Hover a line for its reading in kana and its translation; hover a word for its meaning. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
Alex orders at a small coffee shop. A staff member takes the order.
Loanwords are written in katakana: コーヒー, サンドイッチ, カード. Spotting katakana is a shortcut — if a word looks foreign and is written in those angular characters, it usually is, and often guessable from English.
How do I read these pronunciations? See the pronunciation guide.
1. を — marking what you want
を marks the thing an action is done to. Ordering is just that: コーヒーを + a request. Written を but read o, the second kana that is not read as spelled, after は.
2. 一つ, 二つ — counting things
Japanese counts with a word attached to the number, and this set — ひとつ, ふたつ, みっつ — is the general one that works for most objects. The number follows the thing: コーヒーを一つ, not 一つコーヒー.
3. お願いします and ください
Both mean 'please'. ください attaches directly to the thing and is plainer; お願いします stands slightly apart and is softer. In a shop either is fine, and お願いします is the safer default with strangers.
4. と and も — and, and also
と joins two nouns as a complete list: ホットとアイス. も replaces は or を to mean 'too': サンドイッチも means 'a sandwich as well', on top of what was already ordered.
A. Fill in the Blank · 空欄をうめましょう
Fill in the blank with a word from this lesson's vocabulary.
- 1.コーヒー一つお願いします。(object marker)
- 2.サンドイッチいかがですか。too
- 3.で八百円です。all
- 4.少々おください。wait
B. Multiple Choice · えらびましょう
Choose the best answer.
- 1.How is を read?
- 2.How do you order one coffee?
- 3.Which script are loanwords written in?
- 4.What does サンドイッチも mean?
C. Rearrange the Sentence · ならべかえましょう
Rearrange the words into a correct sentence, adding the punctuation shown in parentheses.
- 1.Tap tiles below…
- 2.Tap tiles below…
- 3.Tap tiles below…
- 4.Tap tiles below…
D. True or False · ○か×か
Based on the dialogue, mark each sentence T (true) or F (false).
- 1.Alex orders an iced coffee.
- 2.Alex orders two sandwiches.
- 3.The total is eight hundred yen.
- 4.The shop does not take cards.
E. Matching · せんでむすびましょう
Match each line on the left with the best response on the right.
F. Translation · やくしましょう
Translate items 1–2 into Japanese, and items 3–4 into English.
- 1.One coffee, please.
- 2.Can I use a card?
- 3.全部で八百円です。
- 4.少々お待ちください。
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 15 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
Sign in to generate dialogues. It needs a pass — the first ten lessons of every course are free either way.
いらっしゃいませ needs no answer
Walk into a Japanese shop and you will be greeted with いらっしゃいませ, called out by whoever is nearest. It is not addressed to you in a way that expects a reply — no answer, no nod, nothing is required, and returning it would be faintly odd. It belongs to a register of set service phrases you hear rather than speak. The other thing to notice in a café is that hot and cold are ホット and アイス, English words rebuilt in Japanese sounds, which is a large and still-growing share of the vocabulary.