食券(しょっけん)

しょっけん
noun
meal ticket; food voucher
1. meal ticket; food voucher
A ticket purchased from a vending machine at a restaurant that serves as both your order and payment. Very common at ramen shops, gyudon chains, and cafeterias in Japan.
食券(しょっけん)を買(か)ってください。
Please buy a meal ticket.
入口(いりぐち)の券売機(けんばいき)で食券(しょっけん)を買(か)う。
Buy a meal ticket at the vending machine by the entrance.
ラーメン屋(や)に入(はい)ったら、まず食券(しょっけん)を購入(こうにゅう)して店員(てんいん)に渡(わた)す。
When you enter a ramen shop, first buy a meal ticket and hand it to the staff.

A key concept for anyone visiting Japanese restaurants. Many casual eateries — especially ramen shops, 牛丼(ぎゅうどん) chains, and 社員食堂(しゃいんしょくどう) (company cafeterias) — use a ticket vending machine (券売機(けんばいき)) system where you pay for your meal upfront and hand the ticket to the staff.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 食券(しょっけん)を買(か)う: to buy a meal ticket
  • 食券(しょっけん)を渡(わた)す: to hand over a meal ticket
  • 食券(しょっけん)制(せい): meal ticket system
  • 食券(しょっけん)販売機(はんばいき): meal ticket vending machine

RELATED TERMS:

  • 券売機(けんばいき): ticket vending machine
  • 社員食堂(しゃいんしょくどう): company cafeteria
  • 学食(がくしょく): university cafeteria (abbreviation of 学生食堂(がくせいしょくどう))
general
Added 2026.3.27 15:09
19500/19934_shokken