ウェイトレス
weitoresu
The Japanese word for waitress is ウェイトレス (weitoresu). Wiktionary also lists ウエイトレス (ueitoresu).
Meaning: female waiter (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ウェイトレス | weitoresu | |
| ウエイトレス | ueitoresu | [ɯ̟e̞ːto̞ɾe̞sɨ] (narrow) |
This term refers specifically to a female waiter. However, in modern Japanese, it is much more common and polite to refer to service staff using the neutral term 店員 (ten'in), which means shop assistant or staff member, rather than specifying gender.
Which one should you use?
The two forms provided are ウェイトレス and ウエイトレス.
How do you pronounce it?
weitoresu
Did you know?
- Depending on the venue, a waitress might be referred to as a ホステス ('hosutesu'). However, in Japan, this often implies a hostess at a bar or club rather than a server in a restaurant.
- While ウェイトレス is a loanword, Japanese culture often uses メイド ('meido' or 'maid') to describe waitresses in thematic 'maid cafés', where the service style is a stylized performance of domestic servitude.
- In Japan, you will rarely hear a customer call a ウェイトレス by her job title. Instead, they use すみません ('sumimasen') to get her attention, as addressing staff by their role can sound overly formal or cold.
Examples in context
- ウェイトレスはジュースを私の前に置いた。The waitress set a glass of juice in front of me.This sentence shows the action of a waitress setting juice in front of someone using ウェイトレス.Tatoeba #228307 by bunbuku, translation #65662 by CK
- 彼女、近くのレストランでウェイトレスとして働いてるよ。She works as a waitress at a nearby restaurant.This sentence describes someone working as a waitress using ウェイトレス.Tatoeba #10159595 by small_snow, translation #9681167 by Cabo
- かわいらしいウエイトレスさんが、私たちを担当してくれた。A pretty waitress waited on us.This sentence uses ウエイトレス to describe a waitress who waited on customers.Tatoeba #9110675 by bunbuku, translation #63087 by CK
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing a restaurant experience.
- 美咲 Misakiあのウェイトレスさんはとても親切だったよ。Ano ueitoresusan wa totemo shinsetsu datta yo.That waitress was very kind.
- 蓮 Renそうだね、感じが良かったね。Sou dane, kanji ga yokatta ne.You're right, she had a good manner.
- 美咲 Misakiまたあのお店に行きたいな。Mata ano omise ni ikitai na.I want to go to that shop again.
- 蓮 Ren僕もそう思うよ。Boku mo sou omou yo.I think so too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “waitress” translations and entries ウェイトレス, ウエイトレス, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
