That Little Dish You Never Ordered in Japan Isn't Free
To say the small dish that arrives automatically, and the charge that comes with it in Japanese, say お通し (otoshi).
A small dish you did not order lands on your izakaya table. It is not a gift.
お通し
otoshi
the small dish that arrives automatically, and the charge that comes with it
In this video
- これはお通しです。席料みたいなものです。 kore wa otōshi desu. sekiryō mitai na mono desu. This is otōshi. It works a bit like a seat charge.
- お通しは、いくらですか？ otōshi wa, ikura desu ka? How much is the otōshi?
Kanji in this phrase
- お通し
- おとおし
- お通しは
- おとおしわ
- これは
- これわ
- 席料
- せきりょう
Why this phrase
The izakaya seat charge every tourist mistakes for a gift, then argues about at the register. 「お通し」 is a small appetizer that comes with a per-person cover charge, usually 300 to 500 yen. Explains what it is, why it exists, and how to ask what it costs.
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