, やっつ, ここのつ, とお; “how many?” is いくつ. English counts everything with one set of numbers, but this set is not the numbers of module 1: four here is よっつ, seven is ななつ.
A request: 「おちゃをください。」 or 「おちゃ、おねがいします。」 — both are polite. In everyday speech を before ください is often dropped: 「おちゃ、ください。」
The number comes after the item and before the request: 「ケーキをふたつください。」 English says “two cakes”, but Japanese never uses a bare figure without a counter such as ふたつ.
Choosing from the menu: 「おちゃにします。」 — “I'll have tea.” The particle here is に, not を: this “have” doesn't mean “own” or “eat”.
Asking if they have something: 「メニュー、ありますか。」 Finishing the order: 「いじょうです。」 — “That's all.”
Common mistakes:
• NOT 「みずを2ください。」 — you need a counter: ふたつ.
• NOT 「うどんをします。」 — choosing takes に: うどんにします.
• NOT 「ください、ラーメンを。」 — ください goes at the end, like “please” in “Ramen, please.”
Counting things
A set of its own from one to ten. The highlighted words don't look like the numbers of module 1.
| How many | How to say it |
|---|---|
| 1 | ひとつ |
| 2 | ふたつ |
| 3 | みっつ |
| 4 | よっつ |
| 5 | いつつ |
| 6 | むっつ |
| 7 | ななつ |
| 8 | やっつ |
| 9 | ここのつ |
| 10 | とお |
| how many? | いくつ |
Ordering phrases
Set phrases: only the name of the dish changes.
| What you're doing | Phrase | Example |
|---|---|---|
| asking | 【dish】（を）ください | おちゃをください。 |
| asking more softly | 【dish】、おねがいします | おさら、おねがいします。 |
| choosing from the menu | 【dish】にします | おちゃにします。 |
| asking if they have it | 【what】、ありますか | メニュー、ありますか。 |
| ending the order | いじょうです | いじょうです。 |
Lesson notes
Ordering: ください, にします, ありますか
The goal of this lesson: order food and a drink in a café, say how many, and finish the order.
Things are counted with their own set of words: ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ, よっつ, いつつ, むっつ, ななつ, やっつ, ここのつ, とお; “how many?” is いくつ. English counts everything with one set of numbers, but this set is not the numbers of module 1: four here is よっつ, seven is ななつ.
A request: 「おちゃをください。」 or 「おちゃ、おねがいします。」 — both are polite. In everyday speech を before ください is often dropped: 「おちゃ、ください。」
The number comes after the item and before the request: 「ケーキをふたつください。」 English says “two cakes”, but Japanese never uses a bare figure without a counter such as ふたつ.
Choosing from the menu: 「おちゃにします。」 — “I'll have tea.” The particle here is に, not を: this “have” doesn't mean “own” or “eat”.
Asking if they have something: 「メニュー、ありますか。」 Finishing the order: 「いじょうです。」 — “That's all.”
Common mistakes:
• NOT 「みずを2ください。」 — you need a counter: ふたつ.
• NOT 「うどんをします。」 — choosing takes に: うどんにします.
• NOT 「ください、ラーメンを。」 — ください goes at the end, like “please” in “Ramen, please.”