Ordering fast food: Payment

💬 Use [すみません] to get staff attention, or to say “sorry/thanks” in one handy word. Great for starting a payment question politely.

🇯🇵 In Japan, saying [すみません] before a request is super normal and softens everything—especially at the register.

💬 Pointing + [これ] is your best friend when menus are busy. Add [を] + [ください] to make a full request.

🇯🇵 Pointing at the item (picture, screen, or product) while saying [これ] is totally acceptable and very common.

💬 [ください] is the polite “please give me.” It attaches to a noun (often with [を]) like [これをください].

🇯🇵 At fast food counters, short polite phrases like [〜ください] sound natural—no need for long sentences.

💬 One of the most useful ordering lines: [これ] + [を] + [ください]. Simple and effective.

🇯🇵 Even if your Japanese is limited, this phrase + pointing works smoothly at most chains and kiosks.

💬 [はい] means “yes/okay,” and also “I’m listening.” You’ll hear it a lot during checkout confirmations.

🇯🇵 Cashiers may say [はい] repeatedly while processing—it's a polite rhythm, not impatience.

💬 [会計] is “checkout/bill” as a noun. You’ll often see it on signs or hear it in staff talk.

🇯🇵 Some places have a separate “pay here” area—look for signage with [会計] or [お会計].

💬 [お] makes it more polite: [お会計]. Staff may say [お会計は〜円です] (“Your total is ~ yen”).

🇯🇵 Using polite [お〜] words (like [お会計]) is common in customer service Japanese.

💬 [円] is the currency unit. You’ll hear totals like [５００円]. The counter may skip “yen” in English—just the number + [円].

🇯🇵 Cashiers usually say the total clearly and may show it on the display—great for double-checking as a foreigner.

💬 [支払い] means “payment.” You might hear [お支払い方法] (“payment method”).

🇯🇵 Many places accept cash, card, and e-money—asking about [支払い] options is normal.