(Stripes Okinawa)
We’re in early March and it’s still pretty cold outside. Let’s drop by a coffee shop and enjoy a hot, tasty coffee to warm us up. Remember the following Japanese phrases, as they sure will help you enjoy a cup of joe at the coffee shop!
“Hotto koohii wo onegai shimasu.” = Can I have a cup of hot coffee, please? (“koohii” = coffee, “.. wo onegai shimasu” = Can I .., please?)
“Miruku to sato wa ikaga desuka?” = Would you like milk and sugar with it? (“miruku” = milk, “to” = and, “sato” = sugar, “..wa ikaga desuka?” = how about..?)
“Iie. Burakku de ii desu.” = No thank you. Just black. (“iie” = no, “burakku” = black, “..de ii desu” = I’m good with..)
“Atatakai uchini dozo!” = Enjoy it while it’s warm. (“atatakai” = warm, “..uchini” = while it is.., “dozo” = please)
“Koohii no okawari wa ikaga desuka?” = Would you like to refill your coffee? (“..no okawari” = refill of ..)
“Arigato. Itadakimasu.” = Thank you. I’ll have it. (“arigato” = thank you, “itadakimasu” = I’ll have it)
“Kafeinresu” = Decaf
“Rate” = Latte
“Kapuchino” = Cappuccino
“Aisu koohii” = Iced coffee
“mochikaeri” = To-go
“Aamondo miruku / ooto miruku / tonyu” = Almond milk/oat milk/soy milk
“hotto tii / aisu tii” = Hot tea/iced tea
“Kona (no) koohii” = Ground coffee
“Okashi” = Pastry
“kurowassan” = croissant
“Tamago sando” = Egg sandwich
Pronunciation key: “A” is short (like “ah”); “E” is short (like “get”); “I” is short (like “it”); “O” is long (like “old”); “U” is long (like “tube”); and “AI” is a long “I” (like “hike”). Most words are pronounced with equal emphasis on each syllable, but “OU” is a long “O” with emphasis on that syllable.
