“卵 (tamago)” & More Japanese Food Vocabulary

Blog
06 February 2024
By Sarah Angela Almaden
Japanese House
Unsplash: Markus Winkler

There is nothing better than food. Nothing. Well, there is water and water is also pretty great itself. But is water food, though? I would like to think so. I really think water is considered food. However, if I’m wrong, please correct me. Just send a message through the interwebs or send over a carrier pigeon. Either one would work.

Now, let’s go back to the food talk. Anyhoo, you and I both know that food is a lot of things. And a lot of these things have names. Interestingly, these names are translated into different languages. Any language you can think of. Even Japanese. Because food is food and food is available everywhere. Oh, and pizza in Japanese is ピザ (piza).

  • Egg: 卵 (tamago)
  • Omelet: オムレツ (omuretsu)
  • Cheese: チーズ (chīzu)
  • Rice: 米 (kome)
  • Peanut Butter: ピーナッツバター (pīnattsubatā)
  • Pizza: ピザ (piza)
  • Cereal: シリアル (shiriaru)
  • Pancake: パンケーキ (pankēki)
  • Uncooked Rice: 米 (kome)
  • Pretzel: プレッツェル (purettsu~eru)
  • Cooked Rice: ご飯 (gohan) or 飯 (meshi)
  • Bread: パン (pan)
  • Yogurt: ヨーグルト (yo-guruto)
  • Cucumber: キュウリ (kyuuri)
  • Potato: じゃがいも (jagaimo)
  • Broth: 出汁 (dashi)
  • Honey: 蜂蜜 (hachimitsu)
  • Wine: ワイン (wain)
  • Mushrooms: 榎茸 (enoki dake)
  • Butter: バター (batā)
  • Bacon: ベーコン (bēkon)
  • Milk: ミルク (miruku), 牛乳 (gyūnyū)
  • Fish: 魚 (sakana)
  • Chicken Wings: 手羽先 (tebasaki)
  • Sausage: ソーセージ (sōsēji)
  • Lettuce: レタス (retasu)
  • Eel: 鰻 (unagi)
  • Ramen: ラーメン (rāmen)
  • Soup: スープ (sūpu)
  • Apple: りんご (ringo)
  • Garlic: にんにく (ninniku)
  • Oats: 麦 (mugi)
  • Ham: ハム (hamu)
  • Hamburger: ハンバーガー (hanbāgā)
  • Hotdog: ホットドッグ (hottodoggu)
  • Salmon: しゃけ (sha-keh)