Translations - The Creative Adventurer https://thecreativeadventurer.com A Travel Guide for Exploring the World Wed, 25 Jan 2023 16:13:43 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://i0.wp.com/thecreativeadventurer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/cropped-NewCreativeAdventurerLogo_250x250_v1.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Translations - The Creative Adventurer https://thecreativeadventurer.com 32 32 171399271 The Best List of Essential Japanese Words to Use When Eating Out https://thecreativeadventurer.com/the-best-list-of-essential-japanese-words-to-use-when-eating-out/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-best-list-of-essential-japanese-words-to-use-when-eating-out https://thecreativeadventurer.com/the-best-list-of-essential-japanese-words-to-use-when-eating-out/#respond Thu, 11 Mar 2021 13:14:35 +0000 https://thecreativeadventurer.com/?p=22708 If you are planning a trip to Japan, learning a little bit of the language goes...

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]]> If you are planning a trip to Japan, learning a little bit of the language goes a long way. Some parts of the country that aren’t big cities generally don’t have any English aside from metro/train signage. Even some Tokyo restaurants that aren’t right in the heart of the tourist hub tend to have menus in Japanese only. If you want to order your meals without just guessing, knowing a few key Japanese words related to food is a great idea. This way, you can identify certain aspects of the meals and get a better idea of what you might be ordering.

Sure, google translate works great and is another fantastic translation option, but I think learning a little bit of a new language is super fun and immerses you more into the country. I’ve gone ahead and created this little language resource to help you when ordering or shopping for food in Japan.

Words to Use at a Restaurant

These are some key phrases to use when you are dining out! Even if you only learn “please” and “thank you” this will really go along way into making an effort in a new city.

Konnichiwa = hello
Sumimasen = Excuse me (great for asking for the waiter’s attention)
Mochikaeri = Take-out
Tennai = Eat-in
Futari desu = For two (when asking for a table)
Yōyaku = (Reservation)
Osusume wa nandesuka? = What do you recommend?
Kinen seki onegaishimasu = A non-smoking table, please.
Eigo no menyu arimasuka? = Do you have an English menu?
Kore kudasai = This one please (when pointing to an item)
(insert food item here) arerugii ga arimasu = I am allergic to (insert food item here)
Toire (otearai) wa doko desu ka? = Where is the toilet?
Ikuradesuka = How much is this?Okaikei kudasai = Bill please
Omizu kudasai = Water please
Arigato = Thank you
Sayonara = Goodbye

Words to Use While Eating

Kanpai = Cheers (when toasting)
Itadakimasu = Bon appetit
Oishii desu = It’s delicious (Great to use to tell the staff you like the food)
Suki desu = I like it!
Gochisousama deshita = Thank you for the meal (used after the meal is over)
oshibori = wet towel (at nice restaurants these will be given before the meal but also can be asked for after)

I’ve gone ahead and written this part out with the Japanese characters as well as the English pronunciation and translations. Since most menus will have dishes written in Hiragana/Kanji this will help you read the menu as well as ask for certain items. If you are interested in downloading a PDF of all these words click here to access the entire reference sheet!

Meat

ぎゅうにく(gyuuniku) = beef
和牛 (waygu) = special grade beef
ぶたにく (butaniku) = pork
とりにく (toriniku) = chicken
たまご (tamago) = egg

Seafood

さかな (sakana) = fish
えび (ebi) = shrimp
かに (kani) = crab
たこ (tako) = octopus
まぐろ (maguro) = tuna
さけ (sake) = salmon
うなぎ (unagi) = eel
かき (kaki) = oyster
さば (saba) = mackerel

Vegetables

キャベツ (kyabetsu) = cabbage
トマト (tomato) = tomato
ねぎ (negi) = green onion (scallions)
ポテト (poteto) = potatoes
ブロッコリー (burokkorii) =broccoli
コーン (koon) = corn
きのこ (kinoko) = mushroom
大根 (daikon) = white radish
梅干し (umeboshi) = pickled plum
つけもの (tsukemono) = Japanese pickles
にんにく (ninniku) = garlic
しょうが (shouga) = ginger
さつまいも (satsumaimo) = sweet potato
れんこん (renkon) = lotus root
ししとう (shishito) = shishito pepper

Fruit

りんご (ringo) = apple
ぶどう (budou) = grapes
かき (kaki) = persimmon
いちご (ichigo) = strawberry
さくらんぼ (sakuranbo)= cherry
メロン (melon)= green melon
すいか (suika)= watermelon
ゆず (yuzu) = yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit)

Cooking Methods

カツ (katsu) = fried
から揚げ (karaage) = deep fried
やき (yaki) = fried (in pan or on grill)
てんぷら (tenpura) = tempura (battered and fried)
串 (kushi) = cooked on skewers
蒸し (Mushi) = steamed

Types of Dishes

すし (sushi) = sushi
さしみ (sashimi) = sashimi
うどん (udon) = udon noodles (thick noodles)
そば (soba) = soba (buckwheat noodles)
ラーメン (raamen) = ramen noodles
り (yakitori) = yakitori (grilled meat skewers)
やきにく (yakiniku) = yakiniku (grilled beef and vegetables)
やきそば (yakisoba) = yakisoba (fried noodles)
すきやき (sukiyaki) = sukiyaki
おこのみやき (okonomiyaki) = okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes)
とんかつ (tonkatsu) = fried pork cutlet
コロッケ (kurokke) = croquette
ぎょうざ (gyouza) = fried dumplings
みそしる (misoshiru) = miso soup
ご飯 (gohan) = plain white rice
丼 (donburi) = stew on rice
お弁当 (o bento) = bento box, meal served in a box
懐石 (Kaiseki) or 懐石料理 (kaiseki-ryōri) = Traditional High End Japanese many dish meal
おでん (oden) = oden (dashi soup with various manually added items)
お握り or おにぎり (onigiri) = rice ball with various fillings
煎餅 (senbei) = rice crackers

Seasoning & Toppings

しょうゆ (shouyu) = soy sauce
す (su) = vinegar
みりん (mirin) =sweet cooking sake
海苔 (nori) = seaweed (the sheets used in sushi)
鰹 (bonito) = dried fish flakes
しお (shio) = salt
みそ or 味噌 (miso) = fermented soybean paste
ポン酢 (ponzu) = citrus and soy dipping sauce
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
はちみつ (Hachimitsu) = honey

Sweets

パン (pan) = bread
和菓子 (wagashi) = Japanese sweets
お餅 (omochi) = rice cake
大福 (daifuku) = mochi stuffed with sweet filling
団子 (dango) = dumplings made of rice flour.
どら焼き (dorayaki) = small pancakes filled with a sweet Azuki red bean paste
あんみつ (anmitsu) = jelly dessert
餡子, あんこ (anko) = sweet bean paste
まんじゅう(manju) = steamed bun with sweet filling
ドーナツ (doonatsu) = doughnut
ケーキ (keeki) = cake

Drinks

みず (mizu) = water
おちゃ (ocha) = green tea
むぎちゃ (mugicha) = Japanese iced barley tea
コーヒー (koohii) = coffee
牛乳 (gyuunyuu) = milk
ソーダ (sooda ) = soda/pop
おさけ (osake) = sake (rice wine)
ワイン (wain) = wine
ビール (biiru) = beer

Food Descriptions

甘い (Amai) = sweet
辛い (Karai) = spicy
苦い (Nigai) = bitter
酸っぱい (Suppai) = sour
しょっぱい (Shoppai) = salty
カリカリ (Karikari) = cripsy
しんせん (Shinsen) = fresh
あつい (Atsui) = Hot
つめたい (Tsumetai) = Cold

Hopefully, this helped you learn a few more words and phrases to add to your Japanese repertoire. I found that even learning the meats and veg really went a long way in how I could interpret the menus. Let me know in the comments what Japanese words or phrases you found to be essential on your travels or what you would be interested in learning more about!

Happy Travels, Adventurers!

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