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How to Say ‘A restaurant called "Sakura"’ in Japanese

「さくら」というレストラン

sakura to iu resutoran

[sah-koo-rah toh ee-oo resutoran]

💬 Usage Tip: Put a name before という and then the type of thing, and you get "a ___ called ___": 「ひかり」というホテル "a hotel called Hikari". It's handy when the listener may not know the place.

Phrase Breakdown

「さくら」という

sakura to iu

called "Sakura"

'~to iu' means 'called ~' or 'named ~' and comes after a name.

Example

「ゆき」という犬

a dog called "Yuki"

Words in this phrase

さくら

sakura

[sah-koo-rah]

Sakura

The child’s name. Used with 「の父」 to identify who is calling.

Example

もしもし、さくらの父です。

Hello, this is Sakura’s father.

と

to

[toh]

quotation marker

Particle marking a name or quoted words before いう.

Example

「たなか」という人です。

It's a person called Tanaka.

いう

iu

[ee-oo]

to say; to call; to be named

Basic verb meaning “to say.” In conversation it’s also used to ask/confirm someone’s name or how something is called (e.g., なんていうの?).

Example

このアプリ、なんていう?

What is this app called?

レストラン

resutoran

[resutoran]

Restaurant

A place where meals are prepared and served to customers.

Example

『レストラン』で夕食を食べました。

I had dinner at the restaurant.

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