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- Basic Meal Words
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Snack/Afternoon Tea
- Dinner
- Meal Time Verbs
- Other Mealtime Phrases and Words
The following words all mean “meal” in Japanese. These words can be used at any time of day, and it doesn’t specify the timing of the meal. Since Japanese has varying levels of formality in the language, there are differences in the politeness levels of these words.
Similarly to the words for “meal”, the following words mean “breakfast” in various levels of formality. The word “morning”, 朝 (asa),is attached to each of the basic meal words to form the word “breakfast”.
There are many different ways of saying “lunch” in Japanese. It’s reflected by the fact that people might be out of the house during lunchtime; work, school, or dining out. Adding the word 昼 (hiru), or noon, to the words for “meal” can turn them into “lunch”.
おやつ – Oyatsu
This is one of the most casual and childish ways of saying “snack”. Parents will often use this word with their children. There is a phrase in Japanese called 三時のおやつ (Sanji no oyatsu), which means “three o’clock snack”. Japanese children often associate snack time being around 3pm.
軽食 – Keishoku
This refers to a light meal or snack that might be given out at meetings, airplane flights, or when working over-time. It’s a word that is used in formal situations that signifies that the food will not be a meal but something like a snack.
お茶 – Ocha
In English, we might be used to saying “let’s grab a coffee” or “ do you want to go to a cafe?”. However, in Japanese, the culture of tea is so important that all of these might be expressed with the term お茶, meaning “tea”. It doesn’t necessarily mean only “tea” but it could be coffee, snacks, cake, tea, or other traditional sweets. You can use it to ask people to come for afternoon tea or going out to a cafe.
Similarly to the words for lunch, the words for dinner are also mostly compound words made of a meal word and the time it is eaten. However, there are more words for evening or night in Japanese like 夜, 晩, 夕 which can be confusing.
There are many verbs that are related to meal times, and some may not be as intuitive from an English-speaking perspective. It can be tricky because they can change their meaning when used in different contexts.
いただきます – Itadakimasu
This is a phrase that is used before eating a meal. It can show appreciation for the food and the person who made it. It’s common to put your hands together and say いただきます. The phrase itself comes from いただく, which is a polite way to say “to take” or “to have”. It means something like “I will take/have this food” and can be comparable to “bon appétit” or “let’s eat”. It’s common for Japanese people to say it before every meal, especially when they’re eating with other people. If you are invite...
めしあがれ – Meshiagare
The person who made the food might say めしあがれ and means something like “please eat”. It’s usually a response to the phrase いただきます. It’s important to keep in mind that this phrase is usually directed to people of equal or lower social hierarchy. For example, adults might say this to children. This phrase is much less common compared to いただきます in real life.
ごちそうさまでした – Gochisousama deshita
After finishing the meal, it is polite to say ごちそうさまでした. ごちそう means a “delicious meal” or “feast”. The whole phrase means “it was a delicious meal” or “thank you for the meal”. It shows gratitude and appreciation to use this phrase. If you are invited, it will be a polite thing to say when you finish eating. You can also say this when you leave.
Aug 31, 2009 · Japanese people say 「いただきます」 ( = Itadakimasu ) before they have meals at the table. It means, “I will eat now!” “Dig in!” or “Let’s eat!”. Many Japanese people say that automatically without thinking but. 「頂きます」（ = Itadakimasu ）is a polite form of. 「もらいます 」（ =moraimasu) “to receive ...
Dec 24, 2023 · What does "itadakimasu" mean? In short... "let's eat!" But there's so much more to this common Japanese expression. Learn the meaning and origin of "itadakimasu," see how to use it with plenty of examples and discover the respectful gestures that accompany the phrase.
Nov 15, 2022 · Keep reading to really find out what itadakimasu means, its history as a key Japanese word, and why Japanese people say it today. What does itadakimasu mean? In simple terms, itadakimasu is the phrase in Japanese that’s said at mealtimes, or before you are about to eat something.
May 22, 2024 · Learn 13 Japanese phrases that you can use at restaurants, cafes, izakaya, and other eateries in Japan. Learn how to order, ask the waiter questions, and how to pay the bill smoothly with basic sayings. Practice your pronunciation with audio files included in this article.
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Mar 17, 2023 · Memorizing Japanese words for food could be your shortcut to fluency. Read on to learn 150 Japanese food words to describe your favorite dishes! Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy.
