Japanese for ALTs: At the Bar

Liquid Courage

Japan can feel intimidating when you’re still learning the language. Trying to remember which verb form or which one of the 28 different levels of formality to use gets exhausting.

Fortunately, alcohol exists.

Bars and izakaya are some of the easiest places to practice Japanese. The atmosphere is relaxed, the expectations are lower, and everyone is your new best friend after a couple of rounds.

Of course, you’ll still want to know what you’re drinking. Maybe to order more of your new favorite, maybe so you’ll know what to blame for the hangover.

This article covers the essential Japanese vocabulary and phrases you’ll need to survive a night out.

Drinking is the perfect time to be ambitious with language. Even if you bungle the finer points of grammar, no one will care – least of all you!

Core Bar Vocabulary

These are the survival words that will get you through the night.

Places

バー（bā）– bar (Western-style)

居酒屋（いざかや, izakaya）– Japanese pub/restraurant

カラオケ（karaoke）– karaoke box
(Note: generally assumed to be karaoke-box style, though it depends on context)

ホステスクラブ（hosutesu kurabu）– hostess club

スナック（sunakku）– small neighborhood bar, usually run by a “mama-san”

ビアガーデン（bia gāden）– beer garden (often found on rooftops during summer)

席（せき, seki）– seat

カウンター（kauntā）– counter seating

テーブル（tēburu）– table

Drinks and Styles

ビール（bīru）– beer

生ビール（なまビール, nama bīru）– draft beer

日本酒（にほんしゅ, nihonshu）– sake

焼酎（しょうちゅう, shōchū）– distilled spirit popular in Japan and Korea

ハイボール（haibōru）– whisky highball

サワー（sawā）– sour cocktail

レモンサワー（remon sawā）– lemon sour

ワイン（wain）– wine

カクテル（kakuteru）– cocktail

ロック（rokku）– on the rocks

水割り（みずわり, mizuwari）– liquor mixed with water

ショット（shotto）– a shot

ノンアルコール（non’arukōru）– non-alcoholic drink

お冷（おひや, ohiya）– cold drinking water

Useful Drinking Terms

おすすめ（osusume）– recommendation

乾杯（かんぱい, kanpai）– cheers

おかわり（okawari）– another round / refill

十八番（おはこ, ohako）– someone’s favorite karaoke song

おつまみ（otsumami）– bar snacks (peanuts, edamame, etc.)

おしぼり（oshibori）– wet cloth used for cleaning your hands

酔っぱらう（よっぱらう, yopparau）– to get drunk

二日酔い（ふつかよい, futsukayoi）– hangover

Ordering Drinks

Ordering is very simple. You’ll hear two main patterns of ordering. First, let’s use kudasai:

As in:

Onegai shimasu is considered slightly more polite. In practice, both are perfectly acceptable.

As in:

Either one will get the drink in your hand without causing offense or confusion.

When Someone Orders for the Table

In Japan it’s common for one person to order for everyone.

You might hear:

You can answer simply by saying the name of the drink you want and adding de:

Or

This is more casual, so you’ll want to avoid using it in formal drinking situations or particularly classy bars.

Toasting

Before drinking the first round, people in Japan usually toast. The magic word is:

Wait until everyone has a drink before starting. Then raise your glass and say:

「乾杯！」

And then clink glasses with everyone in arm’s reach.

If it’s a formal situation (like a school enkai or uchiage), people may skip the glass clinking, so you may want to wait to see if it’s a clinking or non-clinking situation.

Also in formal situations, expect a round of applause after everyone has taken a sip. If you’re just at the bar with friends on a random Friday night, not so much.

Asking for Another Round

After the first round, everyone will more or less drink at their own pace. There isn’t a strong social expectation to “keep up” or to cheers with every round.

Once you’re ready for another round, you can use the ordering phrases we looked at above. Or, you can try using the below phrases:

You can also specify what you want one more of:

As in, 「もう一杯ビールください。」

When You’re Done Drinking

Even the best nights out have to come to an end. You’ll need to wrap up and pay your tab before heading home for a good night’s rest:

Most establishments will assume groups will be paying together, or 一緒（いっしょ, issho）. If that’s not the case, make sure to specify you want separate bills:

Common ALT Situations

Your coworker invites you out

Teacher:「今夜飲みに行きませんか？」
ALT:「いいですね！」

Teacher: Kon’ya nomi ni ikimasen ka?
ALT: Ii desu ne!

Teacher: Want to go for drinks tonight?
ALT: Sounds good!

You don’t drink alcohol

Teacher:「何を飲みますか？」
ALT: 「すみません、アルコールのアレルギーがあります。。」
Teacher:「じゃあ、ジュースにしますか？」

Teacher: Nani o nomimasu ka?
ALT: Sumimasen, arukōru no arerugii ga arimasu.
Teacher: Jā, jūsu ni shimasu ka?

Teacher: What would you like to drink?
ALT: Sorry, I’m allergic to alcohol.
Teacher: Then a soft drink?

You want another drink

ALT:「すみません、もう一杯ハイボールください。」
Staff:「はい、かしこまりました。」

ALT: Sumimasen, mō ippai haibōru kudasai.
Staff: Hai, kashikomarimashita.

ALT: Excuse me, one more highball please.
Staff: Certainly.

Random Phrases You’ll Hear All the Time

Here’s a few random terms and phrases you’ll hear constantly in bars and izakaya. Don’t worry too much about the niceties of the grammar or how to incorporate them into some formal structure – if there’s any place you don’t need to stand on ceremony, it’s the bar!

とりあえずビール（toriaezu bīru）– “Beer for now”

Literally “for the time being, beer.” Since beer is the go-to drink for most people, this phrase often appears when ordering the first round for the table. In a sense, this is the anti-“Beer before liquor, never been sicker.”

飲み放題（のみほうだい, nomihōdai）– all-you-can-drink

Many izakaya and beer gardens offer a fixed-price all-you-can-drink plan for a set time, usually 90–120 minutes. In general, all members of a drinking party must choose the nomihōdai option. If someone may ask 「飲み放題にしますか？」 before ordering, they’re hoping everyone will say yes!

まだ飲める？（mada nomeru?）– Can you still drink?

You may hear this when your glass is empty, when the group is considering another round, or the dedicated partiers want to know who’s coming to the afterparty.

一気 一気（いっき いっき, ikki ikki）– chug! chug!

A chant used to encourage someone to finish their drink in one go. This is playful – it’s fine to wave it off if you don’t want to chug.

Cultural Notes

1. While this is changing among the younger generations, drinking is traditionally an important social activity in Japan. Turning down invitations to drink together can be viewed as standoffish.
2. If you don’t drink, it’s sometimes more socially acceptable to say you have an alcohol allergy (アルコールのアレルギー) rather than explaining why. Choosing not to drink can be seen as standoffish, while being unable to drink is not.
3. ジュース (jūsu) doesn’t just refer to fruit or vegetable juice, but also to soda.
4. While Japan has a high tolerance for mild drunkenness, getting blasted is still not great etiquette. Being friendly is more important than keeping up.
5. Don’t be surprised if coworkers or friends start offering you drink after drink after drink. “Let’s see how much the foreigner can drink” is a popular party activity. That said, don’t feel pressured to indulge their curiosity.
6. Don’t pour your own drink at formal gatherings. People often pour drinks for each other instead.
7. Don’t finish your glass unless you want another drink. If your glass is nearly empty, someone may offer to refill it. If you’re done, it’s fine to cover the glass slightly and say 「結構です。」（けっこうです, kekkō desu）.
8. Expect a 二次会（にじかい, nijikai） or 三次会（さんじかい, sanjikai）. These are second and third rounds of drinking at another venue after the main event. Attendance is not mandatory, but this is usually when the group becomes more relaxed.

What to Read Next

Japanese for ALTs: At the Supermarket

Spending the night in? Pick up the supplies you’ll need to cook.

Japanese for ALTs: At the Bank

You’ll need to stop here before hitting the bar. And probably after as well.

Thinking about becoming an ALT? Get the full guide on everything from applying to arriving in So You Want to Be an ALT.