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One thing that connects people all around the world is food. Wherever your travels take you in the world, you will need to eat food!
The Japanese food culture is second to none. If you’re planning a trip to Japan, you’ll definitely want to get out there and experience the country’s amazing restaurants, diners and street food!
Knowing some food related vocabulary will really come in handy when ordering in restaurants and figuring out what is on the menu.
So today let’s dive into learning some essential Japanese food words.
Japanese food related terminology
First up, here are some essential Japanese words to talk about meals and food in general.
| English | Kanji | Hiragana | Romaji |
| Food | 食べ物 | たべもの | tabemono |
| Drink | 飲み物 | のみもの | nomimono |
| Food and drink / eating and drinking | 飲食 | いんしょく | inshoku |
| I’m hungry | お腹が空いている | おなかがすいている | onaka ga suite iru |
| I’m full | お腹がいっぱい | おなかがいっぱい | onaka ga ippai |
| I’m thirsty | 喉が渇いた | のどがかわいた | nodo ga kawaita |
| Dish/cuisine | 料理 | りょうり | ryouri |
| Meal | 食事 | しょくじ | shokuji |
| Japanese food | 和食 | わしょく | washoku |
| Western Food | 洋食 | ようしょく | youshoku |
| Breakfast | 朝ご飯 | あさごはん | asa gohan |
| Lunch | 昼ご飯 | ひるごはん | hiru gohan |
| Dinner | 晩ご飯 | ばんごはん | ban gohan |