A Simple Guide to Drink Sizes in Japan

If you are at a coffee shop and would like to get a medium sized latte, how do you ask? Japan has a sizing system specific to food and drink. In this guide, we’ll take a short look at ordering beverages of different sizes in Japan.

Fast Food

Many fast food joints in Japan use the letters S, M, and L to refer to small, medium, and large drinks. If you see these on the menu, then all you need to say to order is:

“M（エム）サイズください” (M saizu kudasai) or “size M, please”.

So if you wanted to order a large latte at a cafe, you would say:

“ラテのL（エル）サイズください” (L saizu rate kudasai) or “size L latte, please.

For small sizes, you can also find the term ミニ (mini) used in these informal settings. Likewise, you can use メガ盛り (mega mori) where extra extra large drinks are an option.

There are many other restaurants that are more traditional or formal. These places have a different system for sizes. Let’s break it down by size. 

Restaurant

For Small : 小 (shou), 半分 (hanbun), 少なめ (sukuname)

• Note that in Japan, the small size is usually one you can find on a kid’s menu.

For Medium – 中(chuu), 並 (nami), 普通 (futsuu)

• 並 and 普通 both have meanings better understood as “common” or “the usual”. This is because medium is the size people usually get.  (Nami is used for Japanese traditional meals) 

For Large – 大 (dai), 大盛り (oomori), 多め (oome) 

• 大 is going to be the one you see the most.

For Extra Large – 特大 (tokudai), 特盛 (tokumori) – Not as common as ones above.. 

For Extra-Extra Large – 鬼盛 (oni mori), 超巨大盛 (chōkyodai mori)

• If places have the extra large or extra-extra large options, they usually advertise it. Most diners stick with the traditional three sizes. If you are planning takeout for an event, you may ask if they will be willing to up their portions for you.

Ordering

For your sentence structure, start with the drink name, then the size, and follow up with a please to sprinkle on some manners. Here’s another sample sentence:

“ビールの中ください。” (biru no chuu, kudasai)

ビール (biru)-> beer

の (no)-> particle, means “of”

中 (chuu)-> your size, in this case medium

ください (kudasai)-> please

So you are literally requesting “A beer of medium size, please”.

Now that you know how to get your drink sizes, are you ready to order some tea? Click here for tips on attending Japanese tea ceremonies!