Food Words in Japanese
Updated July 5, 2026
The core food words in Japanese are ご飯 (gohan, cooked rice or a meal), 水 (mizu, water), 肉 (niku, meat), and 魚 (sakana, fish). ご飯 is so central that it also means a meal in general.
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| ご飯 | cooked rice, mealgohan |
| 水 | watermizu |
| 肉 | meatniku |
| 魚 | fishsakana |
| 卵 | eggtamago |
| 野菜 | vegetableyasai |
| 果物 | fruitkudamono |
| パン | breadpan |
| 食べる | to eattaberu |
| 飲む | to drinknomu |
| おいしい | deliciousoishii |
| お茶 | teaocha |
Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch Japanese shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.
Hear them in: Midnight Diner: Tokyo Stories, Old Enough!.
Frequently asked questions
- How do you say food in Japanese?
- A general word for food is 食べ物 (tabemono), literally a thing to eat. ご飯 (gohan) means cooked rice but is also used for a meal, as in 朝ご飯 (asagohan, breakfast).
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