Question
I’m planning to visit Japan and enjoy some authentic sushi at a local sushi bar. However, I don’t know how to order sushi in Japanese. How do I politely order sushi from a sushi chef?
Japango Editor Team
すみません、寿司（すし）をお願い（おねがい）します。
Sumimasen, sushi o onegai shimasu.
Excuse me, I would like to order sushi, please.
When you want to order sushi in Japan, you can use this polite expression. “Sumimasen” is used to get the attention of the staff and is also a common way to say “excuse me”. “Sushi o onegai shimasu” means “please give me sushi”, where “onegai shimasu” is a polite way of requesting something.
If you have a specific type of sushi in mind, you can replace “sushi” with the name of the sushi type, for example, “maguro” for tuna. So, if you want to order tuna sushi, you can say, “Sumimasen, maguro o onegai shimasu.”
Remember, showing appreciation by saying “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you very much) after receiving your order is also a nice gesture. Enjoy your sushi experience!
