How to Say ‘How many people’ in Japanese
何名様
nan mei sama
[nan mei sama]
💬 Usage Tip: [名] is a formal counter for people, so [何名様] is the polite service-industry way to ask party size. In casual situations you're more likely to hear [何人].
Phrase Breakdown
何
nan
[nan]
what; how many
An interrogative word asking for an unknown number or item.
何名様で予約しますか。
For how many people would you like to make the reservation?
名
mei
[mei]
counter for people
A counter used to count people in formal contexts.
何名様で予約しますか。
For how many people would you like to make the reservation?
様
sama
[sama]
honorific suffix
A respectful suffix used for customers or guests.
何名様で予約しますか。
For how many people would you like to make the reservation?
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