Japanese Food Vocabulary: 30 Essential Words for Washoku, Sushi, Ramen, and Restaurant Phrases

Japanese food vocabulary is one of the most practical word sets you can learn. Whether you are navigating a Tokyo ramen shop, decoding a sushi menu, or understanding cooking scenes in anime, food words appear constantly in everyday Japanese life.

With approximately 123 million native speakers according to Ethnologue's 2024 data, Japanese is the language behind one of the world's most influential culinary traditions. In 2013, UNESCO inscribed 和食 (washoku, Japanese cuisine) on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, not as a single dish, but as an entire social practice built on respect for nature, seasonal ingredients, and aesthetic presentation. Learning food vocabulary means learning Japanese culture at its most fundamental level.

"Washoku is not merely a set of recipes or ingredients. It is a comprehensive social practice rooted in the Japanese spirit of respect for nature, closely connected to the sustainable use of natural resources."

(UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage nomination document for Washoku, 2013)

This guide covers 30+ essential food words organized by category, with kanji, hiragana, pronunciation, and the cultural context that makes Japanese food vocabulary unique. For interactive practice with authentic Japanese content, visit our Japanese learning page.

Quick Reference: 30 Essential Food Words

Rice and Staples: The Foundation of Every Meal

Rice is not just food in Japan; it is the foundation of the entire meal structure. The word ご飯 (gohan) means both "cooked rice" and "meal," revealing how deeply rice is embedded in Japanese food culture. According to NHK's 2023 survey on dining customs, over 80% of Japanese households still eat rice-based meals daily.

ご飯 (ごはん)

The most important food word in Japanese. ご飯 (gohan) has a double meaning: it refers to cooked white rice specifically, and also to "a meal" in general. 朝ご飯 (asagohan) means "breakfast" (morning rice), 昼ご飯 (hirugohan) means "lunch" (midday rice), and 晩ご飯 (bangohan) means "dinner" (evening rice). The prefix ご is an honorific, reflecting the reverence Japanese culture places on rice.

米 (こめ)

Kome refers to raw, uncooked rice grains. Japan's relationship with rice runs so deep that the kanji 米 appears in the word for "America" (米国, beikoku), since historically, America was associated with rice trade. The Agency for Cultural Affairs notes that rice-related vocabulary contains over 30 distinct terms in Japanese, from 新米 (shinmai, new rice harvest, also meaning "beginner") to 古米 (komai, old rice).

麺 (めん)

The general term for noodles. Japanese cuisine features three major noodle types: ラーメン (raamen), うどん (udon), and そば (soba). Each has distinct characteristics, regional variations, and eating etiquette. Slurping noodles loudly in Japan is not rude; it is considered a sign of enjoyment and actually helps cool the noodles.

Sushi and Sashimi Vocabulary

Sushi is perhaps the most internationally recognized Japanese food, yet many learners confuse key terms. 寿司 (sushi) specifically refers to vinegared rice topped or filled with ingredients, while 刺身 (sashimi) is sliced raw fish served without rice.

寿司 (すし)

The word sushi actually refers to the seasoned rice, not the fish. The kanji 寿司 is an ateji (phonetic kanji) where the characters were chosen for their auspicious meanings: 寿 (longevity) and 司 (to manage). Common types include 握り寿司 (nigirizushi, hand-pressed), 巻き寿司 (makizushi, rolled), and ちらし寿司 (chirashizushi, scattered).

刺身 (さしみ)

Sashimi means "pierced body": 刺 (sashi, pierce) and 身 (mi, body/flesh). It is raw fish sliced and served without rice, typically with soy sauce and wasabi. Learning to distinguish sushi from sashimi on a menu immediately marks you as a more knowledgeable diner.

まぐろ

Tuna, the single most popular sushi topping in Japan. Maguro comes in grades: 赤身 (akami, lean red meat), 中トロ (chuutoro, medium fatty), and 大トロ (ootoro, fatty belly, the most expensive). At conveyor belt sushi restaurants, まぐろ plates are typically among the first to sell out.

Cooked Dishes: Ramen, Udon, and Beyond

Japanese comfort food spans an enormous range of cooked dishes. Many of the most beloved items have interesting linguistic origins that reveal Japan's history of cultural exchange.

ラーメン

Written in katakana because it was borrowed from Chinese (拉麺, pulled noodles). Despite its foreign origin, ramen has become one of Japan's most iconic foods. Each region has a signature style: 豚骨 (tonkotsu, pork bone broth) in Fukuoka, 味噌 (miso) in Sapporo, 醤油 (shouyu, soy sauce) in Tokyo. The word ラーメン appears in katakana on virtually every street in Japanese cities.

うどん

Thick wheat flour noodles served hot or cold. Udon is written in hiragana because it is a native Japanese word with uncertain kanji origins. Regional varieties include 讃岐うどん (Sanuki udon) from Kagawa Prefecture, known for its firm, chewy texture. Kagawa is sometimes called "Udon Prefecture" because residents consume more udon per capita than anywhere else in Japan.

そば

Buckwheat noodles with a distinctive nutty flavor. Soba holds special cultural significance: 年越しそば (toshikoshi soba, year-crossing soba) is eaten on New Year's Eve throughout Japan. The long noodles symbolize longevity, and the tradition dates back to the Edo period. Soba is also used in the word 側 (soba, "near/beside"), though the kanji is different.

天ぷら (てんぷら)

Battered and deep-fried seafood or vegetables. The word likely comes from the Portuguese tempero (seasoning) or tempora (Lenten period), reflecting Japan's contact with Portuguese traders in the 16th century. 天ぷら is a perfect example of how Japanese cuisine absorbed foreign techniques and made them entirely its own.

カレー

Japanese curry, written in katakana because it entered Japanese via English (which borrowed it from Tamil). Japanese curry rice (カレーライス, karee raisu) is thicker and sweeter than Indian or Thai curries. According to NHK surveys, it consistently ranks as one of the top three favorite home-cooked meals in Japan, alongside ramen and gyoza.

"Japanese curry, originally introduced through the British Navy in the Meiji era, has been so thoroughly domesticated that it now represents one of the most consumed home meals in Japan, a dish that is simultaneously foreign in origin and quintessentially Japanese in practice."

(Katarzyna Cwiertka, Modern Japanese Cuisine, Reaktion Books, 2006)

Vegetables, Fruits, and Ingredients

Japanese cooking emphasizes 旬 (shun, seasonality), using ingredients at their peak. This principle is so important that restaurant menus change quarterly to reflect what is freshest.

Katakana Foods: Borrowed Words on Every Menu

A distinctive feature of Japanese food vocabulary is the split between native words (kanji/hiragana) and borrowed words (katakana). Recognizing this pattern instantly tells you a food's origin story.

Portuguese-origin words entered Japanese during the 16th century trade period:

• パン (pan, bread): from Portuguese pão
• 天ぷら (tempura): likely from Portuguese tempero

Chinese-origin words include some of Japan's most beloved dishes:

• ラーメン (raamen): from Chinese 拉麺
• 餃子 (gyouza): from Chinese 餃子 (jiǎozi)

English-origin words reflect modern Western influence:

• カレー (karee, curry)
• ビール (biiru, beer)
• ケーキ (keeki, cake)
• コーヒー (koohii, coffee)

When you see katakana on a menu, you can often guess the word by reading it aloud slowly. ハンバーガー is "hanbaagaa" (hamburger), アイスクリーム is "aisu kuriimu" (ice cream), and サラダ is "sarada" (salad). This katakana decoding skill is one of the fastest ways to expand your restaurant vocabulary.

Restaurant Phrases: From Entering to Paying

Knowing what to say at a Japanese restaurant is just as important as knowing food names. Japanese dining has specific phrases for every stage of the meal.

いただきます

The phrase said before every meal in Japan. It literally means "I humbly receive" (from the humble verb いただく, itadaku). It expresses gratitude to the cook, to the farmers, to the animals and plants that gave their lives, and to nature itself. There is no single English translation. NHK's research on dining customs found that over 90% of Japanese people say いただきます before meals, making it one of the most universally practiced cultural phrases in the language.

ごちそうさまでした

Said after finishing a meal. ご馳走 (gochisou) literally means "running around," referring to the effort of a host running around to prepare a feast. さまでした adds formal gratitude. Together, the phrase acknowledges all the effort that went into the meal. When leaving a restaurant, saying ごちそうさまでした to the staff is standard and expected.

お会計 (おかいけい)

The word for "bill" or "check." To ask for the check, say お会計をお願いします (okaikei wo onegai shimasu). In many Japanese restaurants, you take a slip from your table to a register near the exit rather than paying at the table. Some restaurants use the phrase お勘定 (okanjou), which means the same thing.

The Five Principles of Washoku

What makes 和食 (washoku) a UNESCO-recognized cultural heritage is not any single dish but a complete philosophy built on five principles. Understanding these concepts gives you vocabulary that goes far beyond food.

五色 (ごしき, goshiki), Five Colors: Every meal should include white, black, red, yellow, and green. This ensures both visual beauty and nutritional balance. A typical Japanese set meal (定食, teishoku) achieves this through white rice, dark seaweed, red pickled ginger, yellow egg, and green vegetables.

五味 (ごみ, gomi), Five Tastes: Sweet (甘い, amai), salty (塩辛い, shiokarai), sour (酸っぱい, suppai), bitter (苦い, nigai), and umami (うま味). Japan is where the fifth taste, umami, was scientifically identified by chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908. The word itself (うま味) comes from うまい (umai, delicious).

五法 (ごほう, gohou), Five Methods: Raw (生, nama), simmer (煮る, niru), grill (焼く, yaku), steam (蒸す, musu), and fry (揚げる, ageru). A full kaiseki meal incorporates all five methods across its courses.

旬 (しゅん, shun), Seasonality: Using ingredients at their natural peak, as discussed earlier.

盛り付け (もりつけ, moritsuke), Presentation: The art of arranging food beautifully. Japanese presentation considers 色 (iro, color), 形 (katachi, shape), and 器 (utsuwa, the vessel/dish). The plate is considered part of the dish itself.

Practice Food Vocabulary With Real Japanese Content

Food scenes appear in virtually every Japanese movie, drama, and anime, from the intricate kitchen sequences in Studio Ghibli films to the ramen shop conversations in everyday dramas. These scenes are rich with the vocabulary covered in this guide: ordering phrases, ingredient names, and the ritual expressions that frame every meal.

Check out our guide to the best movies for learning Japanese for recommendations. Films like Tampopo and Spirited Away are particularly dense with food vocabulary and dining culture.

Wordy lets you practice food words in real context by watching Japanese content with interactive subtitles. When ご飯, ラーメン, or いただきます appears in dialogue, you can tap to see the kanji, readings, and meaning instantly. Explore our blog for more Japanese guides, or visit our Japanese learning page to start building your vocabulary today.