How to Say ‘What do you recommend?’ in Japanese
おすすめは何ですか。
o susume wa nan desu ka
[oh soo-soo-meh wah nan dess kah]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Customers ask this all the time in Japan, and staff are expected to have a ready answer, usually a house speciality or something seasonal. Pointing at one specific dish is the polite, helpful response, not pushy salesmanship.
Phrase Breakdown
おすすめは
o susume wa
the recommendation
おすすめ (osusume) means 'recommendation.' は (wa) marks it as the topic. The 'u' sounds in o-su-su-me are light.
今日のおすすめはカレーです。
Today's recommendation is curry.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
honorific/polite prefix
A polite prefix that makes the expression sound more respectful.
ていねいに言うために、おをつけます。
To say it politely, you add o.
すすめ
susume
[soo-soo-meh]
recommendation; to recommend (stem)
すすめ relates to 勧める/おすすめ meaning “recommend.” In shops/pharmacies, おすすめ is “recommendation.”
おすすめはどれですか。
Which one do you recommend?
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker
は marks the topic of the sentence.
空席はありますか。
Are there any seats available?
何ですか。
nan desu ka
what is it?
何 (nan) means 'what.' ですか makes it a polite question. Say it as nan de-su-ka.
名前は何ですか。
What is your name?
Words in this phrase
何
nan
[nan]
what
何 means what; in 何時 it helps ask 'what time'.
何時に始まりますか。
What time does it start?
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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