How to Say ‘How many servings?’ in Japanese
何人分ですか。
nan nin bun desu ka
[nahn neen boon dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [何人分ですか。] is a very practical kitchen phrase. Literally, "For how many people is it?"
🇯🇵 In Japan: Asking this first is smart in Japanese kitchens, where prep size can change daily depending on reservations or lunch counts.
Phrase Breakdown
何人
nan nin
how many people
Used to ask the number of people.
何人ですか。
How many people is it?
Words in this phrase
何
nan
[nahn]
how many; what number
Used here to ask about the number of servings or people.
カレーは何人分ですかと聞きます。
I ask, 'How many servings is the curry for?'
人
nin
[neen]
person; people counter
Counts people in expressions about servings or portions.
何人分ですかでは人が人数を表します。
In nanninbun desu ka, nin shows the number of people.
分
bun
[boon]
portion; serving; for ... people
Shows that the question is about portions or servings.
何人分ですかの分は量の目安です。
The bun in nanninbun desu ka is a guide to portion amount.
です
desu
[dess]
is; am; are
A polite copula used to make statements and questions.
これは何人分ですかのですを使った丁寧な形です。
This is a polite form using desu, as in nanninbun desu ka.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Added at the end to turn a sentence into a question.
何人分ですかのかで質問になります。
The ka in nanninbun desu ka makes it a question.
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