Making a Complaint

Situation

田中さん (Tanaka-san) is having lunch at a Japanese restaurant when he discovers the dish is wrong and the soup never arrived. He calls over 山田さん (Yamada-san), a staff member, to sort things out. In Japan, complaints work best when you stay calm and factual — firm enough to get results, polite enough not to cause a scene.

Dialogue

田中: すみません、ちょっとよろしいですか。

Tanaka: Sumimasen, chotto yoroshii desu ka.

Tanaka: Excuse me, do you have a moment?

山田: はい、いかがなさいましたか。

Yamada: Hai, ikaga nasaimashita ka.

Yamada: Yes, what seems to be the matter?

田中: 注文ちゅうもんしたものと違ちがうものが来きてしまったんですが…

Tanaka: Chuumon shita mono to chigau mono ga kite shimatta n desu ga...

Tanaka: The dish that came is different from what I ordered...

山田: 申もうし訳わけございません。何なにを注文ちゅうもんなさいましたか。

Yamada: Moushiwake gozaimasen. Nani wo chuumon nasaimashita ka.

Yamada: I am terribly sorry. What did you order?

田中: 親子丼おやこどんを注文ちゅうもんしたんですが、カツ丼かつどんが来きました。それに、料理りょうりがもう冷さめています。

Tanaka: Oyakodon wo chuumon shita n desu ga, katsudon ga kimashita. Sore ni, ryouri ga mou samete imasu.

Tanaka: I ordered oyakodon, but katsudon came. Also, the food is already cold.

山田: 本当ほんとうに申もうし訳わけありません。すぐに確認かくにんいたします。

Yamada: Hontou ni moushiwake arimasen. Sugu ni kakunin itashimasu.

Yamada: I am truly sorry. I will check right away.

田中: それから、スープもまだ来きていないんですが。注文ちゅうもんしてから三十分さんじゅっぷんも経たっています。

Tanaka: Sorekara, suupu mo mada kite inai n desu ga. Chuumon shite kara sanjuppun mo tatte imasu.

Tanaka: Also, the soup still has not come. It has already been 30 minutes since I ordered.

山田: スープの件けんも確認かくにんいたします。少々しょうしょうお待まちください。

Yamada: Suupu no ken mo kakunin itashimasu. Shoushou omachi kudasai.

Yamada: I will check on the soup matter as well. Please wait just a moment.

田中: わかりました。でも、早はやくしていただけませんか。料理りょうりがさらに冷さめてしまいますので。

Tanaka: Wakarimashita. Demo, hayaku shite itadakemasen ka. Ryouri ga sarani samete shimaimasu node.

Tanaka: I understand. But could you please hurry? Because the food will get even colder.

山田: かしこまりました。正ただしいお料理りょうりとスープをすぐにお持もちいたします。

Yamada: Kashikomarimashita. Tadashii oryouri to suupu wo sugu ni omochi itashimasu.

Yamada: Certainly. I will bring the correct dish and the soup right away.

田中: よろしくお願ねがいします。次つぎからはこういうことがないようにしていただけますか。

Tanaka: Yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Tsugi kara wa kou iu koto ga nai you ni shite itadakemasu ka.

Tanaka: Thank you. Could you please make sure this kind of thing does not happen next time?

山田: はい、必かならずそのようにいたします。今日きょうのお食事しょくじは無料むりょうにさせていただきます。本当ほんとうに申もうし訳わけございませんでした。

Yamada: Hai, kanarazu sono you ni itashimasu. Kyou no oshokuji wa muryou ni sasete itadakimasu. Hontou ni moushiwake gozaimasen deshita.

Yamada: Yes, we will definitely ensure that. We will make today's meal complimentary. We are truly very sorry.

田中: それはありがたいですね。では、よろしくお願ねがいします。

Tanaka: Sore wa arigatai desu ne. Dewa, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Tanaka: That is very kind of you. Well then, I am counting on you.

Key Vocabulary

Grammar Notes

• ～んですが (n desu ga): Used to softly introduce an explanation, concern, or complaint. The trailing が leaves the sentence open-ended, which sounds much less confrontational than a blunt statement. Example: 注文したものと違うものが来てしまったんですが… (The dish that came is different from what I ordered...)
• ～てしまいました (te shimaimashita): Expresses that something happened, often with a nuance of regret or that the outcome is undesirable. Example: 違うものが来てしまいました (The wrong thing came). In casual speech this contracts to ～ちゃった.
• ～ていただけませんか (te itadakemasen ka): A polite request asking someone to do something for you. More respectful and indirect than ～てください, making it well suited to complaint situations. Example: 早くしていただけませんか (Could you please hurry?).
• ～てから (te kara): Means after doing ~, indicating one action is fully completed before the next event occurs. Example: 注文してから三十分も経っています (It has already been 30 minutes since I ordered).
• ～ようにいたします (you ni itashimasu): A humble promise meaning I will make sure to ~ or I will see to it that ~. Service staff use this to express a sincere commitment to improvement. Example: 必ずそのようにいたします (I will definitely make sure to do so).
• ～させていただきます (sasete itadakimasu): A very humble expression meaning allow me to ~ or I humbly do ~. Common in service contexts when offering compensation or announcing a decision that benefits the customer. Example: 無料にさせていただきます (We will humbly make it free of charge).

Cultural Notes

In Japan, complaining directly puts you in delicate territory. The culture prizes harmony (和, wa), and open confrontation — even when justified — can make everyone uncomfortable. Keep your voice calm and your tone measured. Raising your voice or showing frustration is considered rude — and often counterproductive. Softening expressions like ～んですが take the edge off a complaint without weakening it. Stick to facts rather than feelings, and the point comes across without damaging the relationship.

Service staff are trained to deliver sincere, often elaborate apologies — bowing deeply and using formal keigo (敬語, respectful language) such as 申し訳ございません and かしこまりました. Compensating with a discount or complimentary item is standard practice in restaurants and hotels. Accept such offers graciously, as Tanaka does at the end of the dialogue. The person apologizing in front of you probably had nothing to do with the mistake — they are speaking for the establishment. Patience goes a long way in these situations, for both sides.

Related Articles

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• Job Interview (Conversation N4)
• At the Post Office (Conversation N4)
• Renting an Apartment (Conversation N4)
• Visiting a Doctor (Conversation N4)

Practice

Here are a few ways to build confidence with this dialogue:

• Role-play both roles: First practice playing Tanaka (the customer) to get comfortable expressing a complaint politely and clearly. Then switch and play Yamada (the staff member) to practice formal apology language and service expressions like かしこまりました, 申し訳ございません, and ～させていただきます.
• Substitution drill 1 — Change the food: Replace 親子丼 and カツ丼 with other dishes. Try: ラーメン → うどん (ramen → udon), カレー → シチュー (curry → stew), or サラダ → スープ (salad → soup).
• Substitution drill 2 — Change the complaint: Instead of a wrong order, practice these situations: 料理がまだ来ていません (the food has not come yet), 料理に髪の毛が入っています (there is a hair in the food), or 注文していないものが来ました (something I did not order came).
• Variation scenario: Adapt this dialogue to a hotel front desk situation. For example, your room is noisy (部屋がうるさいです), the air conditioning is broken (エアコンが壊れています), or you were given the wrong room type (違う部屋になっています). The same polite complaint patterns from this dialogue apply perfectly in that setting.