How to read a Japanese menu

Japanese restaurant types and their menus

The word "Japanese restaurant" covers a wider range than most cuisines. Each type has its own ordering logic, so recognizing what kind of restaurant you are in shapes how you read the menu.

How Japanese menus are structured

Most Japanese menus follow a logical flow even when the characters are unfamiliar. Here is what to look for:

• Sections by category — dishes group by cooking method or ingredient type: grilled (焼き物), fried (揚げ物), raw (刺身), rice (ご飯), and noodles (麺). These kanji repeat across restaurants and are worth learning.
• Daily specials — often written on paper strips attached to the wall or clipped onto the menu. These are what the kitchen is proudest of that day.
• Set menus — a 定食 (teishoku) number on the menu means it is a complete set. These are usually the most reliable value.
• Drink menus — often a separate booklet. Beer, sake, shochu, and non-alcoholic options each have their own section. If you see "ジュース" (juusu), that is juice; "ウーロン茶" is oolong tea.
• Allergen symbols — chain restaurants often show icons for the seven major allergens. Smaller restaurants rarely do.

Key dishes to know

Knowing these names helps you recognize them on any Japanese menu without needing to read all the characters:

• Chashu (チャーシュー) — braised pork belly or shoulder, used as a ramen topping and sometimes served on its own. See the chashu guide.
• Gyudon (牛丼) — simmered beef and onion over rice, a Japanese fast-food staple. See the gyudon guide.
• Yakitori (焼き鳥) — skewered and grilled chicken. The menu lists by part: momo (thigh), negima (thigh with leek), tsukune (meatball), kawa (skin), and others.
• Tempura (天ぷら) — battered, lightly fried vegetables and seafood. Often listed item by item with a suffix of -ten (海老天 is prawn tempura).
• Udon / Soba — thick wheat noodles (udon) or thin buckwheat noodles (soba), served in broth or cold with a dipping sauce.

Common Japanese menu vocabulary

These words appear on Japanese menus more than almost any others:

• 定食 (teishoku) — set meal
• 本日のおすすめ (honjitsu no osusume) — today's recommendation
• 辛口 (karakuchi) — spicy or dry
• 甘口 (amakuchi) — mild or sweet
• 大盛り (oomori) — large portion
• 並盛り (namimori) — regular portion
• 追加 (tsuika) — extra add-on
• 飲み放題 (nomi-hodai) — all-you-can-drink
• 食べ放題 (tabe-hodai) — all-you-can-eat

How to order at a Japanese restaurant

Ordering customs vary by restaurant type, but these patterns apply broadly:

1. At many restaurants you call staff with sumimasen (すみません) rather than pressing a button — though izakaya and family restaurants often have a call button.
2. At ramen shops, you often order at a vending machine before sitting down. Put money in, press the button for your bowl, take the ticket, and hand it to staff.
3. At sushi counters, you can point to what you want and say the name. Staff expect pointing — it is not rude.
4. At izakaya, the first order typically includes drinks. Food orders continue throughout the evening at your own pace.
5. At the end, ask for the bill with okaikei onegaishimasu (お会計おねがいします). Japan is predominantly cash, though card acceptance is spreading.

For reading the actual kanji and translating the full menu, ChefBear's Japanese menu translator handles all three writing systems, including hand-written izakaya specials. This page focuses on the structure — the translator handles the characters.

FAQ

How do Japanese menus work?

Japanese menus are organized by restaurant type rather than a universal structure. A ramen shop groups by broth style, a sushi counter lists fish names, and an izakaya usually has a small paper menu of daily specials alongside a larger printed card. Most menus use kanji, hiragana, and katakana mixed together.

What is the difference between nigiri and sashimi on a menu?

Nigiri is a slice of fish pressed onto a small mound of vinegared rice. Sashimi is the fish alone, without rice. Sashimi is usually more expensive per piece because the fish portion is larger.

What does omakase mean on a Japanese menu?

Omakase means "I leave it to you." You are asking the chef to choose what you eat. It is common at high-end sushi counters and kaiseki restaurants. The chef presents courses based on what is best that day, and there is usually no printed menu.

What is tsukemen on a ramen menu?

Tsukemen is a style where the noodles and broth are served separately. You dip the noodles into the concentrated broth before eating. At the end, many shops add hot water (warimizu) to dilute the remaining broth so you can drink it.

How do I find out if a dish has allergens when I can't read Japanese?

Larger chain restaurants often have allergen information in English or symbols. At smaller restaurants, ChefBear's app can help you read the ingredients listed. Staff at most Japanese restaurants are accustomed to foreign visitors and appreciate any attempt to communicate.