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Japanese · JLPT Band 1 (N5) · Chapter 20

たべもの Food

Tabemono

Food and how to talk about taste. Food: sakana, niku, yasai, kudamono, tamago, pan. To say a taste, the i-adjective "oishii" takes "desu" directly: oishii desu (oishii da ✗). When hungry: "onaka ga sukimashita", when thirsty: "nodo ga kawakimashita". English speakers make the mistake "oishii da" — i-adjectives take no "da". New words: sakana, niku, yasai, kudamono, tamago, pan, jūsu, oishii, onaka ga suku, nodo ga kawaku. Culture corner: itadakimasu and meal manners.

Dialogue

おいしいだ？おいしいです？ — oishii da? oishii desu?

Yuki マイクさん、そのさかなどうですか？ Mike, how is that fish?
Mike おいしいだ。 It's delicious. (slip: i-adjectives take "desu" directly, not "da" — say "oishii desu")
Yuki い-けいようしは「です」です：おいしいです。 i-adjectives take "desu": oishii desu.
Mike あ、さかなはおいしいです。にくもおいしいです。 Ah, the fish is delicious. The meat is delicious too.

Dialogue

おいしい！ — Delicious!

Ken ゆきさん、なにをたべますか？ Yuki, what are you eating?
Yuki さかなとやさいをたべます。おいしいです。 I'm eating fish and vegetables. It's delicious.
Ken なにをのみますか？ What are you drinking?
Yuki おちゃをのみます。くだものをたべますか？ I'm drinking tea. Will you have some fruit?

Vocabulary

汉字	Pinyin	POS	Meaning
さかな	sakana	n.	fish
にく	niku	n.	meat
やさい	yasai	n.	vegetable
くだもの	kudamono	n.	fruit
たまご	tamago	n.	egg
パン	pan	n.	bread
ジュース	jūsu	n.	juice
おいしい	oishii	adj.	delicious (i-adj → oishii desu)
おなかがすく	onaka ga suku	v.	to be hungry (→ onaka ga sukimashita)
のどがかわく	nodo ga kawaku	v.	to be thirsty (→ nodo ga kawakimashita)

Grammar

い-けいようし「おいしい」＋です The i-adjective "oishii" + desu

にほんごのい-けいようし（おいしい、たかい、あたらしい）は、そのまま「です」をつけてていねいにします：おいしいです、たかいです。「だ」はつけません — 「おいしいだ」✗ →「おいしいです」✓。「だ」はめいし（がくせいだ）やな-けいようし（きれいだ）につきます。おなかがすいたとき：「おなかがすきました」、のどがかわいたとき：「のどがかわきました」（にほんごはどうしでいいます）。れい：このさかなはおいしいです。おなかがすきました。

Japanese i-adjectives (oishii, takai, atarashii) take "desu" directly to be polite: oishii desu, takai desu. They do NOT take "da" — "oishii da" ✗ → "oishii desu" ✓. "Da" goes on nouns (gakusei da) and na-adjectives (kirei da). When hungry: "onaka ga sukimashita", when thirsty: "nodo ga kawakimashita" (Japanese says it with a verb). E.g. Kono sakana wa oishii desu. Onaka ga sukimashita.

このさかなはおいしいです。 Kono sakana wa oishii desu. This fish is delicious.
おなかがすきました。ごはんをたべます。 Onaka ga sukimashita. Gohan o tabemasu. I'm hungry. I'll eat rice.
のどがかわきました。ジュースをのみます。 Nodo ga kawakimashita. Jūsu o nomimasu. I'm thirsty. I'll drink juice.
にくもやさいもおいしいです。 Niku mo yasai mo oishii desu. The meat and the vegetables are both delicious.

Culture

いただきますとしょくじのマナー Itadakimasu & meal manners

In Japan, you say set phrases before and after eating. And there are manners for using chopsticks. Eating is deeply connected to a feeling of gratitude.

Itadakimasu & gochisōsama

Before eating, you put your hands together and say "itadakimasu". It means "I humbly receive (this life)" — a thanks to the food. After eating, you say "gochisōsama (deshita)" — a thanks to the person who made the meal. Many people say these words even when eating alone.

Chopstick manners

Chopsticks have important rules. Never stand your chopsticks upright in the rice — it recalls a funeral. Don't pass food from chopstick to chopstick either, for the same reason. When taking food from a shared plate, some people use the back (clean) end of their chopsticks.

Oshibori and slurping

At a restaurant, you first get a cold or warm "oshibori" (a wet towel). It is for wiping your hands — not your face or neck. And when eating noodles, slurping with sound is NOT rude — it is a sign you're enjoying them. Slurp your ramen and soba!

In short: "itadakimasu" before eating, "gochisōsama" after. Don't stand your chopsticks up; slurping noodles is fine. A Japanese meal is full of gratitude and enjoyment. Enjoy your meal — itadakimasu!

kana