How to Say ‘Would you like your bento heated up?’ in Japanese
お弁当、温めますか？
o bentou atatame masu ka
[o BEN-toh ah-tah-tah-MEH mahs ka]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Convenience store staff routinely offer to microwave bento, noodles and similar food right at the counter. It's free and takes a minute, so it's worth saying yes if you plan to eat soon.
Phrase Breakdown
お弁当、
o bentou
Your boxed lunch,
お弁当 (obentou) is a boxed meal. The お (o) adds politeness. Hold the long 'o' at the end: 'ben-too'.
お弁当を買いました。
I bought a boxed lunch.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
Prefix added for politeness.
お名前は？
What is your name?
弁当
bentou
[BEN-toh]
boxed lunch; bento
A packaged meal with rice and side dishes, sold widely at convenience stores.
昼ご飯に弁当を買います。
I buy a bento for lunch.
温めますか？
atatame masu ka
shall I heat it up?
This is the polite question form of 'to heat up'. Convenience store clerks say this often. Raise your voice slightly at the end.
ミルクを温めますか？
Shall I warm the milk?
Words in this phrase
温め
atatame
[ah-tah-tah-MEH]
heat up (stem)
Stem of the verb meaning to warm up food or drinks, used before polite endings.
スープを温めました。
I warmed up the soup.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
か
ka
[ka]
question particle
Used to create a yes/no question in informal speech.
行くか？
Shall we go?
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