Below are 60 Japanese food and restaurant words, written the way Japanese writes them, with a romaji reading for each. Almost half are katakana loanwords such as コーヒー (kōhī). Learn these five first: 水 (mizu, water), お茶 (ocha, tea), 食べる (taberu, to eat), 飲む (nomu, to drink) and おいしい (oishii, delicious).
- Words
- 60, with Hepburn romaji
- Katakana loanwords
- 27 of the 60
- Level
- A1–A2
- Read them in
- Contos stories (chapters 1–2 free)
60 Japanese food words
Each word is shown in its usual Japanese spelling, with a Hepburn romaji reading (a line over a vowel, as in kōhī, means it is held for twice as long). This is the same word pack the Contos web app uses for flashcard review.
| Japanese | Reading | English |
|---|---|---|
| パン | pan | bread |
| 水 | mizu | water |
| コーヒー | kōhī | coffee |
| お茶 | ocha | tea |
| 牛乳 | gyūnyū | milk |
| ジュース | jūsu | juice |
| ワイン | wain | wine |
| ビール | bīru | beer |
| ご飯 | gohan | rice |
| パスタ | pasuta | pasta |
| 肉 | niku | meat |
| 鶏肉 | toriniku | chicken |
| 魚 | sakana | fish |
| 卵 | tamago | egg |
| チーズ | chīzu | cheese |
| バター | batā | butter |
| りんご | ringo | apple |
| バナナ | banana | banana |
| オレンジ | orenji | orange |
| トマト | tomato | tomato |
| じゃがいも | jagaimo | potato |
| 玉ねぎ | tamanegi | onion |
| にんじん | ninjin | carrot |
| レモン | remon | lemon |
| いちご | ichigo | strawberry |
| 果物 | kudamono | fruit |
| サラダ | sarada | salad |
| スープ | sūpu | soup |
| 砂糖 | satō | sugar |
| 塩 | shio | salt |
| こしょう | koshō | pepper |
| はちみつ | hachimitsu | honey |
| ケーキ | kēki | cake |
| チョコレート | chokorēto | chocolate |
| アイスクリーム | aisukurīmu | ice cream |
| 朝ご飯 | asagohan | breakfast |
| 昼ご飯 | hirugohan | lunch |
| 晩ご飯 | bangohan | dinner |
| メニュー | menyū | menu |
| お会計 | okaikei | bill |
| ウェイター | weitā | waiter |
| レストラン | resutoran | restaurant |
| 台所 | daidokoro | kitchen |
| 皿 | sara | plate |
| コップ | koppu | glass |
| カップ | kappu | cup |
| 瓶 | bin | bottle |
| ナイフ | naifu | knife |
| フォーク | fōku | fork |
| スプーン | supūn | spoon |
| ナプキン | napukin | napkin |
| テーブル | tēburu | table |
| 食べる | taberu | to eat |
| 飲む | nomu | to drink |
| 料理する | ryōri suru | to cook |
| 注文する | chūmon suru | to order |
| 払う | harau | to pay |
| お腹が空いた | onaka ga suita | hungry |
| おいしい | oishii | delicious |
| 甘い | amai | sweet |
Why so many food words are in katakana
27 of the 60 words in this list are written in katakana, the script Japanese uses for words borrowed from other languages. Most come from English: コーヒー (kōhī), チーズ (chīzu), レストラン (resutoran). Two are older and come from elsewhere: パン (pan, bread) from Portuguese, and コップ (koppu, a drinking glass) from Dutch.
Loanwords are the quickest win in this list. Say the English word with Japanese sounds, every consonant followed by a vowel, and you are often close: テーブル (tēburu) is table, スプーン (supūn) is spoon.
The other words are written in hiragana, kanji or a mix. Two words in this list, こしょう (koshō, pepper) and はちみつ (hachimitsu, honey), are in kana, as they usually are on packaging and menus; their kanji forms are 胡椒 and 蜂蜜. Learn to recognise both.
ご飯, 米 and the meals of the day
The list gives ご飯 (gohan) for rice: cooked rice in a bowl, and also a meal. Rice as a grain, the rice you buy in a bag, is 米 (kome). Because ご飯 means a meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner are all built on it:
- 朝ご飯asagohanbreakfast (morning + meal)
- 昼ご飯hirugohanlunch (midday + meal)
- 晩ご飯bangohandinner (evening + meal)
- ご飯gohancooked rice; a meal
On Western-style menus you will also see ライス (raisu), for rice served on a plate. The お at the start of お茶 (ocha), お会計 (okaikei) and お腹 (onaka) is a polite prefix; people almost always say these words with it.
Hungry is a sentence, not an adjective
お腹が空いた (onaka ga suita) means "my stomach has become empty". In polite speech it becomes お腹が空きました (onaka ga sukimashita). おいしい (oishii) and 甘い (amai) are adjectives and work on their own: おいしい！ is a complete reaction to good food.
Phrases for eating out
With ください (kudasai, please give me) and the words in this list you can order almost anything. These are standard polite forms you can use in any restaurant or café in Japan.
水をください。
Mizu o kudasai.
Water, please.
コーヒーを二つください。
Kōhī o futatsu kudasai.
Two coffees, please.
メニューをお願いします。
Menyū o onegai shimasu.
Could I have the menu, please?
お会計をお願いします。
Okaikei o onegai shimasu.
The bill, please.
このケーキはとてもおいしいです。
Kono kēki wa totemo oishii desu.
This cake is really delicious.
いただきます。
Itadakimasu.
Said before eating: a thank-you for the food.
After the meal, say ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita).
Contos Japanese stories are written for learners from A1 to B2, with a space between words so you can tap any one of them for its meaning and save it as a flashcard. The spacing is a reading aid for learners: ordinary Japanese text runs words together.
Read a Japanese story at A1: tap any word to see its meaning and save it as a flashcard.
Read free in your browserFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between ご飯 and 米?
米 (kome) is uncooked rice, the grain. ご飯 (gohan) is cooked rice, and it also means a meal, which is why breakfast is 朝ご飯 (asagohan). In a restaurant you will usually hear ご飯, or ライス (raisu) on Western-style menus.
How do you ask for the bill in Japanese?
Say お会計をお願いします (okaikei o onegai shimasu). In many Japanese restaurants you then pay at the till by the door rather than at the table.
What do you say before eating in Japanese?
いただきます (itadakimasu), said before the first bite, often with hands together. After the meal, say ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita) to thank whoever cooked or paid.
How do you say "delicious" in Japanese?
おいしい (oishii). It works on its own as a reaction, or in a sentence: これはおいしいです (kore wa oishii desu), this is delicious. In casual speech, especially among men, you will also hear うまい (umai).