How do you say "is this seat free?" in Japanese?

Name: Your App Taught You a Whole Sentence to Take a Seat. Locals Ask Three Syllables.
Uploaded: 2026-09-22T06:55:26Z
Duration: 30 s
Description: Learn to say 空いてますか？ (aitemasu ka?) — is this seat free?. A 30-second Japanese lesson for travelers from Kōfuku.

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Your App Taught You a Whole Sentence to Take a Seat. Locals Ask Three Syllables.

To say is this seat free? in Japanese, say 空いてますか？ (aitemasu ka?).

Your app taught you a whole sentence to ask if a seat is free. Locals use three syllables and a look.

空いてますか？ aitemasu ka? is this seat free?

Beginner myth-bust #learnjapanese #japantravel #beginnerjapanese #japanesephrases #trainjapan

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In this video

空いてますか？ Aitemasu ka? Is this seat free?
すみません、ここ、空いてますか？ Sumimasen, koko, aitemasu ka? Excuse me, is this free?
空いてますか？ Aitemasu ka? Is this free?

Why this phrase

Textbook vs real. The app line is 「ここに座ってもいいですか」. Fine, and nobody says the whole thing. Kofuku plays the stiff textbook tourist; Hana plays the local who points at the seat and says 「空いてますか」. Same job, a third of the words.