How to Say ‘How many people’ in Japanese
何名様
nan mei sama
[nan mei sama]
💬 Usage Tip: [名] is a polite counter for people, and [様] makes it even more respectful, so [何名様] is the standard service way to ask group size. You'll hear the same pattern with numbers too, like [2名様] and [8名様].
🇯🇵 In Japan: In restaurants, staff usually ask [何名様ですか] rather than a casual people counter. It's formulaic customer-service language, so it can sound more formal than the English translation suggests.
Phrase Breakdown
何
nan
[nan]
how many
Asking about quantity or number.
何人家族ですか。
How many people in your family?
名
mei
[mei]
people
Refers to the number of people.
三名様で予約しました。
Reserved for three people.
様
sama
[sama]
honorific suffix
Added to names or titles to show respect.
社長様のために準備しています。
Preparing for the president.
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