やっていますか？
yatte imasu ka?
In Japanese, "are you open?" is translated as やっていますか？ (yatte imasu ka?)
This phrase is used to ask if a business or shop is currently open for customers. While やっていますか？ is a common way to ask this in daily conversation, you can also use 営業していますか？ to specifically ask if a business is open for business in a more formal and professional manner.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase やっていますか？ is a polite form of the verb yaru (to do), which literally means "are you doing?" in the sense of "are you operating?"
Which one should you use?
There are several ways to ask this depending on the setting. 開いていますか？ and 営業中ですか？ are formal ways to ask if a place is open. やってる？ and 開いてる？ are informal, shortened versions. やってる？ specifically drops the polite imasu and the particle ka.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal or professional situations, use 開いていますか？, 営業中ですか？ or 営業していますか？ In very casual settings or with friends, you can use the informal forms やってる？ or 開いてる？
How do you pronounce it?
yatte imasu ka?
Did you know?
- If you see a sign that says 準備中 (Junbi-chu), it does not mean the shop is closed for the day, but rather that they are currently 'in preparation' for service.
- If you ask a person やってる？ in a social setting, you are not asking if they are open for business, but rather asking 'Are you doing it?' or 'Are you up to something?'
- In very formal settings, you might hear 営業しております (Eigyo shite orimasu). This uses humble language to describe the shop's state, which is a way of showing respect to the customer.
Examples in context
- すみません、このお店は開いていますか？Excuse me, is this store open?
- すみません、営業中ですか？Excuse me, are you currently open?
- このレストラン、今開いてる？Is this restaurant open right now?
- すみません、今日はやっていますか？Sumimasen, kyō wa yatte imasu ka?Excuse me, are you open today?
- あのお店、今やっていますか？Ano o-mise, ima yatte imasu ka?Is that shop open now?
- 夜遅くまでやっていますか？Yoru osoku made yatte imasu ka?Are you open until late at night?
Example conversation
Kenta calls a local cafe to check their business hours.
- 健太 Kentaもしもし、今やっていますか？Moshi moshi, ima yatte imasu ka?Hello, are you open now?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、健太さん、営業していますよ。Hai, Kenta-san, eigyō shite imasu yo.Yes, Kenta, we are open.
- 健太 Kenta良かったです。すぐに行きます。Yokatta desu. Sugu ni ikimasu.That's good. I'll be there soon.
- 美咲 Misakiお待ちしていますね。Omachi shite imasu ne.We'll be waiting for you.
