Foods Words

Kanji	Hiragana or Katakana	Romaji	Meaning
食べ物	たべもの	tabe mono	Food
朝食	ちょうしょく	chou shoku	Breakfast
朝御飯	あさごはん	asa gohan	Breakfast
昼食	ちゅうしょく	chuu shoku	Lunch
昼御飯	ひるごはん	hiru gohan	Lunch
夕食	ゆうしょく	yuu shoku	Dinner
晩御飯	ばんごはん	ban gohan	Dinner
夜食	やしょく	ya shoku	Supper
	おかず	okazu	Side Dish
お八つ	おやつ	oyatsu	Snack / Refreshment
弁当	べんとう	bentou	Box Lunch
駅弁	えきべん	ekiben	Train Station Box Lunch
御飯	ごはん	gohan	Meal / Cooked Rice
刺身	さしみ	sashimi	Sliced Raw Fish
寿司 / 鮨 / 鮓	すし	sushi	Sushi
天婦羅	てんぷら	tenpura	Tempura / Deep-fried Fish and Vegetables
牛丼	ぎゅうどん	gyuu don	Rice topped with Beef and Vegetables
親子丼	おやこどん	oyako don	Rice topped with Boiled Chicken and Eggs
天丼	てんどん	ten don	Rice topped with Deep-fried Prawns & Fishes
鰻丼	うなぎどん	unagi don	Rice topped with Glaze-grilled Eel
鰻	うなぎ	unagi	Eel
豚カツ	とんカツ	tonkatsu	Pork Cutlet
	カレーライス	kare- raisu	Curry and Rice
鋤焼き	すきやき	suki yaki	Thin Slices of Beef cooked with various Vegetables in a Heavy Iron Pan
お好み焼き	おこのみやき	okonomi yaki	Thin and Flat Pancake cooked on a Hot Plate with bits of Meat, Seafood and Chopped Cabbages
鉄板焼き	てっぱんやき	teppan yaki	Grilled Meat cooked on Iron Plate
焼き鳥	やきとり	yaki tori	Grilled Chicken / Broiled Chicken
蛸焼き	たこやき	tako yaki	Octopus Dumpling
焼きそば	やきそば	yaki soba	Pan Fried Noodle
餃子	ギョウザ	gyouza	Dumpling stuffed with Minced Pork and Vegetables
茶碗蒸し	ちゃわんむし	chawan mushi	Steamed Egg Custard in Tea Cup
	しゃぶしゃぶ	shabu shabu	Japanese Style Hotpot
味噌	みそ	miso	Miso / Bean Paste
味噌汁	みそしる	miso shiru	Miso Soup
	ラーメン	ra-men	Ramen
	うどん	udon	Noodle made of Wheat Flour
蕎麦	そば	soba	Buckwheat Noodle
餅	もち	mochi	Sticky Rice Cake
餡パン	あんパン	anpan	Japanese Bun filled with Red Bean Paste
牛肉	ぎゅうにく	gyuuniku	Beef
豚肉	ぶたにく	butaniku	Pork
鶏肉	とりにく	toriniku	Chicken Meat
羊肉	ようにく	youniku	Mutton / Lamb
魚	さかな	sakana	Fish
海老 / 蝦	えび	ebi	Prawn / Shrimp
蟹	かに	kani	Crab
豆腐	とうふ	toufu	Tofu / Bean Curd
卵	たまご	tamago	Egg
食パン	しょくパン	shoku pan	Plain Bread / White Bread
玉葱	たまねぎ	tamanegi	Onion
胡瓜	きゅうり	kyuuri	Cucumber
醤油	しょうゆ	shouyu	Soy Sauce
酢	す	su	Vinegar
山葵	わさび	wasabi	Japanese Horseradish
油	あぶら	abura	Oil
砂糖	さとう	satou	Sugar
塩	しお	shio	Salt
胡椒	こしょう	koshou	Pepper

Japanese Food

わしょく(Washoku)

Kana	Romaji	English
日本料理 にほんりょうり	nihon ryouri	Japanese Cooking / Japanese Dish / Japanese Food
すし	sushi	sushi (sweet vinegared rice with raw seafood, in various shapes)
さしみ	sashimi	sashimi (thinly sliced raw fish over sushi rice)
てんぷら	tenpura	tempura (battered and fried vegetables and seafood)
てりやき	teriyaki	照烧(照り焼き,てりやき), teriyaki
やきとり	yakitori	yakitori (grilled chicken skewers)
やきにく	yakiniku	yakiniku (grilled beef and vegetables)
やきざかな	yakizakana	grilled fish
やきそば	yakisoba	炒面, yakisoba (fried noodles, usually udon or ramen-like, with ham/sausage and vegetables)
すきやき	sukiyaki	sukiyaki (too difficult to explain here)
おこのみやき	okonomiyaki	okonomiyaki ("Japanese pancakes", with meat or seafood and vegetables inside)
とんかつ	tonkatsu	fried pork cutlet
カレー・カレーライス	karee/karee raisu	Japanese curry with rice
コロッケ	kurokke	croquette (fried mashed potato patty with meat/seafood/vegetables)
ぎょうざ	gyouza	Chinese style fried dumplings (potstickers)
みそしる	misoshiru	miso soup (miso is a soy-based paste)
つけもの	tsukemono	Japanese pickles

This particular list is far from complete, but includes a number of items that are familiar to westerners or otherwise easy to understand.

Yaki, from the verb yaku, can refer to frying, grilling, baking, or any similar cooking methods that apply direct heat. In contrast, there are several words that translate as "to steam", each for a different food item. Boiling, steaming, and other less fiery cooking methods are used more in Japanese cuisine than in western cooking.

Most meat-based dishes only originated in the last century or so, since consumption of meat was banned for most of Japanese written history.

Although not strictly native to Japan, Japanese karee is quite unlike Indian-style curry and definitely unique to Japan.

Western Food

ようしょく(Youshoku)

Kana	Romaji	English
スープ	suupu	soup (any kind)
サラダ	sarada	salad
サンドイッチ	sandoitchi	sandwich
ハンバーガー	hanbaagaa	hamburger
ホットドッグ	hottodoggu	hotdog
フライドポテト	furaidopoteto	fries, fried potatoes
フライドチキン	furaidochikin	fried chicken
ステーキ	suteeki	steak
ピザ	piza	pizza
スパゲッティー	supgettii	spaghetti

Note that despite the similar names, Japanese versions of western foods are typically adapted to Japanese tastes, with results like pizza with corn as a topping.

Seasonings and Condiments

Seasonings / Condiments / Flavorings/ Spices

調味料(ちょうみりょ)うとやくみ(Chomiryou to Yakumi)

Kana	Romaji	English
しょうゆ	shouyu	soy sauce
あぶら	abura	oil
す	su	vinegar
みりん	mirin	sweet cooking sake
しお 塩	shio	salt
こしょう	koshou	pepper
さとう	satou	sugar
わさび	wasabi	wasabi (Japanese "horseradish")
ごま	goma	sesame seeds
バター	bataa	butter
ケチャップ	kechappu	ketchup

Real wasabi is a grated root; the green paste found outside of Japan is a cheaper substitute made from horseradish and mustard, two related plants.

のみもの(Drinks)

Kana	Romaji	English
みず	mizu	water
おちゃ, お茶	ocha	green tea, tea in general, 緑茶 (りょくちゃ, ryoku cha)
にほんちゃ	nihoncha	Japanese green tea
むぎちゃ	mugicha	Japanese iced barley tea
こうちゃ	koucha	black tea (lit. "crimson tea")
コーヒー	koohii	coffee
ぎゅうにゅう・ミルク	gyuunyuu/miruku	milk
ジュース	juusu	juice
オレンジジュース	orenjijuusu	orange juice
レモネード	remoneedo	lemonade
ソーダ	sooda	soda, pop
おさけ	osake	sake (rice wine), alcohol in general
にほんしゅ	nihonshu	Japanese sake
ワイン	wain	wine [さけ, wine,お酒 ]
ビール	biiru	beer
おさけ	osake	alcohol

As you might expect, Japanese people drink a lot of tea, both green and other varieties, not necessarily with meals, but often alone or with snacks.

Koohii for coffee was coined back when "f" was transcribed as "h" in borrowed words, giving ハ、ヒ、フ、ヘ、ホ rather than the more modern ファ、フィ、フ、フェ、フォ.

果物くだもの(fruit)

フルーツ(Furuutsu)/Fruit

Kana	Romaji	English
りんご (林檎)	ringo	apple
ぶどう	budou	grapes
まんが	manga	mango
なし	nashi	Japanese pear
ようなし	younashi	(western) pear
もも	momo	peach
かき	kaki	persimmon
オレンジ	orenji	orange
レモン	remon	lemon
ライム	raimu	lime
グレープフルーツ	gureepufuruutsu	grapefruit
バナナ	banana	banana
いちご	ichigo	strawberry
ブルーベリー	buruuberii	blueberry
さくらんぼ	sakuranbo	cherry
メロン	melon	green melon (honeydew)
すいか	suika	watermelon

Random tidbit: Japanese apples are much larger than western apples, while the watermelons are rather small.

野菜やさい(vegetables)

Kana	Romaji	English
にんじん	ninjin	carrots
セロリ	serori	celery
レタス	retasu	lettuce
キャベツ	kyabetsu	cabbage
トマト	tomato	tomato
ねぎ	negi	green onion (scallions)
たまねぎ	tamanegi	(round) onion
ポテト	poteto	potatoes
ブロッコリー	burokkorii	broccoli
ピーマン	piiman	bell pepper, green pepper (Fr. piment)
まめ	mame	beans (in general)
納豆 なっとう	nattou	fermented soybeans
ピース	piisu	peas
コーン	koon	corn

Japanese cuisine uses a lot of vegetables, including many that are unknown in the west. One Japanese vegetable you might be aware of is the daikon, which is a giant white radish.

Meat and Seafood

にくとシーフード(Niku to Shiifuudo)

Kana	Romaji	English
ぎゅうにく	gyuuniku	beef
ぶたにく	butaniku	pork
ハム	hamu	ham
とりにく	toriniku	chicken
たまご	tamago	egg
さかな	sakana	fish
えび	ebi	shrimp, prawn, lobster
かに	kani	crab
たこ	tako	octopus

Tori "bird" is used to refer to chicken in the context of food, since turkey and other poultry is rarely found in Japan. Similarly, niku "meat" without further specification usually refers to beef, though butaniku (pork) is cheaper and consumed in greater quantity.

And of course, let's not forget toufu (soy bean curd), which by itself is mostly flavorless but easily absorbs the flavor of anything it's cooked with. In Japan it's not just a vegetarian food, but a regular ingredient in Japanese cuisine.

Dairy Products

にゅうせいひん(Nyuuseihin)

Kana	Romaji	English
ぎゅうにゅう・ミルク	gyuunyuu/miruku	milk
チーズ	chiizu	cheese
ヨーグルト	yooguruto	yogurt
アイスクリーム	aisukuriimu	ice cream

Dairy products are not used in traditional Japanese cuisine, but they can still be found in Japanese supermarkets and in western food. Both gyuunyuu and miruku are common words for milk.

Rice, Noodles, Bread

こめとめんとパン(Kome to Men to Pan)

Kana	Romaji	English
こめ	kome	rice (uncooked)
ごはん	gohan	rice (cooked)
げんまい	genmai	brown rice
うどん	udon	udon (wheat noodles)
そうめん	soumen	somen (thin noodles)
そば	soba	soba (buckwheat noodles)
ラーメン	raamen	ramen (Chinese noodles)
パン	pan	bread, rolls, pastries
かしパン	kashipan	sweet bread, pastries
ピザ	piza	pizza

Several notes this time:

• Japanese rice is short grain, as opposed to the long grain rice usually used in the west. Short grain rice is somewhat sticky and clumps together, making it easy to eat with chopsticks.

• Japanese noodles, especially somen and soba, can be served hot in a soup or cold with a dipping sauce. Noodle dishes are a popular lunch food in Japan.

• The "ramen" that we know is really just instant noodles. Real ramen is a Chinese-style Japanese noodle soup with real broth and various toppings that vary by region.

• Pan in Japanese can refer to any sort of bread or pastry, and is more of a snack than a staple meal item.

Snacks and Sweets

おやつとおかし(Oyatsu to Okashi)

Kana	Romaji	English
チップ	chippu	chips
ポップコーン	poppukoon	popcorn
クッキー	kukkii	cookies
ケーキ	keeki	cake
パイ	pai	pie
アイスクリーム	aisukuriimu	ice cream
チョコレート	chokoreeto	chocolate
ゼリー	zerii	jelly (gelatin and similar desserts)
わがし	wagashi	traditional Japanese sweets (many of which are cracker-like)

Dessert is not traditionally served after meals in Japan (except possibly fresh fruit), but sweet foods are eaten as snacks.

Japanese Words for Food: https://www.japaneseprofessor.com/lessons/beginning/japanese-words-for-food/