Closing the gap between what you learn and what you say in Japanese

Japan Times

16-05-2025

In any language, there's a gap between the 教科書に載っているフレーズ (kyōkasho ni notte-iru furēzu, phrases found in textbooks) and 実際に使われている表現 (jissai ni tsukawarete-iru hyōgen, the expressions actually used).
This gap may discourage Japanese learners from utilizing what they've learned in real-life situations, but sometimes it's necessary to get over any jitters and just step up and ask questions at your local 店 (mise, shops), デパート (depāto, department stores) and 飲食店 (inshokuten, restaurants) to buy what you really want.
Let's look at the following polite conversation at a cafe between a customer, Noah, and a 店員 (ten'in) — which is a word that can refer to both shop staff and servers in Japanese. Noah asks some questions when ordering and being served:
ノア: すみません。お勧めはどれですか？
店員: 定番のメニューがこちらで、季節限定がこちらになります。
ノア: 一番人気なのはどれですか？
店員: よく出るのはこれですね。
ノア: じゃあ、それをください。
（10分後）
店員: お待たせしました。
ノア: ここは何時までやってますか？
店員: 夜九時まで営業してます。ごゆっくりどうぞ。
Noa: Sumimasen. Osusume wa dore desu ka?
Ten'in: Teiban no menyū ga kochira de, kisetsu gentei ga kochira ni narimasu.
Noa: Ichiban ninki nano wa dore desu ka?
Ten'in: Yoku deru no wa kore desu ne.
Noa: Jā, sore o kudasai.
(Juppun-go)
Ten'in: Omatase shimashita.
Noa: Koko wa nanji made yattemasu ka?
Ten'in: Yoru kuji made eigyō shitemasu. Goyukkuri dōzo.
Noah: Excuse me. Which one is (the shop's) recommendation?
Server: These are our staple menus, and here are the seasonal offerings.
Noah: Which one is the most popular?
Server: This one gets ordered frequently.
Noah: Then I'll have that one.
(Ten minutes later)
Server: Thank you for waiting, (here's your order).
Noah: Until what time is this shop open?
Server: (We're) open until 9 p.m. Please take your time.
In this example conversation, Noah uses a few different structures to ask questions in simple Japanese. The first one is ～はどれですか (~wa dore desu ka, which one is~), a convenient phrasing for when you're looking for something. Stick the phrase on a noun or a noun clause before it: 大きいサイズはどれですか (Ōkii saizu wa dore desu ka, Which one is the large size?) or 辛くないのはどれですか (Karakunai no wa dore desu ka, Which one isn't spicy?) when you need assistance. (The の [no] in the latter sentence is a substitute for 'one.')
To answer Noah's question, the server replies with a colloquial expression, 「よく出る」メニュー (yoku deru menyū, bestseller menu). Although the verb 出る (deru) means 'to exit,' it's also used when someone or something appears, as in テレビに出る (terebi ni deru, appear on TV) and 試験によく出る問題 (shiken ni yoku deru mondai, questions that frequently appear on exams).
Later, when Noah's order is served, he asks about the cafe's 閉店時間 (heiten jikan, closing time) with the beginner-friendly verb, やる (yaru, to do) in te-form. If you want to ask the question in a more casual tone, try, 何時までやってる (Nanji made yatteru, Until what time [are you] open)? If you want to know the 開店時間 (kaiten jikan, opening time), you can ask, 何時からやってますか (Nanji kara yattemasu ka, What time do [you] open)?
While both verbs やる and する (suru) mean the same thing, 'to do' and 'to carry out,' やる is more likely to describe physical actions in a casual setting within a broader context, so you can also go with it when you can't come up with the exact verb you want.
For instance, questions like もうやった？ (Mō yatta, [Is it] already done?) and あれやってくれた？ (Are yatte kureta, [Did you] do that thing for me?) will suffice when you want to confirm something's progress. If you're the one who is asked, you can reply, もうやった (mō yatta, already done), まだやってない (mada yattenai, [I've] not yet done), or 今やってる (ima yatteru, [I'm] doing [it] now).
To address Noah's question, the server replaces やる with the more specific verb 営業する (eigyō suru), which literally means 'to do operations' but in this context just means 'to operate.' In the same way, you can also ask, 連休はやってますか (Renkyū wa yattemasu ka, Will [you] be open during the long weekend?) or, お盆はやってますか (O-bon wa yattemasu ka, Will [you] be open during the Bon holiday?) to check if your favorite place will be open in the upcoming vacation season.