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)
Menu Items
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!
Leave a Comment