Takashi's Japanese Dictionary

A blog for learning Japanese that introduces Japanese slang words and Idioms!

  • Home
  • Dictionary Tools ▾
    • Furigana and Definition Lookup
    • Japanese Synonym Finder
    • Katakana Word Converter
  • Blog Posts ▾
    • Latest Posts
    • Phrases by Topic
    • Slang
    • Idiom
    • Column
    • Grammar
  • Lesson Slides ▾
    • For Complete Beginners
    • For Intermediate/Advanced Learners
  • Vocab List
  • Social Media
  • About
  • 英語学習サイト
You are here: Home / Featured Posts / 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food

30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food

April 3, 2021

Do you want to sound like a connoisseur of food in Japanese? Then let’s learn a medley of Japanese words and idioms in this post that describe the taste of food!

Other Posts:

  • 50+ Japanese Words and Idioms about Love/Romance
  • Japanese Money-Related Idioms and Slang Words

Table of Contents

  • Japanese Words Meaning “Tasty”
  • Japanese Words Meaning “Taste Bad”
  • Japanese Intensifiers
  • Japanese Words For Specific Taste
  • Soggy Noodles in Japanese: 麺が伸びる
  • Japanese Onomatopoeia For Food
  • Japanese Idioms Related to Food
    • 舌鼓を打つ
    • 絵に描いた餅
    • 朝飯前
    • ゴマをする
  • Japanese Kanji Words for Japanese Food
  • Difficult-to-Read Kanji Words for Food
  • Japanese Words for a Meal
  • See Also
    • Instagram

Japanese Words Meaning “Tasty”

  • おいしい (also 美味しい): tasty, delicious
  • うまい (also 美味い): tasty, yummy (casual);
  • うめえ (more casual and masculine than うまい)
  • コク/うま味(み)がある: have a deep/umami flavour
  • 絶品(ぜっぴん): one-of-a-kind food
  • ジューシー: juicy

Japanese Words Meaning “Taste Bad”

  • 美味(おい)しくない: not tasty
  • 私の好みではない: not my favourite/cup of tea
  • 口(くち)に合(あ)わない : “does not suit my mouth” = not my cup of tea
  • 不味(まず)い: taste bad
  • 味(あじ)がしない: taste nothing
  • ぬるい, 冷(さ)めた: lukewarm (not hot enough)

Japanese Intensifiers

  • とても, とっても, かなり:  “very”

(e.g.) とても/とっても/かなり美味しい

  • めっちゃ: “very/really” (casual)

(e.g.) めっちゃおいしい/まずい

  • 超 (ちょう, casual), 超絶 (ちょうぜつ, very casual/young): “very/really”

(e.g.) 超おいしい, うまい/まずい, 超絶おいしい, うまい/まずい

  • マジ: “very/really” (casual)

(e.g.) マジうまい/まずい

  • 激 (げき): “very/really” (casual)

(e.g.) 激ウマ (really good)、激マズ (really bad), 激辛 (げきから, extremely spicy)

  • クソ: “bloody”, “goddamn” “af” (very casual)

(e.g.) クソうまい (bloody good)、クソマズい (taste like sh*t)

  • 全然 (zenzen): very, unexpectedly

See the post below.

Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)

Japanese Words For Specific Taste

  • 甘(あま)い: sweet
  • 甘(あま)ったるい: too sweet
  • 酸(す)っぱい: sour
  • 辛(から)い: hot/spicy; ピリ辛(から)/激辛 (げきから): a bit/extremely spicy
  • しょっぱい: too salty
  • 苦(にが)い: bitter
  • 濃(こ)い, こってり: thick, heavy taste (e.g. こってりラーメン)
  • 薄(うす)い (negative), さっぱり (positive): light taste

Soggy Noodles in Japanese: 麺が伸びる

麺 (めん) が伸(の)びる literally means “(the noodles) get longer”, but actually means that the noodles “absorb water and become soggy”. The subject “麺が” is often omitted as in the second example below.

(e.g.)

麺が伸びるから、ゲームやめて食(た)べなさい!
The noodles will get soggy, so stop playing the game and eat them now!

伸びる前(まえ)に、どうぞ召(め)し上(あ)がってください!
I recommend you would eat the noodles before they get soggy!

* 召し上がる: sonkeigo of 食べる (eat)

Japanese Onomatopoeia For Food

  • ふわふわ: fluffy
  • トロトロ: creamy
  • モチモチ: like a mochi, chewy
  • カリカリ, サクサク, シャキシャキ: crispy
    (シャキシャキ is often used for a salad, and サクサク for snacks and cookies)

Japanese Idioms Related to Food

舌鼓を打つ

“舌鼓(したつづみ or したづつみ) を 打(う)つ” literally means ‘hit a “tongue-drum”‘, where 鼓 (つづみ) is a Japanese traditional hand drum. It figuratively means “you’re really impressed by the taste of food (and that makes you click your tongue)”. It is usually used in writing only, but you may use it in a conversation to describe delicious food in a joking and exaggerated way.

昨日 (きのう) は旅館(りょかん)の海鮮料理(かいせんりょうり)に舌鼓を打った
Yesterday, I “hit a tongue-drum” for (= was really impressed by/fully enjoyed the taste of) the seafood served at the ryokan (a Japanese-style hotel).

絵に描いた餅

絵(え)に描(か)いた餅(もち), literally meaning “mochi (Japanese rice cake) you draw on a picture”, is a Japanese idiom that means “(sounds good but) is unrealistic/impractical”, because it looks yummy but you cannot really eat it. It is very similar to the English phrase “pie in the sky” in terms of the meaning and nuance!

日本語 (にほんご) を10日 (か)でマスターするなんて計画 (けいかく)は、絵に描いた餅だ!
The plan to master Japanese in 10 days is a mochi you draw on a picture (the pie in the sky)!

More idioms related to mochi at explained in the following post:

Japanese Idioms about Mochi: 餅 (もち), Japanese Rice Cake!

朝飯前

朝飯前(あさめしまえ)literally means “before breakfast”, but figuratively means “a piece of cake”, “very easy”,  i.e. easy enough to do before you eat breakfast. It is often used when someone asks you a favour and you reply to them in a light/casual/humorous way.

(e.g.)

そんなの朝飯前だよ。
That’s a piece of cake (for me).

あのチームに勝(か)つなんて、朝飯前だ。
That’s a piece of cake (for us) to beat the team.

ゴマをする

ゴマをする literally means “grind sesame seeds”, but figuratively means “be a sycophant” or “butter up/suck up to someone”. This idiom is so famous that the gesture of grinding seeds (rotating a closed hand on the palm of the other hand) refers to the act of sucking up to someone. According to one of the theories of the origin, the phrase started to be used to describe those people because ground sesame seeds, which are very sticky and stick to anything, resemble sycophants/brown-nosers tagging along with high-ranking people.

(e.g.)

彼は昇進 (しょうしん) するためなら、進(すす)んでゴマをする人間(にんげん)だ
He is a person who is willing to act obsequiously to get promoted.

See more Japanese idioms related to plants in the following post:

Eat Grass on the Road? Funny Japanese Idioms about Plants

Japanese Kanji Words for Japanese Food

  • 寿司 (すし): sushi
  • 和牛 (わぎゅう): wagyu; 和(わ) “Japanese” + 牛 (ぎゅう) “beef”
  • 居酒屋 (いざかや): izakaya; 居(い)る ”stay” + 酒屋(さかや) “liquor shop”
  • 味噌汁(みそ しる): 味噌(miso) + 汁(しる) “soup/liquid”
  • 焼(や)き鳥(とり): yakitori; 焼(や)く “grill/fry/roast” + 鳥(とり) “bird/chicken”
  • 餅(もち) mochi (Japanese rice cake)
  • 抹茶(まっちゃ): matcha
  • 蕎麦(そば): soba noodles
  • 醤油(しょうゆ): soy sauce
  • 牛丼 (ぎゅうどん): beef rice bowl; 丼 (don) = “rice bowl”
  • 餃子(ぎょうざ): gyoza (pan-fried dumplings)
  • 和食 (わしょく): Japanese food=日本料理 (にほんりょうり)
  • 麺(めん) noodles; 麺類 (めんるい) = “types of noodles”

鍋(なべ): nabe, hot-pot

(Note) 鍋 looks similar to 禍 (か) “disaster”, so be careful (e.g. コロナ禍 “coronavirus-disaster”).

See also: A List of Japanese COVID-19 Words and Idioms

Difficult-to-Read Kanji Words for Food

  • 海老 (えび): shrimp/prawn
  • 小豆(あずき): red beans, adzuki beans
  • 大豆(だいず): soybeans
  • 納豆(なっとう): natto
  • 海苔(のり): seaweed
  • 茄子(なす): eggplant
  • 素麺 (そうめん): Sōmen noodles
  • 蕎麦(そば): soba noodles
  • 人参 (にんじん): carrot

(Trivia) Computer machines often misunderstand  外国人参政権  as 外国 (foreign) + 人参 (carrot) + 政権 (government); it should be  外国人 (がいこくじん “foreigner”) + 参政権 (さんせいけん, “right to vote”)

Japanese Words for a Meal

  • breakfast: 朝食(ちょうしょく)、朝飯(あさめし)、朝(あさ)ごはん
  • lunch: 昼飯(ひるめし)、昼(ひる)ごはん、お昼(ひる)、ランチ
  • dinner: 晩(ばん)ご飯(はん)、晩飯(ばんめし)、夜(よる)ごはん、夕飯(ゆうはん)、ディナー:

(Note 1): ランチ and ディナー sound like a nice meal (e.g) イタリアンランチ (Italian lunch), 高級(こうきゅう)ディナー (expensive dinner)

(Note 2): 朝飯, 昼飯 and 晩飯 sound more masculine/casual than 朝ごはん, お昼ごはん, and 夜(よる)ごはん

(Note 3): ごはん means not only “meal” but also “rice”. In contrast, おかず means “a dish that comes with rice”. Although おかず is often translated as “a side dish”, it rather refers to a main dish (e.g. beaf/chicken/pork) that Japanese people have with rice.

See Also

Ajimi or Dokumi? Meaning of Japanese Words for Tasting Food

Instagram

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Takashi’s Japanese Dictionary (@takashionary)

Filed Under: Featured Posts, List

Related Posts

  • 5 Meanings of 気 (ki) and 30 気-related Japanese Phrases

    5 Meanings of 気 (ki) and 30 気-related Japanese Phrases

  • List of Japanese New Year Words and Events

    List of Japanese New Year Words and Events

  • “Nominication”: Japanese (Old) Drinking Culture After Work

    “Nominication”: Japanese (Old) Drinking Culture After Work

  • Japanese Slang “Were Your Parents Killed by …?”

  • Ajimi or Dokumi? Meaning of Japanese Words for Tasting Food

    Ajimi or Dokumi? Meaning of Japanese Words for Tasting Food

Featured Posts:

  • Japanese Conversation Practice to Master 気-related Idioms
  • “Gakkī Loss”: Meaning of ロス (“Loss”) in Japanese
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very”: Synonyms of とても (totemo)
  • 40 Ways of Saying "Many" in Japanese (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, and More...)
  • 8 Funny and Cute Japanese Cat Idioms
  • Success Story of Ichiro Suzuki: What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans

Popular Posts:

  • Why “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You”…
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • Japanese Slang 賢者タイム (Kenja Time): Meaning & Example Sentences
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Real and Unknown Meanings of “Hentai” in Japanese
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • とにかく (Tonikaku) Means MORE Than “Anyway”
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning “Go-Home Club”
  • 闇鍋 (yaminabe): Meaning “Dark Hot Pot” with Random Ingredients
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Japanese Words and Phrases About Love
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)
  • あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases
  • Japanese and English Words that Rhyme in Both Languages

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ブログランキング・にほんブログ村へPVアクセスランキング にほんブログ村

Search on Takashionary
(e.g. 'food', 'cat', 'idiom')

Trending Posts

  • Why “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You”…
  • Japanese Slang 賢者タイム (Kenja Time): Meaning & Example Sentences
  • Real and Unknown Meanings of “Hentai” in Japanese
  • 40 Japanese Words Meaning “Many/Much” (Ooi, Ippai, Takusan, …)
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 凸, 凹, 〆, 卍: Meaning of Weird and Funny Japanese Kanji
  • List of Similar and Confusing Kanji With Different Meanings
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Japanese Slang 帰宅部 (kitaku bu) Meaning “Go-Home Club”
  • Meaning of あかん (akan), the Essential Kansai-Dialect Word
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • 30+ Japanese Words for “Very” and Their Nuances
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • List of Japanese Abbreviated Words and Phrases
  • Funny Japanese Gaming Slang Terms
  • Japanese Kanji Words with Multiple Meanings and Readings
  • Meaning of 二刀流 (Nitouryu) “Expert of Two Things” in Japanese
  • Meaning of ぼっち (Bocchi) and クリぼっち (Kuri Bocchi) in Japanese Slang
  • 深夜テンション (shinya tension) Meaning “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang
  • へそで茶を沸かす (heso de cha o wakasu) | Meaning/英訳
  • なんでやねん (nandeyanen): Meaning and Usage
  • 5 Meanings of 気 (ki) and 30 気-related Japanese Phrases
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • What’s 合コン (gōkon) and 街コン (machikon) in Japanese
  • あけおめ (Akeome): Casual Japanese New Year’s Greeting
  • Meaning of “Three-Day Monk” (三日坊主, mikka bouzu) in Japanese
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)
  • 告る (Kokuru) Meaning “Confess Your Feelings to Your Crush” in Japanese

Popular Posts

  • Why “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • Meaning of Kaedama, Menkata and Barikata of Ramen Noodles
  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 4 Meanings of ノリ (Nori) in Japanese Slang
  • Japanese Slang 賢者タイム (Kenja Time): Meaning & Example Sentences
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)
  • Meaning and Difference of ガチ (gachi) and マジ (maji) in Japanese
  • Meaning of 卍 (manji) and マジ卍 (Maji manji) in Japanese
  • 30+ Essential Japanese Words to Describe Food

Words by Theme

  • 9 Essential Kansai Dialect (Kansai-ben) Words and Phrases
  • Boku, Ore, Watashi, Atashi: 15 Japanese Person Pronouns
  • 40 Old Japanese Slang Words to Sound Funny (or Weird)

Idiom

  • 十八番 (ohako) Meaning “The Song You Sing Best”
  • How The Japanese Word 神 (Kami, ‘God’) Is Used Metaphorically
  • Japanese Money-Related Idioms and Slang Words

Japlish

  • 深夜テンション (shinya tension) Meaning “Midnight High” in Japanese Slang
  • Japanese Wasei-Eigo List (“Japlish”) and Their Meanings
  • Meaning of “Paper Driver” in Japlish (Japanese English)

Slang

  • 女たらし (onna tarashi) Meaning ‘Lady’s Man’ in Japanese
  • 5 Meanings of ペラペラ (pera pera) in Japanese
  • オワコン (Owakon) Meaning ‘Old-Fashioned’ in Japanese Slang

Column

  • Why “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese
  • イチロー (Ichiro): What He Means to Japanese Baseball Fans
  • Meaning of 遠慮 (enryo) and 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu)

Grammar

  • Essential Grammar in Kansai Dialect (関西弁, Kansai ben)
  • Slang Meaning of 全然 (Zenzen) Without ない (Nai)
  • Ageru, Kureru, and Morau: Meaning, Grammar and Difference

日本語記事

  • 「遠慮のかたまり」と「遠慮する」を英語で説明
  • 「背水の陣」のように決死の覚悟で挑む状況を英語で
  • 「猫を被る」を英語に訳す
  • 「一理ある」を英語に訳す

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved