Japanese Food - Word List and Vocabulary

Today you will learn how to pronounce food and write fruits, vegetables, meats, food drinks and sweets in Japanese [日本語]. In this organized list you will learn several words and increase your vocabulary.

The Japanese language is quite complex, and it borrows many words from other languages and writes them using Katakana (script used for foreign words). We recommend having some knowledge of the language.

Kudamono [果物] - Fruits in Japanese

Japanese	Romanization	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
りんご	ringo	apple
ぶどう	budou	grape
なし	nashi	japanese pear
ようなし	younashi	Pêra
かき	persimmon	persimmon
オレンジ	orenji	orange
レモン	Remon	lemon
ライム	raimu	five
グレープフルーツ	gureepufuruutsu	toranja
バナナ	banana	banana
いちご	strawberry	strawberry
ブルーベリー	buruuberii	mirtilo
さくらんぼ	sakuranbo	cherry
メロン	meron	green melon (honeydew)
すいか	Suika	watermelon

Curiosities: Japanese apples are much larger than western apples, while watermelons are quite small.

Yasai [やさい] - Vegetables in Japanese

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
にんじん	ninja	carrots
セロリ	serori	celery
レタス	Retasu	lettuce
キャベツ	kyabetsu	cabbage
トマト	tomato	tomato
ねぎ	deny	green onion (scallions)
たまねぎ	Tamanegi	(Round) onion
ポテト	Poteto	potatoes
ブロッコリー	burokkorii	broccoli
ピーマン	baby	chili, green pepper
まめ	bean	beans (in general)
ピース	peisu	peas
コーン	koon	corn

Japanese cuisine uses a lot of vegetables, including many that are unknown in the West. An example of a Japanese vegetable is daikon, which is a giant white radish.

Meat and Fish in Japanese

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
牛肉	gyuuniku	meat
豚肉	butaniku	pork meat
ハム	hamu	ham
鶏肉	toriniku	chicken
卵	egg	egg
魚	sakana	fish
エビ	ebi	shrimp, shrimp, lobster
カニ	crab	crab
たこ	tako	dust

Tori "ave" is used to refer to chicken in the context of food products, since turkey and other birds are rarely found in Japan. Similarly, meat "beef" without further specification generally refers to beef, although butaniku (pork) is cheaper and consumed in greater quantities.

NYUUSEIHIN [乳製品] - DAIRY PRODUCTS IN JAPANESE

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
牛乳	milk	milk
ミルク	milk	milk
チーズ	chiizu	cheese
ヨーグルト	yooguruto	yogurt
アイスクリーム	aisukuriimu	ice cream

Dairy products are not used in traditional Japanese cuisine, but they can still be found in Japanese supermarkets and in Western foods. Both Gyuunyuu and Miruku are common words for milk.

Grains and Pasta in Japanese

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
米	rice	rice (uncooked)
ご飯	rice	cooked rice)
玄米	genmai	brown rice
うどん	udon	wheat noodles
そうめん	soumen	Thin Noodles (Noodles)
そば	soba	Buckwheat noodles
ラーメン	Raamen	ramen (Chinese noodles)
パン	Pan	bread, rolls, pies
菓子パン	kashipan	sweet bread cakes
ピザ	pizza	pizza

Other remarks:

Japanese rice It is short grain rice, unlike the long grain rice commonly used in the West. Short grain rice is a bit sticky and clumps together, making it easier to eat with chopsticks, but it is not starchy.

japanese noodles - especially only e sobaIt can be served hot or in a cold soup with a sauce. Noodles are a popular dish in Japanese cuisine.

The real ramen is a style of Chinese noodle soup, which became popular in Japan with its enormous fame. Pan in Japanese can refer to any type of bread or dough.

Nomimono [飲み物] - Drinks in Japanese

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
水	water	water
お茶	the tea	green tea, in general
日本茶	nihoncha	japanese green tea
麦茶	mugicha	Japanese iced barley tea
紅茶	black tea	black tea (lit. "crimson tea")
コーヒー	koohii	café
ジュース	juusu	juice
オレンジジュース	orenjijuusu	orange juice
レモネード	earn	Lemonade
ソーダ	sooda	soda pop
お酒	sake	sake (rice) and alcohol in general
日本酒	nihonshu	japanese sake
ワイン	Wain	wine
ビール	biiru	beer

Japanese Seasonings and Condiments

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
醤油	Soy sauce	soy sauce
油	abura	oil
酢	su	vinegar
味醂	mirin	cooking rice wine
塩	salt	sal
コショウ	Koshou	pepper
砂糖	satou	sugar
わさび	wasabi	wasabi ("horseradish" Japanese)
ごま	Gum	sesame seeds
バター	gown	butter
ケチャップ	ketchup	ketchup

The true wasabi is a grated root. The green paste found outside of Japan is a cheaper substitute made from horseradish and mustard, two spicy plants. Also, read our article about Japanese seasonings.

Washoku [和食] - Japanese food in Japanese

Below we will see how to write traditional and Japanese foods. Also quickly understand what each Japanese food is.

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
寿司	sushi	rice wrapped in seaweed
刺身	sashimi	sliced raw fish
天ぷら	tenpura	battered and fried vegetables and seafood
焼き鳥	yakitori	chicken in stick
焼肉	yakiniku	japanese barbecue
焼き魚	grilled fish	grilled fish
焼きそば	yakisoba	fried noodles with vegetables and meats
すき焼き	sukiyaki	traditional japanese stew
お好み焼き	okonomiyaki	japanese pancake
とんかつ	tonkatsu	fried pork chop
カレー	karee	curry usually served with rice
コロッケ	kurokke	fried croquette, typically made from mashed potatoes
餃子	Gyouza	Chinese pastry
味噌汁	misoshiru	miso soup (soy-based)
漬物	tsukemono	Japanese pickle salad

Yaki [焼き] can mean fried, grilled, roasted and the like. The word comes from the verb yaku [焼く] which means to fry, grill and bake. While not strictly native to Japan, Japanese curry is totally different from Indian curry.

YOUSHOKU [養殖] - WESTERN FOOD IN JAPANESE

Kana	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
スープ	suupu	soup (any kind)
サラダ	Sarada	salad
サンドイッチ	sanditchi	sandwich
ハンバーガー	hanbaagaa	hamburger
ホットドッグ	hottodoggu	hot dog
フライドポテト	furaidopotete	french fries, french fries
フライドチキン	furaidochikin	fried chicken
ステーキ	suteeki	bife
スパゲッティー	supgettii	spaghetti

Note that despite similar names, Japanese versions of Western foods are typically adapted to Japanese tastes.

We also recommend reading: The 100 most popular Japanese meals in Japan

Snacks and Sweets in Japanese

Japanese	Romaji	Please provide the text you would like to have translated.
チップ	chippu	chips
ポップコーン	poppukoon	popcorn
クッキー	kukkii	cookies
ケーキ	cake	cake
パ イ	father	pie
アイスクリーム	aisukuriimu	ice cream
チョコレート	chocolate	chocolate
ゼリー	zerii	jam (gelatin and similar desserts)
わがし	Japanese sweets	traditional Japanese sweets (many are cookies)

Dessert is not traditionally served after meals in Japan (except for fresh fruit), but sweet foods are eaten as snacks or all the time.

Hope you enjoyed the article. Thanks to “japaneseprofessor” for sharing some information from the article. Hope you enjoyed the article. If you liked it, share it and leave your comments.