Japanese Food Glossary 日本料理
What is the main Japanese food vocabulary?
Here is an A-Z glossary of Japanese food words and phrases. Further information on many of the listed Japanese food terms is available via accompanying links, plus information on related food products and Japanese ingredients.
A
Aburaage 油揚げ - tofu slices fried in sesame oil
Aemono 和え物 - cold dishes (usually vegetables, fish or chicken) mixed with a dressing
Agari あがり - term for tea in Japanese sushi restaurants
Agedashi-dofu 揚げ出し豆腐 - deep-fried tofu
Aji アジ - horse mackerel
Aji 味 - taste, flavor
Akashiyaki 明石焼き - round, egg batter dumpling originating in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture with octopus dipped in dashi
Ama-ebi アマエビ- (lit. "sweet shrimp") Alaskan pink shrimp Pandalus eous
Amazake 甘酒 - sweet, low- or non-alcohol drink made from fermented rice
Amazu 甘酢 - sweet vinegar, usually used for pickling
Anago アナゴ - conger/saltwater eel
Ankake あんかけ - thick, sticky, Chinese-style sauce used in noodle dishes and the signature "Ankake spaghetti" in Nagoya
Anko あんこ - sweet bean paste made from azuki beans
Ankoh アンコウ - anglerfish, monkfish, goosefish
Asa-gohan 朝ごはん - or choshoku 朝食 - breakfast
Asari アサリ - short-necked clam, Japanese littleneck, Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum
Ayu アユ - sweetfish Plecoglossus altivelis
Awabi アワビ - abalone
Azuki アワビ - small red bean Vigna angularis

An exemple of kaiseki meal
B
Baagaa バーガー - burger, hamburger
Ban-gohan 晩ご飯 - or - yushoku 夕食 - dinner, supper
Basashi 馬刺し - raw horse meat
Bento 弁当 - a boxed meal of rice, pickles and small portion of, typically, fish, poached egg, sausage, beans, etc., served in restaurants, train stations or prepared as a packed lunch for school children
Biiru ビール - beer
Buri ブリ - yellowtail, Japanese amberjack Seriola quinqueradiata
C
Chahan チャーハン - fried rice
Chankonabe ちゃんこ鍋 - a mixed stew traditionally eaten by sumo wrestlers
Chawanmushi 茶碗蒸し - egg custard with vegetables, ginnan and usually chicken
Chazuke 茶漬け - Japanese tea poured over boiled rice
Chikuwa 竹輪 - a tubular roll of boiled or grilled fish paste. Literally 'bamboo ring' from the method traditionally used to mold it
Chirashi-zushi ちらし寿司 - sushi topped with fish, vegetables and egg
Choko - o-choko 猪口 - sake cup
Chuka-soba 中華そば - Chinese noodles, aka ramen

Yakitori at a Food Festival
© Joel Hadley Jr

Sausages at a Food Festival
© Joel Hadley Jr
D
Daikon 大根 - giant white oriental radish
Dango 団子 - dumpling, balls of mochi (pounded sticky rice) served on bamboo skewers
Dashi 出汁 - fish and seaweed stock: a key ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Read more on dashi
Datemaki 伊達巻 - steamed fish-and-egg rolled cake
Dengaku 田楽 - miso over tofu or konnyaku; also known as misodengaku 味噌田楽
Dobujiru どぶ汁 - a type of nabe made from ankoh (angler fish). (Usually expensive!)
Doburoku どぶろく - sake in its earliest stage, characterized by cloudiness; nigorizake. Read more on doburoku
Donburi 丼 - dish of rice topped with egg and other ingredients
Dorayaki どら焼き - a confection with red bean (azuki) filling between two slices of pancake
E
Ebi 海老 - prawn, shrimp
Edamame 枝豆 - green soy beans eaten as an appetizer or as a snack with beer
Ekiben 駅弁 - short for "Eki no bento" a bento lunch box bought at a station (eki) to be eaten on the train
Enokitake エノキタケ, 榎茸 - long, thin, pale mushroom , Flammulina velutipes, often used in soups. Typically grows around the enoki tree
F
Fucha Ryori 普茶料理 - originally Chinese, Zen-inspired vegetarian cuisine
Fugu フグ - a blowfish, pufferfish; a usually poisonous fish eaten as a delicacy in Japan. Read more on fugu
Funazushi 鮒寿司 - fermented raw fish
Furikake ふりかけ - seasoning made of dried fish or vegetables, sprinkled over boiled rice
Futomaki 太巻き - thick-rolled sushi
G
Gari がり - thin-sliced ginger, boiled then pickled in amazu, accompanying sushi
Genmai 玄米 - brown/unpolished rice
Ginnan 銀杏 - nuts of the gingko tree, often boiled and served as a snack; key ingredient of chawanmushi
Gobo ゴボウ - burdock (root)
Gotchisosama 御馳走様 - formal salutation at the end of a meal, "That was a sumptuous meal!"
Gunkan-maki 軍艦巻 - seafood on rice, wrapped in laver; a kind of sushi
Gyoza 餃子 - Chinese dumplings, jiaozi
H
Hakumai 白米 - polished, white rice
Hakusai 白菜 - Chinese cabbage, napa cabbage
Hamo 鱧 - pike conger, pike eel; loved in Kyoto and considered a mild aphrodisiac
Hanpen 半片 - white fish paste (surimi) product
Happoshu 発泡酒 - lit. "sparkling spirits" or low-malt beer
Harumaki 春巻き - spring roll
Hashi 箸 - chopsticks; or, usually the honorific ohashi
Hayashi Rice ハヤシライス - western-style Japanese comfort food similar to beef stew with onions and mushrooms
Hibachi 火鉢 - a charcoal grill
Hijiki ヒジキ - a variety of seaweed, usually sold dried
Himono 干物 - lit. "dried things" - a word used to describe dried fish
Hirame ヒラメ, 平目 - halibut, flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus; prized in particular for its engawa fillets (the base of the dorsal and anal fins)
Hirugohan 昼食 - or chushoku lunch
Hiyamugi 冷麦 - thin, white noodles made from wheat flour
Hiyayakko 冷奴 - cold block of tofu with grated ginger and sliced onion garnish served with drizzle of soy sauce
Hocho 包丁 - kitchen knife
Horenso ホウレンソウ - spinach
Hoshigaki 干し柿 - dried persimmons
Hotategai ほたて貝 - or Hotate - scallops
I
Ichiju-sansui 一汁三菜 - traditional meal of one soup and three okazu; the epitome of simplicity in classic Japanese cuisine
Ichizen 一膳 - (1) a bowl of rice, (2) a pair
Ika イカ - squid
Ikura イクラ - salmon roe (from the Russian ikra)
Inago イナゴ - locust, fried as a delicacy of rural Japan, but also found in Tokyo
Inarizushi 稲荷寿司 - sushi consisting of sumeshi wrapped in aburaage, often with a vegetable topping
Iriko 炒り子 - small dried fish, usually anchovy
Itadakimasu いただきます - the traditional pre-meal salutation, lit. "I hereby partake."
Itamae 板前 - a cook or chef in a Japanese restaurant.
Iwashi イワシ - pilchard (Sardinops melanostictus), sardine.
Izakaya 居酒屋 - Japanese pub serving food and drink in an informal, often lively, atmosphere. Read more on izakaya
J
Jagabataa じゃがバター - potato (jagaimo) boiled in its skin, halved or quartered and served with a dollop of butter
Jagaimo ジャガイモ - potato, spud
Jingisukan ジンギスカン - BBQ mutton, a delicacy of Hokkaido
Joshinko 上新粉 - glutinous rice flour and the main ingredient of wagashi or traditional Japanese sweets
Jubako 重箱 - tiered lacquered boxes, typically used to serve osechi ryori
K
Kabayaki 蒲焼 - is a way of preparing small fish, especially unagi eel. The fish is split, gutted and boned, then spread. Unagi is traditionally eaten with a sweet soy sauce.
Kabocha 南瓜 - pumpkin
Kabu カブ, 蕪 - Japanese turnip
Kaibashira 貝柱 - adductor muscle in a shellfish, usually scallop, dried
Kaiseki ryori 懐石料理 - Japanese haute cuisine made up of many small courses. Read more on Kaiseki ryori
Kaitenzushi 回転寿司 - a system at Japanese sushi restaurants whereby ready-made sushi is presented on a conveyor belt; lit. "revolving sushi"
Kaki カキ, 牡蛎, 牡蠣 - oyster
Kakigori かき氷 - shaved ice dessert, associated with Japan's steaming summers, served with syrup and condensed milk. Some popular flavors are cherry, grape, green tea, lemon and strawberry
Kamaboko 蒲鉾 - fish cake, fish jelly, made from ground fish meat (surumi)
Kani カニ - crab
Karaage 唐揚げ - floured and then deep fried, battered; similar to tempura
Karei カレイ - flounder, often eaten deep fried
Katsudon カツ丼 - bowl of rice topped with a sliced, deep-fried port cutlet
Katsuo カツオ - bonito, skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis
Katsuobushi 鰹節 - dried, fermented, smoked katsuo flakes
Kazunoko 数の子 - herring roe
Kimpira 金平 - an okazu comprising roots (typically renkon, gobo, carrot, etc.) shredded lengthwise and fried in sugar and soy sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds, chili pepper, etc
Kinako 黄粉 - sweet toasted soybean flour
Kinoko キノコ - mushroom
Kissaten 喫茶店 - a coffee shop, also serving light meals
Kitsune きつね - soba or udon served with fried tofu
Kobe beef 神戸ビーフ - beef from the black Tajima-ushi breed of Wagyu cattle, raised using traditional methods; originally from Kobe
Kohaku kamaboko 紅白かまぼこ - red (pink) and white kamaboko
Koi コイ, 鯉 - carp
Kohko こうこ - pickled vegetables; or the honorific okoh-ko; konomono
Kombu 昆布 - kelp or sea tangle used as a basic ingredient for stock. See dashi
Kombumaki 昆布巻き - fish, typically dried herring, rolled up in kombu and simmered in sweet and salty seasonings
Kome 米 - more commonly - o-kome - rice. Read more on Japanese rice
Konbini コンビニ - convenience stores - open 24/7 - sell just about everything as well as offering banking and postal services. Read more on konbini
Konnyaku コンニャク - Devil's tongue/konjac plant; specifically, a brown, translucent gelatin made from its starch
Konomono 香の物 - pickled vegetables; kohko
Kosu コース - course (of a meal)
Kujira クジラ, 鯨 - whale (meat)
Kurikinton 栗きんとん - sweetened mixture of boiled mashed chestnuts, typically found in osechi ryori
Kuromame 黒豆 - cooked black beans
Kusaya くさや - dried, salted and fermented fish known for its bad smell but mild taste
Kushiage 串揚げ - deep-fried and breadcrumbed food served on wooden skewers; literally "skewer fry" similarly kushiyaki 串焼き
Kyusu 急須 - Japanese ceramic teapot with a straight, rod-shaped, flared handle pointing out from the side.

Japanese soba noodles ready to boil

Kumano Kodo nabe cuisine
L
M
Mabodofu 麻婆豆腐 - spicy Chinese-style tofu and mince
Maguro 鮪 - tuna, Pacific bluefin tuna
Makizushi 巻きずし - sliced seaweed-rolled sushi; makimono
Mame 豆 - beans
Matsutake 松茸 - a rare mushroom prized for its aromatic flavor. Expensive!
Mazui まずい - unpleasant tasting, unsavory, poorly cooked; opposite of oishii and umai
Mekabu メカブ - whereas wakame is the leafy part of this seaweed, mekabu is the part above the root system. It is chewy, healthy and nutritious
Meshi 飯 - typically male word for "rice" or "a meal"
Mikan みかん - tangerine, satsuma orange
Mirin 味醂 - intensified, sweetened sake used in cooking
Miso 味噌 - fermented soybean paste ranging in color from yellow to brown; a staple of Japanese cuisine
Misoshiru 味噌汁 - miso soup, a necessary element of a typical Japanese meal, based on miso and also containing tofu, wakame, tamanegi, moyashi, etc
Mitsuba 三つ葉 - Japanese chervil, used as a garnish
Mochi 餅 - or omochi, steamed rice pounded into a glutinous cake and used as a staple ingredient in a variety of dishes, including desserts
Momo 桃 - peach
Mohningu モーニング - or Mohningu setto (morning set) - set breakfast served in a kissaten until about 11am, consisting of toast, coffee, boiled egg and a small salad
Moyashi モヤシ - sprout of soy or mung beans, a staple ingredient in miso shiru
Mushimono 蒸し物 - steamed dish
N
Nabe 鍋 or 鍋もの (nabemono) - one-pot meal eaten in winter. Read more on nabe
Nama 生 - raw, also draft beer, as in nama biiru
Namasu なます - vinegared dish
Nantaimori 男体盛り - eating food, typically sushi or sashimi, off a semi- or fully-naked male; the male version of nyotaimori
Nasu なす - eggplant
Natto 納豆 - fermented soybeans, eaten with mustard and soy sauce. Read more on natto
Negi 葱 - spring onion
Neta ネタ - the fish topping on sushi
Nigirizushi 握り寿司 - sushi consisting of rice, often a garnish, and a fish topping (neta); the most typical kind of sushi
Nigorizake 濁り酒 - cloudy sake; doburoku
Nikujaga 肉じゃが - potato and beef stew; lit. "meat-potato"
Nimono 煮物 - simmered in a soup stock
Ninniku ニンニク - garlic
Nishikitamago 錦卵 - confectionery made from egg, featuring a white part made from the white and a yellow part made from the yolk
Nori 海苔 - laver, edible seaweed, in particular the paper-like dried product made from it
Nyotaimori 女体盛り - eating food, typically sushi or sashimi, off a semi- or fully-naked female; the female version of nantaimori
O
O-ban yaki 大判焼 - a Japanese-style confection made by wrapping anko and custard with flour and egg dough
Ocha お茶 - Japanese tea
Oden おでん - vegetables, tofu and fish cake in a broth
Odorigui 踊り食い - literally "dancing eating" of live fish such as ice gobies (see shirouo below) or the moving parts of octopus or squid
Oishii おいしい - delicious, great tasting umai; the opposite of mazui
Okanjo お勘定 - the bill
Okazu おかず - side dish accompanying a rice dish, typically of fish, meat, vegetables or tofu
Okonomiyaki お好み焼き - "Japanese pizza" - an egg and chopped cabbage based pancake associated with Osaka; lit. "cooked as you like it"
Omakase お任せ - leaving it up to the chef or waiter to decide on your dishes at a restaurant
Onigiri おにぎり - a sticky rice ball wrapped in nori, often containing a filling of fish or an umeboshi pickled plum
Onsentamago 温泉卵 - egg poached in its shell in natural hot spring water. (Read more on onsen hot springs in Japan)
Oroshigane おろし金 - grater
O-sake お酒 - see sake
Osechi ryori おせち料理 - meal of New Year delicacies, eaten at room temperature from jubako
Oshinko お新香 - pickled vegetables, tsukemono
Oyatsu おやつ - snack
O-zen お膳 - four-legged tray on which dishes are served to a guest
P
Pan パン - bread (from the Portuguese pão)
Panko パン粉 - breadcrumbs
Piiman ピーマン - pepper, capsicum
Pongashi ポン菓子 - lit. 'popped snacks' - roasted rice snacks
Potetofurai ポテトフライ - French fries/chips; more often just called poteto
Q
R
Rakkyo ラッキョウ - shallot, Chinese onion, Chinese scallion, typically pickled; Allium chinense
Ramen ラーメン - Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a bone-and-vegetable stock and flavored with soy sauce (also known as chuka soba)
Ranchi ランチ - lunch
Reba レバー - liver, typically of chicken
Renkon 蓮根 - lotus root
Reshiito レシート - cash register print-out receipt, less official than a ryoshusho
Ringo リンゴ - apple
Ryoriya 料理屋 - Japanese restaurant
Ryoshusho 領収書 - receipt that is typically more "official" than a reshiito, needed for tax deductibility
Ryotei 料亭 - exclusive Japanese inn-style restaurant, popular with politicians

Set of sushi
S
Saba 鯖 - mackerel
Sake 酒 - Japanese rice wine: a clear drink made from fermented rice, 14-16% alcohol by volume, served either warm or cold. Usually referred to honorifically as o-sake. Read more on sake
Sake 鯖 - salmon
Sakekasu 酒粕 - sake lees, often used as a pickling agent
Sando サンド - sandwich; abbreviation of sandoicchi
Sanma サンマ - Pacific saury (Cololabis saira), mackerel pike
Sashimi 刺身 - sliced raw fish
Satsumaimo 薩摩芋 - Japanese sweet potato
Satoimo 里芋 - taro
Senbei 煎餅 - rice cracker
Sencha 煎茶 - green tea made from dried, not powdered, tea leaves
Sengiri kyabetsu 千切りキャベツ - chopped cabbage - which almost rivals sushi as Japan's national food as it is served with a variety of meals
Setto セット - set meal
Shabu-shabu しゃぶしゃぶ - a kind of nabe cuisine where thinly sliced beef and vegetables are cooked by the diner in simmering seasoned broth
Shari しゃり - the rice part of a piece of sushi; cooked, vinegared sticky white rice
Shichimi togarashi 七味唐辛子 - lit. "seven-flavored chili pepper", a seasoning that is a mixture of seven different spices
Shichirin 七輪 - small, portable, usually circular and ceramic, charcoal grill
Shijimi シジミ - freshwater clam, basket clam
Shimahokke シマホッケ - AKA Kitanohokke - Atka mackerel
Shio 塩 - salt
Shiosake 塩さけ - "salt salmon," referring to imported salmon typically sold in salted slices, as opposed to locally caught salmon
Shirouo シロウオ - small, transparent fish eaten alive; usually ice goby. Read more on shirouo
Shiso シソ, 紫蘇 - perilla leaf, typically served with sashimi
Shiitake 椎茸 - shiitake mushroom, Chinese black mushroom
Shochu 焼酎 - distilled, clear alcoholic beverage made from ingredients such as barley, buckwheat, sweet potatoes and sugar. Read more on shochu
Shoga 生姜 - ginger
Shojinryori 精進料理 - Buddhist vegetarian cuisine associated with Kyoto
Shokuchudoku 食中毒 - food poisoning, most sensationally associated with fugu
Shokudo 食堂 - canteen, restaurant
Shokuyoku 食欲 - appetite
Shoyu 醤油 - soy sauce. Read more on shoyu
Soba 蕎麦 - Japanese buckwheat noodles (resembling spaghetti) served in a soy-flavored, or sometimes clear, broth made from dashi fish and seaweed stock. Read more on Japanese noodles
Subuta 酢豚 - Chinese-style sweet and sour pork
Sukiyaki すき焼き - meat or tofu, with vegetables and other ingredients, simmered in an iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin
Sumeshi 酢飯 - white rice cooked in seasonings such as vinegar, salt, and sugar; literally "vinegar rice." The stuffing for inarizushi
Sunomono 酢の物 - vinegared dish, pickled dish
Suribachi & Surikogi すり鉢, すりこぎ - (ceramic) mortar and (wooden) pestle
Surimi 擂り身 - general term for fish or meat paste
Sushi 寿司 - bite-sized servings of shari, served cold, flavored with sweet rice vinegar and grated green horseradish, or wasabi, and garnished with strips of raw or cooked fish, other seafood, cooked egg or vegetables. See also chirashizushi and makizushi. Read more on sushi

Takoyaki octopus balls at Osaka
T
Tai 鯛 - sea bream, an auspicious, celebratory fish in Japan
Takana 高菜 /タカナ - mustard leaf, bitter and spicy in taste
Tako タコ - octopus
Takoyaki タコ焼き - octopus balls in batter - an Osaka speciality
Takenoko 筍 - bamboo shoot
Tamago 卵, 玉子 - egg
Tamanegi 玉ねぎ - onion
Tara タラ - cod, codfish
Tazukuri 田作 - dried sardines (or anchovies) cooked almost to dryness in sugar and soy sauce
Teishoku 定食 - a set meal served in restaurants, typically comprising rice, fish or meat, pickles and miso soup
Temari Sushi 手まり寿司 - small, ball-shaped sushi
Tempura 天ぷら - fish, prawns or vegetables deep fried in a non-greasy batter
Teriyaki 照り焼き - dishes cooked with a mixture of mirin/sugar, soy sauce and sake
Tofu 豆腐 - tofu, soybean curd (often honorifically referred to as o-tofu)
Togarashi 唐辛子 - hot chili
Tonkatsu 豚カツ - pork cutlet
Toro トロ - a fatty cut of tuna used on sushi
Tsukemen つけ麵 - dipping ramen, the noodles are dipped in a separate bowl containing a soup or broth before eating
Tsukemono 漬物 - pickled vegetables, oshinko
Tsumami つまみ - or o-tsumami - hors d'oeuvre often served with drinks
U
Udon うどん - wheat flour noodles, thick, white and chewy
Umai うまい - delicious, oishii; the opposite of mazui
Umeboshi 梅干し - sour, pickled plum often eaten with rice
Unagi ウナギ - eel, promoted in Japan as imparting vigor in the hot summer months. Unagi is becoming increasing scarce and expensive due to over-fishing
Uni ウニ - sea urchin
V
W
Wagashi 和菓子 - traditional Japanese sweets usually with a glutinous rice base and eaten along with Japanese green tea
Wakame わかめ - a type of seaweed, usually found in miso soup. Read more on wakame
Warabi-mochi - 蕨餅 a kind of jelly-like Japanese confection made from Bracken starch and covered or dipped in kinako (sweet toasted soybean flour)
Waribashi 割りばし - disposable chopsticks. Read more on waribashi
Wasabi わさび - green horseradish, often eaten with sushi and sashimi. Read more on wasabi
X
Y
Yaki-imo - 焼き芋 - roasted sweet potato
Yakimono 焼き物 - grilled dishes (not to be confused with Japanese pottery, also known as yakimono)
Yakisoba やきそば - fried soba noodles
Yakitori 焼き鳥 - chicken yakimono, i.e., charcoal-grilled chicken on skewers. Read more on yakitori
Yama-kujira 山鯨 - wild boar, inoshishi; lit. "mountain whale"
Yatsuhashi 八ツ橋 or 八橋 - traditional Japanese sweets from Kyoto that date from the Edo Period
Yoshoku 洋食 - western-style Japanese food now being re-exported to the west
Yoshokuya 洋食屋 - western-style restaurants adapted to the Japanese taste
Yuba ユバ - soy milk skin - a kind of tofu
Yuzu 柚子 - lemon-like citrus fruit
Z
Zabuton 座布団 - floor cushion, 'za' meaning 'sitting' and 'buton' being futon
Zaru ざる - bamboo basket/sieve
Zaru-soba ざるそば - cold soba noodles served on a zaru
Zashiki 座敷 - floor-seating area in a restaurant or home
Zen 膳 - See O-zen above

Kaiseki : japanese traditional meal