Translate a menu
How to translate a Japanese menu to English
Japanese → English
To translate a Japanese menu to English, photograph it with a menu-translator app such as MenuGuide: each dish appears in English with the Japanese name underneath, a photo of the dish, likely ingredients and allergens, and the price in your currency. Japanese menus mix three scripts, are often handwritten in izakaya and use English-looking loanwords that mean something else, so a word-by-word reading misses a lot.
Real menu lines, translated
| On the menu | Romanization | Word for word | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 唐揚げ定食 | karaage teishoku | Chinese-fried fixed food | Fried chicken set meal, with rice, miso soup and pickles | Teishoku means a set meal: a main dish served with rice, miso soup and pickles. It's usually the best-value lunch. The kara in karaage is written here with 唐, an old name for China. |
| 親子丼 | oyakodon | Parent-and-child bowl | Chicken and egg simmered with onion in a sweet soy broth, over rice | The "parent" is the chicken and the "child" the egg. The egg is often left soft and only lightly set. |
| 冷やし中華 | hiyashi chūka | Chilled Chinese | Cold ramen-style noodles with sliced toppings and a tangy soy-vinegar or sesame dressing | A summer dish. Restaurants put up a sign, 冷やし中華はじめました (hiyashi chūka hajimemashita), when they start serving it for the season. |
| 替え玉 | kaedama | Replacement ball | An extra portion of noodles for the broth left in your ramen bowl | Typical of Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen shops. Order it before you finish the soup. |
| 揚げ出し豆腐 | agedashi dōfu | Fried-out tofu | Lightly fried tofu in a warm dashi broth | Dashi is usually made with bonito (fish) flakes, so this tofu dish isn't vegetarian unless the shop says otherwise. |
| 飲み放題 2時間 | nomihōdai ni-jikan | Drinking as much as you like, 2 hours | All you can drink for 2 hours, at a set price | Often ordered for the whole table, sometimes only together with a set course (コース, kōsu). Last orders (ラストオーダー, L.O.) are called before the time is up. |
| おまかせ | omakase | Leaving it (to you) | Chef's choice | At a sushi counter the chef serves a sequence of pieces at a set or market price. Mention allergies before they start. |
| 時価 | jika | Time price | Market price | Common for sushi, crab and other seafood. Ask the price (いくらですか, ikura desu ka?) before you order. |
False friends
| On the menu | Looks like | Usually means | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ハンバーグ hanbāgu | a hamburger | a hamburger steak: a meat patty with sauce, served without a bun | A burger in a bun is ハンバーガー (hanbāgā). |
| モーニング mōningu | the morning | a café breakfast set of toast, egg and coffee | Served until late morning at many coffee shops. |
| サイダー saidā | cider | a sweet, clear lemon-lime soda | No apples and no alcohol. |
| シュークリーム shūkurīmu | shoe cream | a cream puff | The name comes from the French chou à la crème. |
| アメリカン amerikan | something American | a lighter, milder black coffee | Mostly at old-style coffee shops (kissaten). |
| ドリンクバー dorinku bā | a bar | self-service soft drinks with free refills | Typical of family restaurants; it's ordered and paid per person. |
| フライ furai | fries | breaded and deep-fried | エビフライ (ebi furai) is a breaded fried prawn; fries are フライドポテト (furaido poteto). |
How to translate the menu
- Set English and your currency. Confirm English and your currency in MenuGuide. Japanese prices are in yen, with no decimals, so the conversion is easy to misjudge in your head.
- Photograph the menu straight on. Hold the phone parallel to the page and avoid glare on laminated picture menus. In izakaya the day's dishes are often handwritten on paper strips on the wall: photograph a few strips at a time, from close up.
- Check whether the price includes tax. Look for 税込 (tax included) or 税抜 / 税別 (before tax) next to the prices, and for a table charge such as お通し (otōshi) at the bottom of the menu.
- Look for hidden fish and wheat. Dashi stock is usually made with fish and soy sauce contains wheat. Check each dish's ingredients and flags, and ask the staff if it matters.
- Order in Japanese. Add the dishes to your order and show it to the staff in Japanese, or tap Speak My Order and let the app read it aloud. It works the same whether the restaurant takes orders by call button, tablet or at the counter.
Prices, tax and charges in Japan
- Yen. No decimals, and a comma for thousands: 1,200円 or ¥1,200 is one thousand two hundred yen.
- Tax. 税込 (zeikomi) means tax included; 税抜 or 税別 (zeinuki, zeibetsu) means before tax. Since April 2021 shops must show the tax-inclusive total, but many menus still print both, for example 1,000円（税込1,100円）.
- Otōshi. In izakaya a small dish arrives unasked, with a per-person charge on the bill (お通し代), typically a few hundred yen. In the Kansai region it's called 突き出し (tsukidashi).
- Service and seat charges. Upscale restaurants and hotel restaurants may add サービス料 (service charge), often around 10%. Some bars charge a cover (チャージ or 席料).
- No tipping. Tipping isn't customary, and staff may run after you to return money left on the table.
- Paying. You usually pay at the register (レジ) by the door, taking the bill slip with you. Cards are widely accepted, but small places can be cash only.
Kanji, kana and handwritten menus
Japanese menus mix three scripts: kanji (characters borrowed from Chinese), hiragana, and katakana, which is used for loanwords such as サラダ (sarada, salad). A handful of kanji helps you spot ingredients even before the translation loads:
- 牛 (gyū) beef · 豚 (buta) pork · 鶏 (tori) chicken · 魚 (sakana) fish
- 海老 or えび (ebi) prawn · 卵 or 玉子 (tamago) egg
- 麺 (men) noodles · 丼 (don) rice bowl · 飯 (meshi) rice
Menus may run vertically, from right to left, and izakaya specials are often written by hand with a brush or marker. Photograph a few at a time, close up and straight on. If one still makes no sense, point and ask これは何ですか (kore wa nan desu ka?, "what is this?").
Allergens to watch for on Japanese menus
Restaurants in Japan aren't required to label allergens the way packaged food is, although many chains publish an allergen chart (アレルギー表). Watch for dashi made with fish in soups, sauces and simmered dishes; wheat in soy sauce, tempura batter, udon and most soba, which is often a wheat and buckwheat mix; buckwheat itself, a serious allergen; sesame in dressings; and egg in tamagoyaki and many batters.
MenuGuide flags dishes that may contain the allergens you've chosen. Allergen and calorie details are AI estimates based on the menu and typical recipes. They can be incomplete — if you have a serious allergy, always check with the staff.
Dishes to know
Frequently asked questions
How do I translate a Japanese menu to English?
Photograph the menu with a menu-translator app. In MenuGuide each dish appears in English with the Japanese name underneath, a photo of the dish, likely ingredients and allergens, and the price in your currency. For handwritten specials on the wall, photograph a few strips at a time from close up. Picture menus and plastic food models in the window help too.
What is otōshi in Japan?
Otōshi is a small appetiser that arrives automatically at an izakaya, with a per-person charge on the bill, typically a few hundred yen. It works like a cover charge rather than a dish you ordered, and it's a normal custom, not a mistake. You can ask about it in advance: お通し代はかかりますか (otōshi-dai wa kakarimasu ka?).
Do prices on Japanese menus include tax?
Usually yes. Since April 2021 shops must show the tax-inclusive price, marked 税込 (zeikomi), though many menus also print the price before tax, marked 税抜 or 税別. Consumption tax is 10% for eating in and 8% for most takeaway food. Service charges at upscale restaurants and the otōshi at izakaya come on top.
How do ticket machines at Japanese restaurants work?
At many ramen, gyudon and soba shops you pay before you eat: choose a button on the ticket machine (券売機, kenbaiki) by the entrance, insert cash or pay by card where accepted, and hand the ticket to the staff when you sit down. Buttons often show a photo or a price, and larger shops may have an English button or a picture menu nearby.
Do you tip in Japan?
No. Tipping isn't part of restaurant culture in Japan, and money left on the table may be returned to you. Good service is simply included. Some upscale and hotel restaurants add a service charge, often around 10%, and izakaya charge an otōshi; both appear on the bill, so you don't need to add anything.
