おすすめは何ですか？
osusume wa nan desu ka?
The English phrase "what is your recommendation?" is translated into Japanese as おすすめは何ですか？ (osusume wa nan desu ka?)
This phrase is a question used to ask someone for their suggestion on the best choice among several options. It is most commonly used in restaurants, shops or service settings when asking a staff member for their suggestion.
Which one should you use?
While おすすめは何ですか？ asks directly "What is your recommendation?", the phrase 何かお勧めはありますか？ translates to "Do you have any recommendations?" In casual settings, you can use the shortened おすすめは？ by dropping the question markers and using a rising intonation or the informal おすすめは何？ and 何かオススメある？
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
おすすめは何ですか？ and 何かお勧めはありますか？ are formal ways to ask for a suggestion. For informal situations, you can use おすすめは何？, 何かオススメある？ or the very casual おすすめは？
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase おすすめは何ですか？, the particle は marks osusume as the topic of the sentence and ですか forms the polite question.
How do you pronounce it?
osusume wa nan desu ka?
Did you know?
- The prefix お in おすすめ is an honorific marker. While it makes the word polite, removing it to say すすめ changes the meaning from a 'recommendation' to the act of 'encouraging' or 'urging' someone to do something.
- While おすすめ is a recommendation, the word 推薦 (suisen) also means 'recommendation'. However, 推薦 is used for formal endorsements, such as recommending a candidate for a job or a university application.
- In Japanese text, you will often see the word written in Katakana as オススメ instead of using Kanji or Hiragana. This is a common stylistic choice used in menus and advertisements to make the word pop visually.
Examples in context
- このレストランのおすすめは何ですか？Kono resutoran no osusume wa nan desu ka?What is your recommendation at this restaurant?
- 店員さん、おすすめは何ですか？Ten'in-san, osusume wa nan desu ka?Excuse me, what is your recommendation?
- 美咲さんのおすすめは何ですか？Misaki-san no osusume wa nan desu ka?What is your recommendation, Misaki?
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are at a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さん、おすすめは何ですか？Misaki-san, osusume wa nan desu ka?Misaki, what is your recommendation?
- 美咲 Misakiここの抹茶ラテがとても美味しいですよ。Koko no matcha rate ga totemo oishii desu yo.The matcha latte here is very delicious.
- 蓮 Renいいですね。それにします。Ii desu ne. Sore ni shimasu.That sounds good. I'll have that.
- 美咲 Misaki正解だと思いますよ！Seikai da to omoimasu yo!I think that's the right choice!
