Why Leaving a Tip in Japan Backfires
To say Keep the change / the change is fine in Japanese, say お釣りはいいです (otsuri wa ii desu).
You try to tip in Japan and the waiter chases you down the street to give it back.
お釣りはいいです
otsuri wa ii desu
Keep the change / the change is fine
In this video
- お釣りはいいです。 otsuri wa ii desu. 'Keep the change', the line that just confuses everyone.
- ごちそうさまでした。 gochisōsama deshita. 'Thanks for the meal', this is the real tip.
Up next
Survival
▶
Your Yakiniku Grill Went Black in Ten Minutes. You Are Not Supposed to Keep Cooking on That.
ami, otorikae shimashou ka? · Shall I change the grill for you?
Survival
▶
You Sat Down at a Japanese Baseball Game. Half the Stadium Is About to Sing Without You.
ōenseki wa doko desu ka? · Where's the cheering section?
Survival
▶
The Storm Heading for Your Trip Has a Name. Nobody in Japan Will Use It.
taifū jūni-gō · Typhoon No. 12
Survival
▶
Your Taxi Gets More Expensive at Night. Four Kanji Tell You When.
shin'ya ryōkin · late-night rate
More phrases like this
- The Only Empty Seats on a Packed Tokyo Train Are Upstairs. Sitting In One Costs Extra. · guriin-sha
- That Deer Just Headbutted You. You Held the Crackers Like a Snack. · shika senbei, hito-fukuro kudasai
- The Photo Booth Corner in Japan Has a Sign About You. It Isn't What You'll Assume. · dansei dake demo daijōbu desu ka?
- Two Kyoto Buses at the Same Stop Have the Same Number. One of Them Is Going the Long Way Round. · kono basu wa Kinkaku-ji ni ikimasu ka?
- You Stepped Out for Ice in a Yukata. The Door Clicked Behind You. · heya ni kagi o wasuremashita
- The Whole Platform Stepped Back at the Same Second. Nobody Looked Up. · osagari kudasai
- Everyone in the Carriage Turned at Once. The Announcement Had Just Told Them Which Door Opens. · o-deguchi wa migigawa desu
- Wallet Gone, No Way Home. The Japanese Police Box Has a Form for This. · kaeri no denshachin o kashite itadakemasen ka.
- The Machine Has Your Note and Keeps Spitting It Back. One Small Light Says Why. · tsurisen-gire
- Japan Has Two Emergency Numbers. The One That Brings an Ambulance Is Not the One You'd Guess. · hyaku-jūkyū-ban, onegai shimasu
- You Missed Your Reserved Shinkansen. Do Not Buy Another Ticket. · noriokuremashita.
- One Piece Left on the Plate. Nobody Will Touch It. Japan Has a Name for It. · enryo naku dōzo.
Get the free phrasebook
15 essential phrases for your trip — romaji included, zero studying.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.