How to Say ‘What do you recommend?’ in Japanese
何がおすすめですか？
nani ga o susume desu ka
[na-ni ga oh oh-soo-soo-meh dess kah]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the standard way to ask staff for a recommendation in a café or restaurant. Staff will usually answer happily and specifically.
Phrase Breakdown
何が
nani ga
what
何 (nani) means 'what'. が marks it as the subject. Say it 'na-ni ga'.
何がいいですか？
What would be good?
Words in this phrase
何
nani
[na-ni]
what
Used to ask for information about something.
何が欲しい？
What do you want?
が
ga
[ga]
subject marker
A particle marking the subject of the sentence.
興味がある分野を教えてください。
Please tell me the field you are interested in.
おすすめですか？
o susume desu ka
is recommended?
おすすめ means 'recommendation'. ですか turns it into a polite question. Raise your pitch at the end.
これがおすすめですか？
Is this the recommended one?
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
お adds politeness to certain words and expressions.
チケットを二枚お願いします。
Two tickets, please.
すすめ
susume
[oh-soo-soo-meh]
recommendation; recommended item/thing
Used for ‘recommendation’ (noun) or ‘recommended’ (na-adjective-like). Common question: おすすめは？
私のおすすめはこれです。
My recommendation is this.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
A席はありますか。
Are there A seats available?
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