1.
numbered ticket; number tag; queue ticket
A small ticket, tag, or token with a number on it, used to manage waiting order at service counters, restaurants, government offices, and similar places. The customer takes a number and waits to be called.
番号札をお取りください。
Please take a numbered ticket.
番号札の順番にお呼びします。
We will call you in the order of your ticket number.
市役所で番号札を取って、30分も待たされた。
I took a number at city hall and was made to wait 30 minutes.
入口の機械から番号札が出てくるので、それを持って待合スペースでお待ちください。
A numbered ticket comes out of the machine at the entrance — please take it and wait in the waiting area.
Composed of 番号 (number) and 札 (tag, ticket, card). This is the standard term for the numbered tickets used in queuing systems throughout Japan — at banks, post offices, government counters, hospital reception desks, and many restaurants.
The system is ubiquitous in daily life in Japan. You typically take a 番号札 from a machine or dispenser near the entrance, and then wait for your number to be displayed on a screen or called out by staff. Knowing this word is practical for navigating everyday errands.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 番号札を取る: to take a numbered ticket
- 番号札の順番: the order of ticket numbers
- 番号札をお持ちですか: do you have a numbered ticket?
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 整理券: numbered ticket (for a queue or bus boarding order) — a near-synonym, often used on buses and at large events
- 受付番号: reception number — the number assigned at check-in, similar in function
- 引換券: exchange ticket, claim ticket — a ticket for picking up or exchanging something, different purpose