Japanese food and menu words
128 words from menus in Japan: what the dishes are called, the fish on a sushi counter, sweets and drinks, and the menu's own words. Pick what each one is, read it, or find the Japanese for it.
Can you read a Japanese menu?
About this quiz
Menus in Japan write most dishes in kanji or kana, and foreign dishes in katakana. The words here are written the way the dictionary gives them; a menu may use kana for a word you see in kanji here.
The menu words part is what's printed around the dishes: 大盛り (large serving), 並盛り (normal serving), 特盛 (extra-large portion), 食べ放題 (all-you-can-eat).
What's in it
All 128 answers
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning | Part |
|---|---|---|---|
| 寿司 | すし | sushi | Dishes |
| 刺身 | さしみ | sashimi (raw sliced fish, shellfish or crustaceans) | Dishes |
| 天ぷら | てんぷら | tempura; deep-fried fish and vegetables in a light batter | Dishes |
| うどん | うどん | udon; thick Japanese wheat noodles | Dishes |
| ラーメン | ラーメン | ramen; Chinese-style noodles | Dishes |
| 丼 | どんぶり | donburi; bowl of meat, fish, etc. served over rice | Dishes |
| 親子丼 | おやこどん | oyakodon; bowl of rice topped with chicken and egg (or other parent-child ingredient pairing) | Dishes |
| カツ丼 | カツどん | katsudon; pork cutlet served on top of a bowl of rice | Dishes |
| 天丼 | てんどん | tempura donburi; tempura served over a bowl of rice | Dishes |
| 牛丼 | ぎゅうどん | gyudon; rice covered with sliced beef, usu. with fried onion | Dishes |
| 豚丼 | ぶたどん | pork donburi; bowl of rice topped with pork and vegetables | Dishes |
| 海鮮丼 | かいせんどん | seafood donburi | Dishes |
| うな重 | うなじゅう | broiled eel served over rice in a lacquered box | Dishes |
| 鰻丼 | うなどん | eel donburi; bowl of rice topped with eel | Dishes |
| 焼き鳥 | やきとり | yakitori; chicken pieces (or sometimes beef or pork offal) grilled on a skewer | Dishes |
| 唐揚げ | からあげ | deep-fried food (esp. chicken) | Dishes |
| 餃子 | ギョーザ | gyoza; pot sticker; crescent-shaped pan-fried dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables | Dishes |
| お好み焼き | おこのみやき | okonomiyaki; savoury pancake fried on an iron griddle with vegetables, meat and/or seafood and topped with various sauces and condiments | Dishes |
| たこ焼き | たこやき | takoyaki; octopus dumplings | Dishes |
| 焼きそば | やきそば | yakisoba; fried noodles, usu. with vegetables and meat | Dishes |
| 味噌汁 | みそしる | miso soup | Dishes |
| 漬物 | つけもの | tsukemono (pickled vegetables) | Dishes |
| 冷奴 | ひややっこ | cold tofu (served with condiments) | Dishes |
| 茶碗蒸し | ちゃわんむし | chawanmushi; savoury steamed egg custard with chicken, mushrooms, etc. (savory) | Dishes |
| お茶漬け | おちゃづけ | ochazuke; rice with tea poured on it | Dishes |
| 焼き魚 | やきざかな | grilled fish | Dishes |
| 煮物 | にもの | nimono; food cooked by boiling or stewing | Dishes |
| 鍋 | なべ | hot pot | Dishes |
| すき焼き | すきやき | sukiyaki; thin slices of beef, cooked with various vegetables in a table-top cast-iron pan | Dishes |
| しゃぶしゃぶ | しゃぶしゃぶ | shabu-shabu; hot pot dish where thinly sliced meat is boiled quickly and then dipped in sauce | Dishes |
| おでん | おでん | oden; dish of various ingredients, e.g. egg, daikon, potato, chikuwa, konnyaku stewed in soy-flavored dashi | Dishes |
| 焼肉 | やきにく | yakiniku; Japanese dish of grilled meat similar to Korean barbecue | Dishes |
| とんかつ | とんかつ | tonkatsu; breaded pork cutlet | Dishes |
| カレーライス | カレーライス | curry and rice; rice and curry; curry rice | Dishes |
| オムライス | オムライス | omurice; fried rice wrapped in or topped with omelette | Dishes |
| おにぎり | おにぎり | onigiri; rice ball (often triangular, sometimes with a filling and wrapped in nori) | Dishes |
| 弁当 | べんとう | bento; Japanese box lunch | Dishes |
| 定食 | ていしょく | set meal; special (of the day) | Dishes |
| ちらし寿司 | ちらしずし | chirashi; chirashizushi; sushi rice in a box or bowl with a variety of ingredients sprinkled on top | Sushi & seafood |
| 巻き寿司 | まきずし | makizushi; rolled sushi; sushi roll | Sushi & seafood |
| 稲荷寿司 | いなりずし | inarizushi; sushi wrapped in fried tofu | Sushi & seafood |
| 手巻き寿司 | てまきずし | hand-rolled sushi (usu. cone-shaped) | Sushi & seafood |
| 冷やし中華 | ひやしちゅうか | chilled Chinese noodles | Dishes |
| つけ麺 | つけめん | cold Chinese noodles served with a dipping sauce separately | Dishes |
| 担々麺 | タンタンめん | tan tan ramen; Szechuan dish of noodles covered with a sauce of sesame paste and chili oil | Dishes |
| 炒飯 | チャーハン | Chinese-style fried rice | Dishes |
| 雑炊 | ぞうすい | rice porridge made by simmering cooked rice in a seasoned broth, often containing vegetables, fish, etc. (usu. made from leftovers) | Dishes |
| 湯豆腐 | ゆどうふ | boiled tofu | Dishes |
| 納豆 | なっとう | natto (fermented soybeans) | Dishes |
| 枝豆 | えだまめ | edamame (green soybeans) | Dishes |
| 豆腐 | とうふ | tofu; bean curd; beancurd | Dishes |
| 卵焼き | たまごやき | rolled egg; rolled omelette (omelet) | Dishes |
| 目玉焼き | めだまやき | fried egg; sunny-side up fried egg | Dishes |
| 照り焼き | てりやき | teriyaki (meat or fish marinated in sweet soy sauce and broiled) | Dishes |
| 串カツ | くしカツ | kushikatsu; deep-fried skewered meat and vegetables | Dishes |
| 肉じゃが | にくじゃが | nikujaga; meat and potato stew | Dishes |
| 筑前煮 | ちくぜんに | chikuzenni; simmered chicken and vegetables; chicken stew with taro, carrot, burdock, etc. | Dishes |
| お粥 | おかゆ | thin rice porridge; watery cooked rice; rice gruel | Dishes |
| 鮪 | まぐろ | tuna (Thunnus spp.; esp. the Pacific bluefin) | Sushi & seafood |
| とろ | とろ | fatty cut (esp. of tuna belly) | Sushi & seafood |
| 鮭 | さけ | salmon (Salmonidae spp.) | Sushi & seafood |
| 鯖 | さば | mackerel (esp. the chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus) | Sushi & seafood |
| 鰻 | うなぎ | eel (esp. the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica) | Sushi & seafood |
| 海老 | えび | prawn; shrimp; lobster | Sushi & seafood |
| 蛸 | たこ | octopus | Sushi & seafood |
| 烏賊 | いか | cuttlefish; squid | Sushi & seafood |
| 帆立 | ほたて | Japanese scallop (Patinopecten yessoensis); Yesso scallop | Sushi & seafood |
| うに | うに | sea urchin | Sushi & seafood |
| いくら | いくら | salted salmon roe | Sushi & seafood |
| 鯛 | たい | sea bream (esp. Pagrus major); porgy | Sushi & seafood |
| 鰤 | ぶり | Japanese amberjack (species of yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata) | Sushi & seafood |
| 鯵 | あじ | horse mackerel (Carangidae spp., esp. the Japanese horse mackerel, Trachurus japonicus); jack mackerel; pompano | Sushi & seafood |
| 穴子 | あなご | conger eel (esp. the common Japanese conger, Conger myriaster); garden eel | Sushi & seafood |
| 玉子 | たまご | (hen's) egg | Sushi & seafood |
| 鰹 | かつお | skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis); oceanic bonito; victorfish | Sushi & seafood |
| 鮑 | あわび | abalone; ear shell | Sushi & seafood |
| 蟹 | かに | crab | Sushi & seafood |
| 牡蠣 | かき | oyster; oyster shell | Sushi & seafood |
| 河豚 | ふぐ | puffer fish; blow fish; fugu | Sushi & seafood |
| 団子 | だんご | dango; dumpling (usu. sweet) | Sweets & drinks |
| 大福 | だいふく | rice cake stuffed with bean jam | Sweets & drinks |
| 餅 | もち | mochi; small rice cake made from glutinous rice | Sweets & drinks |
| 羊羹 | ようかん | yōkan; jellied dessert made from red bean paste, agar, and sugar | Sweets & drinks |
| 煎餅 | せんべい | (Japanese) rice cracker; senbei | Sweets & drinks |
| かき氷 | かきごおり | shaved ice (usually served with flavored simple syrup) | Sweets & drinks |
| 饅頭 | まんじゅう | manjū; steamed yeast bun with filling | Sweets & drinks |
| どら焼き | どらやき | dorayaki; dessert sandwich of two small sweet pancakes and red bean paste | Sweets & drinks |
| たい焼き | たいやき | fish-shaped pancake filled with bean jam | Sweets & drinks |
| 抹茶 | まっちゃ | matcha; powdered green tea | Sweets & drinks |
| 緑茶 | りょくちゃ | green tea; Japanese tea | Sweets & drinks |
| 麦茶 | むぎちゃ | barley tea | Sweets & drinks |
| ほうじ茶 | ほうじちゃ | roasted green tea | Sweets & drinks |
| 日本酒 | にほんしゅ | sake (rice wine); saké | Sweets & drinks |
| 焼酎 | しょうちゅう | shōchū; Japanese spirit distilled from sweet potatoes, rice, etc. | Sweets & drinks |
| 梅酒 | うめしゅ | ume liqueur; Japanese plum brandy; unripe ume infused in liquor (esp. shōchū) with added sugar | Sweets & drinks |
| 生ビール | なまビール | unpasteurized beer; draft beer; draught beer | Sweets & drinks |
| お冷 | おひや | cold (drinking) water; (glass of) cold water | Sweets & drinks |
| 大盛り | おおもり | large serving; large portion | Menu words |
| 並盛り | なみもり | normal serving; medium-sized portion | Menu words |
| 特盛 | とくもり | extra-large portion; extra-sized serving | Menu words |
| 食べ放題 | たべほうだい | all-you-can-eat; eating as much as one likes | Menu words |
| 飲み放題 | のみほうだい | all you can drink; bottomless cup | Menu words |
| 日替わり | ひがわり | changing every day | Menu words |
| 税込 | ぜいこみ | including tax (of a price) | Menu words |
| 税抜 | ぜいぬき | tax excluded; excluding tax | Menu words |
| お子様ランチ | おこさまランチ | kid's lunch; kid's meal | Menu words |
| 持ち帰り | もちかえり | takeout (food); take-out; takeaway | Menu words |
| 店内 | てんない | inside of a store (restaurant, café, etc.); store interior; on the premises | Menu words |
| 注文 | ちゅうもん | order (for an item) | Menu words |
| 会計 | かいけい | bill (at a restaurant); check | Menu words |
| お通し | おとおし | appetizer; starter; hors d'oeuvre | Menu words |
| 品切れ | しなぎれ | out of stock; sold out | Menu words |
| 期間限定 | きかんげんてい | limited time | Menu words |
| 単品 | たんぴん | individual item (i.e. not part of a set); single article | Menu words |
| セット | セット | set (of things); combo | Menu words |
| 替え玉 | かえだま | second serving of noodles (to add to one's remaining ramen broth) | Menu words |
| おかわり | おかわり | another helping; second helping; seconds | Menu words |
| お勧め | おすすめ | recommendation; advice; suggestion | Menu words |
| にぎり寿司 | にぎりずし | nigirizushi; hand-pressed vinegared rice topped with seafood | Sushi & seafood |
| 塩焼き | しおやき | grilling (fish) with salt; broiling with salt | Dishes |
| 塩辛 | しおから | shiokara; paste made from salted fermented seafood (squid, fish entrails, etc.) | Dishes |
| 吸い物 | すいもの | clear broth soup, with ingredients and garnish floating in and on it | Dishes |
| おせち料理 | おせちりょうり | osechi; osechi-ryōri; traditional food eaten during the New Year's holidays | Dishes |
| 酢の物 | すのもの | vinegared dish; pickled dish | Dishes |
| 味噌 | みそ | miso; fermented condiment usu. made from soybeans | Dishes |
| 揚げ物 | あげもの | deep-fried food | Dishes |
| 和え物 | あえもの | chopped fish, shellfish or vegetables, dressed with (miso or other) sauce | Dishes |
| もつ鍋 | もつなべ | hot pot stew made with offal, vegetables and (often) miso | Dishes |
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