Here are Japanese words for food to start with: 朝食 (choushoku, breakfast), コーヒー (koohii, coffee), 美味しい (oishii, delicious), レストラン (resutoran, restaurant). Below are 96 words (A1–C1) with their English translations, part of speech and a romanization to help you say them, across 12 themed lists.
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| breakfast | 朝食choushoku | noun | A1 |
| coffee | コーヒーkoohii | noun | A1 |
| delicious | 美味しいoishii | adj | A1 |
| restaurant | レストランresutoran | noun | A1 |
| waiter | ウェイターueitaa | noun | A1 |
| water | 水mizu | noun | A1 |
| bill | お会計o kaikei | noun | A2 |
| spicy | 辛いkarai | adj | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| bread | パンpan | noun | A1 |
| cheese | チーズchiizu | noun | A1 |
| dinner | 夕食yuushoku | noun | A1 |
| fruit | 果物kudamono | noun | A1 |
| lunch | 昼食chuushoku | noun | A1 |
| meal | 食事shokuji | noun | A1 |
| vegetable | 野菜yasai | noun | A1 |
| cooking | 料理ryouri | noun | A2 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| diet | 食生活shokuseikatsu | noun | A2 |
| feast | ごちそうgochisou | noun | B1 |
| nutrition | 栄養eiyou | noun | B1 |
| delicacy | 珍味chinmi | noun | B2 |
| flavorful | 風味豊かなfuumi yutaka na | adj | B2 |
| grocery | 食料品shokuryouhin | noun | B2 |
| cuisine | 料理ryouri | noun | C1 |
| culinary | 料理のryouri no | adj | C1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| butter | バターbataa | noun | A1 |
| egg | 卵tamago | noun | A1 |
| potato | じゃがいもjagaimo | noun | A1 |
| rice | 米kome | noun | A1 |
| sugar | 砂糖satou | noun | A1 |
| tomato | トマトtomato | noun | A1 |
| flour | 小麦粉komugiko | noun | A2 |
| salt | 塩shio | noun | A2 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| chili | 唐辛子tougarashi | noun | A2 |
| basil | バジルbajiru | noun | B1 |
| coriander | コリアンダーkoriandaa | noun | B1 |
| cumin | クミンkumin | noun | B1 |
| oregano | オレガノoregano | noun | B1 |
| rosemary | ローズマリーroozumarii | noun | B1 |
| thyme | タイムtaimu | noun | B1 |
| turmeric | ターメリックtaamerikku | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| beans | さやいんげんsayaingen | noun | A2 |
| carrot | ニンジンninjin | noun | A2 |
| peas | エンドウ豆endoumame | noun | A2 |
| broccoli | ブロッコリーburokkorii | noun | B1 |
| cabbage | キャベツkyabetsu | noun | B1 |
| cauliflower | カリフラワーkarifurawaa | noun | B1 |
| lettuce | レタスretasu | noun | B1 |
| spinach | ほうれん草hourensou | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| apple | りんごringo | noun | A1 |
| banana | バナナbanana | noun | A1 |
| grape | ぶどうbudou | noun | A1 |
| lemon | レモンremon | noun | A2 |
| lime | ライムraimu | noun | A2 |
| melon | メロンmeron | noun | A2 |
| pear | 梨nashi | noun | A2 |
| strawberry | いちごichigo | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| corn | トウモロコシtoumorokoshi | noun | A1 |
| yogurt | ヨーグルトyooguruto | noun | A1 |
| cream | クリームkuriimu | noun | A2 |
| oat | オーツ麦ootsumugi | noun | B1 |
| rye | ライ麦raimugi | noun | B1 |
| barley | 大麦oomugi | noun | B2 |
| buckwheat | そばの実soba no mi | noun | B2 |
| wheat | 小麦komugi | noun | B2 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| beef | 牛肉gyuuniku | noun | A1 |
| ground beef | 牛ひき肉gyuuhikiniku | noun | A2 |
| ham | ハムhamu | noun | A2 |
| meatball | ミートボールmiitobooru | noun | A2 |
| sausage | ソーセージsooseeji | noun | A2 |
| steak | ステーキsuteeki | noun | A2 |
| lamb | ラム肉ramuniku | noun | B1 |
| pork | 豚肉butaniku | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| juice | ジュースjuusu | noun | A1 |
| milk | 牛乳gyuunyuu | noun | A1 |
| tea | お茶ocha | noun | A1 |
| champagne | シャンパンshanpan | noun | A2 |
| lemonade | レモネードremoneedo | noun | A2 |
| soda | ソーダsooda | noun | A2 |
| sparkling water | 炭酸水tansansui | noun | A2 |
| smoothie | スムージーsumuujii | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| biscuit | ビスケットbisuketto | noun | A1 |
| bagel | ベーグルbeeguru | noun | A2 |
| baguette | バゲットbagetto | noun | A2 |
| donut | ドーナツdoonatsu | noun | A2 |
| muffin | マフィンmafin | noun | A2 |
| pastry | 生地kiji | noun | A2 |
| waffle | ワッフルwaffuru | noun | A2 |
| sourdough | サワードウsawaadou | noun | B1 |
| English | Japanese | Type | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| hot sauce | ホットソースhottosoosu | noun | A2 |
| olive oil | オリーブ油oriibuabura | noun | A2 |
| soy sauce | しょうゆshouyu | noun | A2 |
| bolognese | ボロネーゼboroneeze | noun | B1 |
| fish sauce | 魚醤gyoshou | noun | B1 |
| oyster sauce | オイスターソースoisutaasoosu | noun | B1 |
| sesame oil | ごま油gomaabura | noun | B1 |
| relish | レリッシュrerisshu | noun | B2 |
Emoji: Twemoji, CC-BY 4.0
Watch Your LanguageVocabulary widgets for iPhone & Apple Watch
These lists show a sample of the A1–C1 words for food. The packs in Watch Your Language hold more and reach the advanced levels, along with every other topic.
The app shows them to you a few at a time, in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and brings back the ones you keep forgetting.
You could start with words like 朝食 (choushoku, breakfast), コーヒー (koohii, coffee), 美味しい (oishii, delicious), レストラン (resutoran, restaurant). This page lists 96 Japanese words for food (A1–C1), each with its English translation and part of speech.
Reading a list once is rarely enough. Watch Your Language shows Japanese words like these in a widget on your iPhone Lock Screen and on your Apple Watch face, and schedules repeats so the words you keep forgetting come back more often.
Yes. The lists on this page are free to read, with no sign-up. The app holds more words for each topic.