How to Say ‘How many people?’ in Japanese
何名様でしょうか。
nan mei sama deshou ka
[nan mei sama deshou ka]
💬 Usage Tip: [何名様] is the polite service-industry way to ask number of guests. The ending [でしょうか] makes the question softer and more formal than [ですか].
Phrase Breakdown
何名様
nan mei sama
how many people (polite)
This is a very polite way to ask the number of people, often used by staff.
何名様ですか。
How many people are there?
Words in this phrase
何
nan
[nan]
how many
A question word asking quantity; here it asks how many people.
何名様でしょうか。
How many guests will there be?
名
mei
[mei]
counter for people
A formal counter used for counting people in reservations and service situations.
何名様でしょうか。
How many guests will there be?
様
sama
[sama]
honorific suffix
A very polite suffix used for customers or guests.
何名様でしょうか。
How many guests will there be?
でしょうか。
deshou ka
would it be; could it be; polite question ending
This ending makes the question softer and more polite.
お名前でしょうか。
Would that be your name?
Words in this phrase
でしょう
deshou
[deshou]
would it be; is it
A polite expression used to soften a question or confirmation.
何名様でしょうか。
How many guests will there be?
か
ka
[ka]
question marker
A particle placed at the end to mark a question.
何名様でしょうか。
How many guests will there be?
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