食事・料理

彼女かのじょは和食わしょくの料理りょうりが得意とくいだ。

She's good at cooking Japanese food.

Usage 料理 is both cooking and the dish itself: 料理をする / 料理を作る (cook), 日本料理 (Japanese cuisine), 手料理 (home cooking), 料理が上手 (a good cook).

Remember it 料 (materials) + 理 (to arrange) → arranging ingredients.

このスープは塩分えんぶんが薄うすくて物足ものたりない。

This soup isn't salty enough, so it tastes a bit bland.

Usage 薄い is thin (paper, clothes), weak or bland (taste, tea), and light (color): 味が薄い, 薄い本. The verb 薄める means to dilute. Its opposite is 濃い for taste and color, and 厚い (あつい) for thickness.

Remember it 艹 (grass) + 溥 (spreading water) → water spread thin as a film on grass.

コーヒーが濃こすぎて眠ねむれなかった。

The coffee was so strong that I couldn't sleep.

Usage 濃い = strong, dark or thick: 濃いコーヒー, 味が濃い (strongly seasoned), 濃い色 (a deep color), 濃い化粧 (heavy makeup). 濃度 (のうど) = concentration. Opposite: 薄い.

Remember it 氵 (water) + 農 (farming) → rich, dense water like fertile soil.

レストランで食事しょくじの後あと、会計かいけいをお願ねがいした。

After our meal at the restaurant, I asked for the bill.

Usage お会計お願いします is how you ask for the bill at a restaurant. 会計 also means accounting: 会計士 (accountant), 会計年度 (fiscal year).

Remember it 会 (to meet) + 計 (to calculate) → meeting to add up what's owed.

食材しょくざいを調理ちょうりして弁当べんとうを作つくった。

I prepared the ingredients and made a bento.

Usage 調理 is the professional or formal word for cooking: 調理師 (licensed cook), 調理器具 (cooking utensils), 調理法 (cooking method). Everyday: 料理する.

Remember it 調 (to adjust, prepare) + 理 (to arrange) → preparing and arranging food.

毎朝まいあさ味噌みそスープを飲のむ。

I have miso soup every morning.

Usage 味噌 is fermented soybean paste, a pillar of Japanese cooking: 味噌汁 (miso soup), 白味噌 (white miso), 赤味噌 (red miso). 手前味噌 means blowing your own horn.

Remember it 味 (taste) + 噌 (a character used only for miso) → the taste paste.

刺身さしみに醤油しょうゆをつけて食べたべた。

I dipped the sashimi in soy sauce and ate it.

Usage 醤油 = soy sauce: 醤油をつける (dip in soy sauce), 醤油をかける (pour it over), 醤油ラーメン. 濃口 is dark soy sauce, 薄口 is light.

Remember it 醤 (fermented paste) + 油 (oil, liquid) → the liquid from fermented paste.

包丁ほうちょうを研といで切れ味きれあじを戻もどした。

I sharpened my kitchen knife to restore its edge.

Usage 包丁 is a kitchen knife: 包丁で切る, 包丁を研ぐ (とぐ, sharpen), 包丁さばき (knife skills). A general knife or blade is ナイフ or 刃物 (はもの).

Remember it Named after 庖丁, a legendary cook in the Chinese classic Zhuangzi, famous for his knife skills.

食器しょっきを食器洗しょっきあらい機きで洗あらった。

I washed the dishes in the dishwasher.

Usage 食器 covers plates, bowls, cups and chopsticks: 食器を洗う (do the dishes), 食器棚 (cupboard), 食器洗い機 (dishwasher). 皿 (さら) is a plate specifically.

Remember it 食 (eating) + 器 (vessel) → vessels for eating.

新鮮しんせんな食材しょくざいを市場いちばで仕入しいれた。

I bought fresh ingredients at the market.

Usage 食材 means food ingredients: 新鮮な食材, 旬の食材 (seasonal ingredients), 地元の食材 (local produce). 材料 (ざいりょう) is ingredients for a recipe, or materials in general.

Remember it 食 (food) + 材 (material) → food material.

旬しゅんの野菜やさいは栄養えいようが豊富ほうふで安やすい。

Vegetables in season are rich in nutrients and cheap.

Usage 旬 is the time when a food is at its best: 旬の野菜, 旬を迎える (come into season), 今が旬 (it's in season now). Also used for people and trends: 旬の俳優 (an actor who's hot right now).

Remember it 勹 (to wrap) + 日 (day, sun) → a stretch of days wrapped together. The peak days of a season.

昆布こんぶと鰹節かつおぶしから出汁だしを取とった。

I made stock from kombu and bonito flakes.

Usage 出汁 (usually だし) is Japanese soup stock: だしを取る (make stock), 昆布だし, かつおだし, だしの素 (instant stock). It is the source of umami in Japanese cooking.

Remember it 出 (to draw out) + 汁 (juice, soup) → the flavor drawn out into liquid.

そばにねぎやわさびなどの薬味やくみを添そえた。

I added condiments like green onion and wasabi to the soba.

Usage 薬味 are small garnishes added for flavor: ねぎ (green onion), わさび, しょうが (ginger), 大葉 (shiso). 調味料 (ちょうみりょう) are seasonings like salt and soy sauce.

Remember it 薬 (medicine) + 味 (taste) → tastes once used as medicine.

盛り付けもりつけが美うつくしいと食欲しょくよくがわく。

When food is beautifully presented, it whets your appetite.

Usage 盛り付け is plating or arranging food: 盛り付けがきれい, 皿に盛り付ける. Japanese cooking is said to be 目で食べる, eaten with the eyes first.

Remember it 盛る (to heap, dish up) + 付ける (to attach, arrange) → heaping food and arranging it.

柚子ゆずの風味ふうみが効きいた醤油しょうゆは香かおりがいい。

Soy sauce accented with yuzu has a lovely aroma.

Usage 風味 is flavor including aroma: 風味豊か (full of flavor), 風味が落ちる (lose flavor), 〜風味 (flavored with ...). 味 is just taste.

Remember it 風 (wind, air) + 味 (taste) → taste carried on the air. Flavor plus aroma.

消費期限しょうひきげんを過すぎた食品しょくひんは食べたべない。

I don't eat food that's past its use-by date.

Usage 消費期限 is a use-by date for perishables like meat and bento: don't eat after it. 賞味期限 is a best-before date: fine after, but past its best.

Remember it 消費 (consumption) + 期限 (deadline) → the deadline for consuming it.

無添加むてんかの食品しょくひんを選えらぶようにしている。

I try to choose foods without additives.

Usage 添加物 are food additives: 食品添加物, 無添加 (additive-free, a common label in Japan). 保存料 (ほぞんりょう) are preservatives.

Remember it 添 (to add) + 加 (to add) + 物 (substance) → substances added in.

有機ゆうき野菜やさいは農薬のうやくを使つかわずに育そだてられる。

Organic vegetables are grown without pesticides.

Usage 有機 = organic: 有機野菜 (organic vegetables), 有機栽培 (organic farming). It also means organic in chemistry: 有機化学. オーガニック is the loanword on packaging.

Remember it 有 (to have) + 機 (mechanism, life) → having life in it. Organic.

食物繊維しょくもつせんいを多おおく摂とることで便秘べんぴが改善かいぜんした。

Eating more dietary fiber has eased my constipation.

Usage 食物繊維 = dietary fiber: 食物繊維が豊富 (rich in fiber). 繊維 alone means fiber or textile: 繊維産業 (textile industry).

Remember it 食物 (food) + 繊維 (fiber, thread) → the fiber in food.

味噌みそは大豆だいずを発酵はっこうさせて作つくる。

Miso is made by fermenting soybeans.

Usage 発酵する / させる = to ferment: 発酵食品 (fermented foods), like 味噌, 醤油, 納豆 and 漬物. 腐る (くさる) is to rot, the bad kind of change.

Remember it 発 (to start) + 酵 (yeast, 酉 radical for sake jars) → yeast getting to work.

野菜やさいを蒸むして栄養えいようを逃のがさないようにした。

I steamed the vegetables so as not to lose their nutrients.

Usage 蒸す = to steam: 蒸し器 (steamer), 蒸し料理, 茶碗蒸し (savory egg custard). 蒸し暑い (むしあつい) means hot and humid.

Remember it 艹 (grass) over 烝 (rising steam over fire 灬) → steam rising through a grass lid.

玉ねぎたまねぎを細こまかく刻きざんでスープに入いれた。

I finely chopped an onion and added it to the soup.

Usage 刻む = to chop finely: ねぎを刻む, 細かく刻む. It also means to carve or engrave, and to tick away: 時を刻む (time ticks on), 心に刻む (engrave in your heart).

Remember it 亥 + 刂 (knife) → cutting with a knife, notch by notch.

大根だいこんをすりおろすすりおろすと、辛からみが強つよくなる。

When you grate daikon, it gets spicier.

Usage すりおろす = to grate: 大根おろし (grated daikon), すりおろしたしょうが (grated ginger). The grater is おろし金 (おろしがね).

Remember it する (to rub) + おろす (to bring down) → rubbing something down into shreds.

きゅうりを塩しおと酢すに漬つけて浅漬けあさづけを作つくった。

I made quick pickles by soaking cucumbers in salt and vinegar.

Usage 漬ける = to pickle or marinate: 漬物 (pickles), 醤油漬け (marinated in soy sauce), 浅漬け (lightly pickled). Don't confuse it with 付ける (attach) or 着ける (wear), also read つける.

Remember it 氵 (water, liquid) + 責 → pressing food down into liquid.

このパンは外そとはカリカリで中なかはもちもちの食感しょっかんだ。

This bread is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Usage 食感 is texture in the mouth, often paired with sound words: サクサク (crispy), もちもち (chewy), ふわふわ (fluffy), とろとろ (melty). Japanese has a huge texture vocabulary.

Remember it 食 (eating) + 感 (feeling) → the feeling while eating.

塩分えんぶんの摂り過ぎとりすぎは高血圧こうけつあつの原因げんいんになる。

Too much salt is a cause of high blood pressure.

Usage 塩分 is salt content: 塩分を控える (cut down on salt), 塩分控えめ (low-salt), 減塩 (げんえん, reduced salt).

Remember it 塩 (salt) + 分 (portion, content) → the salt content.

脂質ししつの摂取量せっしゅりょうに気きをつけてダイエットしている。

I'm dieting by watching how much fat I eat.

Usage 脂質 is fat as a nutrient, as on Japanese nutrition labels: 脂質, 炭水化物, たんぱく質. 脂 (あぶら) is animal fat; 油 (あぶら) is oil.

Remember it 脂 (fat, grease) + 質 (substance) → fatty substance.

バランスよく栄養素えいようそを摂とることが健康けんこうの基本きほんだ。

Getting a good balance of nutrients is the basis of health.

Usage 栄養素 are individual nutrients. The 五大栄養素 are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. 栄養 is nutrition as a whole.

Remember it 栄養 (nutrition) + 素 (element) → the elements of nutrition.

賞味期限しょうみきげんが切きれてもすぐに食べたべられなくなるわけではない。

Just because the best-before date has passed doesn't mean it's suddenly inedible.

Usage 賞味期限 is a best-before date: the food is still safe after it, just past its best. 消費期限 is the stricter use-by date. 賞味期限切れ = past its best-before date.

Remember it 賞味 (to savor) + 期限 (deadline) → the deadline for savoring it at its best.

その地域ちいきの郷土料理きょうどりょうりを食べたべるのが旅行りょこうの楽たのしみだ。

Eating the local specialties of a region is one of the joys of traveling.

Usage 郷土料理 are traditional regional dishes, like Okinawa's ゴーヤチャンプルー or Akita's きりたんぽ. 郷土 means one's native region: 郷土愛 (love for one's home region).

Remember it 郷土 (native region) + 料理 (cuisine) → cooking from your native region.

記念日きねんびに懐石料理かいせきりょうりのお店おみせを予約よやくした。

I booked a kaiseki restaurant for our anniversary.

Usage 懐石料理 is refined multi-course Japanese cuisine that grew out of the tea ceremony. 会席料理 (same reading) is the banquet style served at inns and parties.

Remember it 懐 (breast pocket) + 石 (stone) → Zen monks kept a warm stone against the stomach to stave off hunger. Kaiseki began as a light meal.

友人ゆうじんと食事しょくじに行いって割り勘わりかんにした。

I went out to eat with a friend and we split the bill.

Usage 割り勘にする = to split the bill evenly. It is the norm among friends in Japan. The opposite is おごる (to treat someone): 今日は私がおごる.

Remember it 割る (to divide) + 勘定 (かんじょう, the bill) → dividing the bill.

2時間じかんの飲み放題のみほうだいコースを注文ちゅうもんした。

We ordered the two-hour all-you-can-drink course.

Usage 飲み放題 = all-you-can-drink, a staple of izakaya party courses: 飲み放題付き (with unlimited drinks). 〜放題 means as much as you like: 食べ放題, 言いたい放題 (saying whatever you want).

Remember it 飲む (to drink) + 放題 (unrestrained) → drinking without restraint.

ビュッフェスタイルの食べ放題たべほうだいレストランに行いった。

I went to a buffet-style all-you-can-eat restaurant.

Usage 食べ放題 = all-you-can-eat: 焼肉食べ放題, 90分食べ放題. There is usually a time limit (時間制限).

Remember it 食べる (to eat) + 放題 (unrestrained) → eating without restraint.

居酒屋いざかやに入はいると自動じどう的にお通しおとおしが出でてくる。

When you go into an izakaya, a small appetizer is served automatically.

Usage お通し is the small appetizer served at an izakaya, charged as a cover fee (usually 300 to 500 yen). In the Kansai region it is called 突き出し (つきだし).

Remember it 通す (to let through) → the dish that shows your order has gone through to the kitchen.

夏バテなつばてで食欲不振しょくよくふしんになり体重たいじゅうが減へった。

The summer heat wore me down, I lost my appetite, and I lost weight.

Usage 食欲不振 = loss of appetite, a medical-sounding phrase. 不振 means slump: 業績不振 (poor business results). Its opposite is 食欲旺盛 (おうせい).

Remember it 食欲 (appetite) + 不振 (no vigor) → an appetite without vigor.

炭水化物たんすいかぶつを減へらすダイエットが流行はやっている。

Low-carb diets are in fashion.

Usage 炭水化物 = carbohydrates: 炭水化物を控える (cut down on carbs). 糖質 (とうしつ) is sugars; 糖質制限 is a low-carb diet.

Remember it 炭 (carbon) + 水 (water) + 化物 (compound) → carbon and water combined. Literally carbo-hydrate.

筋肉きんにくを作つくるためにたんぱく質たんぱくしつを多おおく摂とっている。

I eat a lot of protein to build muscle.

Usage たんぱく質 = protein, also written 蛋白質: 動物性たんぱく質 (animal protein), 植物性たんぱく質 (plant protein). プロテイン usually means protein powder.

Remember it Kanji form 蛋白質: 蛋 (egg) + 白 (white) + 質 (substance) → egg-white substance.

お寺てらで精進料理しょうじんりょうりの体験たいけんをした。

I tried Buddhist vegetarian cuisine at a temple.

Usage 精進料理 is Buddhist temple cuisine with no meat or fish. 精進 means devotion and effort: 日々精進します (I'll keep working hard).

Remember it 精進 (devoted practice) + 料理 (cuisine) → cooking for those devoted to Buddhist practice.

ご飯はんのおかわりおかわりをお願ねがいします。

Could I have another bowl of rice, please?

Usage おかわり is a second helping or a refill: おかわりする, おかわり自由 (free refills). You'll often hear ご飯のおかわりはいかがですか at set-meal restaurants.

Remember it お + 代わり (かわり, replacement) → a replacement for the bowl you just emptied.

生牡蠣なまかきを食べたべて食中毒しょくちゅうどくになった。

I got food poisoning from eating raw oysters.

Usage 食中毒 = food poisoning: 食中毒になる, 食中毒を起こす. 中毒 alone means poisoning or addiction: ゲーム中毒 (gaming addiction).

Remember it 食 (food) + 中毒 (poisoning) → poisoning from food.