Practice Making a Reservation in Japanese
Phone reservations test your Japanese more than face-to-face conversation: there's no body language, no menu to point at, and the other person is often busy. This scenario walks through booking a restaurant table — choosing a date and time, specifying the number of guests, mentioning dietary needs, and confirming the booking. You'll practise the specific Japanese formulas for politeness on the phone, the verbs for 'to reserve' and 'to confirm', and how to spell your name letter by letter when the host can't catch it.
Sample Japanese conversation
こんにちは！お電話ありがとうございます。ご用件をお伺いします。
Good afternoon! Thank you for calling. How can I help you?ディナーの予約をしたいのですが。
I'd like to make a reservation for dinner, please.かしこまりました！何名様で、いつのご予約ですか？
Of course! How many people, and what date and time?今夜8時に2名でお願いします。
A table for two, tonight at 8 PM.確認いたしますね…はい、今夜8時にお席がございます。室内と屋外、どちらがよろしいですか？
Let me check... Yes, we have a table available at 8 PM tonight. Would you prefer indoor or outdoor seating?室内でお願いします。
Indoor, please.
What you'll learn
- Open a phone call politely in Japanese
- Specify date, time, and number of guests precisely
- Mention dietary requirements or special occasions
- Spell your name with the Japanese alphabet
- Confirm the booking and end the call gracefully
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a phone call politely in Japanese?
There's a near-universal construction — 'Hello, this is X, I'd like to book…' — that signals you're calling for a specific reason. The scenario teaches it.
How do I spell my name in Japanese?
Each Japanese has its own alphabet pronunciation (or a NATO-style version). The vocabulary list includes the common spelling alphabet.
Can I make reservations in Japanese via apps instead of calling?
Often yes — but knowing how to call gives you flexibility for places that don't use apps. The scenario rehearses the phone version.
What if I need to cancel a Japanese reservation?
We include the cancellation phrases in the vocabulary list: 'I'd like to cancel…' and 'I need to change the date'.