How to say “Can I have warm water please?” in Japanese?

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Question
I’m going to Japan in December for my long-awaited holiday! I want to try communicating in Japanese as much as I can this time. If I’m going to a restaurant, how do I ask for warm water?

I noticed that they always serve iced water in Japanese restaurants but I don’t feel like drinking cold water in winter. How do I say “Can I have warm water please?” in Japanese?


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Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
白湯（さゆ）をお願（ねが）いします。
Sayu o onegaishimasu
Can I have warm water please?

白湯（さゆ）をください。
Sayu o kudasai
Can I have warm water please?

Water in Japanese is called 水 (みず) mizu but this is usually served cold in restaurants. If you want to drink warm water, you can use this word 白湯（さゆ）sayu. Although the kanji for sayu is made up of 白 shiro (white) and 湯 yu (hot water), it does not literally that.

It refers to water that has been boiled and cooled down to drinking temperature. It is usually warm or of room temperature. You can say Sayu o onegaishimasu or you can also drop the “o” and just say Sayu onegaishimasu. Instead of onegaishimasu, you can also say Sayu o kudasai.