The three meals
Each meal is a time word + ご飯. 晩ご飯 and 夕ご飯 both mean dinner.
Everyday food
Many common foods are written in katakana because they arrived from abroad: パン (bread) from Portuguese, カレー from English.
Drinks
お茶 on its own usually means green tea. 紅茶 (“red tea”) is black tea.
How it tastes
All five are い-adjectives, so they take くない and かった.
At a restaurant
The same exchange happens in almost every Japanese restaurant. You only need to understand the staff’s lines and say the guest’s.
StaffIrasshaimase! Nanmei-sama desu ka. · “Welcome! How many are you?”Staff greet every guest loudly; you do not need to reply to いらっしゃいませ.
いらっしゃいませirasshaimasewelcome何名様nanmei-samahow many peopleですかdesu kais?
CustomerFutari desu. · “Two, please.”Or hold up two fingers.
二人futaritwo peopleですdesuis
StaffGochūmon wa okimari desu ka. · “Are you ready to order?”Polite keigo from staff.
ご注文gochūmonyour orderはwa(topic)お決まりですかokimari desu kais decided?
CustomerRāmen o futatsu onegai shimasu. · “Two ramen, please.”Dish を number + counter お願いします.
ラーメンrāmenramenをo(object)二つfutatsutwoお願いしますonegai shimasuplease
CustomerSumimasen, okaikei onegai shimasu. · “Excuse me, the bill, please.”In many places you pay at the till by the door instead.
すみませんsumimasenexcuse meお会計okaikeithe billお願いしますonegai shimasuplease
CustomerGochisōsama deshita. · “Thank you, that was lovely.”Said to the staff on leaving, as well as at home.
ごちそうさまでしたgochisōsama deshitathank you for the meal
Cooking verbs
Japanese has precise verbs for each way of cooking.
Japanese dishes to know
Common dishes and what is in them.
| Dish | Meaning | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| tenpura | tempura | battered and deep-fried |
| yakitori | yakitori | grilled chicken skewers |
| okonomiyaki | okonomiyaki | savoury pancake |
| udon | udon | thick wheat noodles |
| soba | soba | buckwheat noodles |
| onigiri | rice ball | rice with filling |
| misoshiru | miso soup | soup with miso paste |
| sashimi | sashimi | raw sliced fish |
Talking about food you like
Useful when someone asks about Japanese food.
ANihon ryōri wa suki desu ka. · “Do you like Japanese food?”
日本料理nihon ryōriJapanese foodはwa(topic)好きsukilikeですかdesu kais?
BHai, toku ni rāmen ga suki desu. · “Yes, I especially like ramen.”特に: especially.
はいhaiyes特にtoku niespeciallyラーメンrāmenramenがga(subject)好きですsuki desulike
ANattō wa taberaremasu ka. · “Can you eat natto?”The classic question for visitors.
納豆nattōnattoはwa(contrast)食べられますかtaberaremasu kacan you eat?
BChotto nigate desu. · “It’s not really for me.”苦手: a polite way to say you dislike something.
ちょっとchottoa bit苦手nigatenot my thingですdesuis
Check yourself
Say each one in Japanese, then open the answer to check and hear it.
- Two coffees, please.
Show answer
Kōhī o futatsu kudasai. - What do you recommend?
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Osusume wa nan desu ka. - The bill, please.
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Okaikei onegai shimasu. - This is delicious.
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Kore wa oishii desu. - I’m allergic to eggs.
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Tamago arerugī ga arimasu. - (before eating)
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Itadakimasu.
Useful phrases
Ask for recommendations, allergies and water.
Recommendation
Allergy
Vegetarian
Water