How to Say ‘I'd like to make a reservation.’ in Japanese
予約したいんですが。
yoyaku shi tai n desu ga
[yoh-yah-koo shee tie n dess ga]
💬 Usage Tip: Ending with んですが leaves the sentence open, like "I was hoping to...", and invites the other person to respond. It works for any request: 聞きたいんですが "I'd like to ask...".
🇯🇵 In Japan: This trailing-off opener is the standard polite way to start a phone call to a restaurant. Staff will usually take it from there by asking for the date, time and number of people.
Phrase Breakdown
予約
yoyaku
[yoh-yah-koo]
reservation; booking
Used when booking or reserving something in advance.
コンサートの予約をしたいです。
I want to make a reservation for the concert.
したいんですが。
shi tai n desu ga
I'd like to make...
したい means 'want to do'. んですが softens the request politely and leaves it open-ended: shi-tai-n des ga.
質問したいんですが。
I'd like to ask a question...
Words in this phrase
し
shi
[shee]
do (stem)
Verb stem used as part of the fixed polite request phrase.
注文をお願いし、ます。
I would like to place the order, please.
たい
tai
[tie]
want to do
Shows the speaker's desire to do an action.
住民登録をしたいです。
I would like to do residency registration.
ん
n
[n]
(explanatory n)
Casual form of の; adds a tone of seeking or giving an explanation, often before です.
どうしたんですか。
What happened?
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.
が
ga
[ga]
but
Used to contrast ideas or statements.
雨が降っている が、出かける。
It is raining, but going out.
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