こんにちは！ 
Last time I went to Japan, I realised most consistent interaction I was having every day was ordering a coffee each morning. I couldn’t explore until I got my daily アイスバニララテ/ aisu banira rate / iced vanilla latte!
So here’s a quick guide on ordering coffee in Japanese, including some key phrases and vocabulary to make the whole process a lot smoother.
1. 
Coffee Vocabulary in Japanese
| English | Japanese | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | コーヒー | こーひー | kōhī |
| Americano | アメリカーノ | あめりかーの | amerikāno |
| Cappuccino | カプチーノ | かぷちーの | kapuchīno |
| Espresso | エスプレッソ | えすぷれっそ | esupuresso |
| Flat White | フラット ホワイト | ふらっと ほわいと | furatto howaito |
| Latte | ラテ | らて | rate |
| Mocha | モカ | もか | moka |
| Macchiato | マキアート | まきあーと | makiāto |
Note: the vocab came from this Guide to Ordering Coffee in Japanese 
2. Basic Ordering Phrases
To order a drink:
「drink + をください」
Example:
- ラテをください。 (Rate o kudasai.) - “A latte, please.”
Swap in your desired drink and you’re good to go!
3. Cup Size, Temperature & Dine-In vs Takeaway
Sizes:
- Small – スモール (sumōru)
- Medium – ミディアム (midiamu)
- Large – ラージ (rāji)
For temperature:
- ホット (hotto - Hot)
- アイス (aisu - Cold/Iced)
For location preference:
- Drink-in: 店内 (ten’nai)
- Takeaway: 持ち帰り (mochikaeri)
4. Customizing Your Coffee
Common add-ons:
- ミルク (miruku) – milk
- 砂糖 (satō) – sugar
- コーヒーショット (kōhī shotto) – coffee shot / extra shot
- 豆乳 (tōnyū) – soy milk
- キャラメル (kyarameru) – caramel
- ヘーゼルナッツ (hēzerunattsu) – hazelnut
- バニラ (banira) – vanilla
Hope that helps guys!
