Food & Drink: What Do You Like?

In this lesson, you'll learn how to talk about your favorite foods and drinks in Japanese, ask others about their preferences, understand common responses, and explore some cultural nuances around food in Japan. We'll expand your vocabulary and provide more example sentences to help you express yourself more fully.

Vocabulary Expansion

Let's begin by expanding our vocabulary. We'll build on what you already know and introduce some new and useful words related to food and drink.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Notes
食べ物	tabemono	food	General term for food
飲み物	nomimono	drink	General term for drinks
好き	suki	like	Used to express liking something
大好き	daisuki	love, like very much	Stronger form of suki
嫌い	kirai	dislike	Used to express disliking something
大嫌い	daikirai	hate, dislike very much	Stronger form of kirai
何	nani / nan	what	Used to ask "what?" nan is used before certain counters
ご飯	gohan	rice/meal	Can refer to cooked rice or a meal in general
パン	pan	bread	From Portuguese "pão"
水	mizu	water
お茶	ocha	tea	General term for tea
コーヒー	koohii	coffee
ジュース	juusu	juice
肉	niku	meat
魚	sakana	fish
野菜	yasai	vegetables
果物	kudamono	fruit
お菓子	okashi	sweets, candy, snacks
ラーメン	raamen	ramen	Popular noodle dish
寿司	sushi	sushi
天ぷら	tenpura	tempura	Deep-fried seafood and vegetables
うどん	udon	udon	Thick wheat flour noodles
そば	soba	soba	Thin buckwheat noodles
カレーライス	karee raisu	curry rice	Japanese-style curry served with rice
お酒	osake	sake/alcohol	Often refers specifically to rice wine (nihonshu)
ビール	biiru	beer
ワイン	wain	wine
温かい	atatakai	warm, hot (to the touch)	For drinks or food
冷たい	tsumetai	cold (to the touch)	For drinks or food
甘い	amai	sweet
辛い	karai	spicy
塩辛い	shio karai	salty
酸っぱい	suppai	sour
苦い	nigai	bitter
美味しい	oishii	delicious, tasty	Commonly used to express enjoyment of a meal
まずい	mazui	bad tasting	The opposite of oishii
いただきます	itadakimasu	I humbly receive (this meal)	Said before eating
ごちそうさま	gochisousama	Thank you for the meal	Said after eating

Key Phrases (Expanded)

We'll not only look at the basic phrases but also build variations and more natural-sounding expressions.

何が好きですか？ Nani ga suki desu ka? What do you like? (general)
食べ物は何が好きですか？ Tabemono wa nani ga suki desu ka? What foods do you like?
飲み物は何が好きですか？ Nomimono wa nani ga suki desu ka? What drinks do you like?
～が好きです。 ~ ga suki desu. I like ~.
～が大好きです。 ~ ga daisuki desu. I love ~. / I really like ~.
～が嫌いです。 ~ ga kirai desu. I dislike ~.
～が大嫌いです。 ~ ga daikirai desu. I hate ~. / I really dislike ~.
一番好きな食べ物は何ですか？ Ichiban sukina tabemono wa nan desu ka? What is your favorite food? (literally: What is the most liked food?)
一番好きな飲み物は何ですか？ Ichiban sukina nomimono wa nan desu ka? What is your favorite drink? (literally: What is the most liked drink?)
～は好きですか？ ~ wa suki desu ka? Do you like ~? (This is a yes/no question)
～は嫌いですか？ ~ wa kirai desu ka? Do you dislike ~? (This is a yes/no question)
どんな食べ物が好きですか？ Donna tabemono ga suki desu ka? What kind of food do you like?
どんな飲み物が好きですか？ Donna nomimono ga suki desu ka? What kind of drinks do you like?
私は～が好きです。 Watashi wa ~ ga suki desu. I like ~. (Explicitly stating "I")
私は～が嫌いです。 Watashi wa ~ ga kirai desu. I dislike ~. (Explicitly stating "I")
特に～が好きです。 Tokuni ~ ga suki desu. I especially like ~.
～はちょっと苦手です。 ~ wa chotto nigate desu. I'm not very good with ~ / I don't really like ~. (A more subtle way to express dislike.)

Example Sentences (Expanded)

Let's expand on the example sentences to provide more variety and context.

パンが好きです。 Pan ga suki desu. I like bread.
コーヒーが嫌いです。 Koohii ga kirai desu. I dislike coffee.
食べ物は何が好きですか？ Tabemono wa nani ga suki desu ka? What foods do you like?
寿司が大好きです！ Sushi ga daisuki desu! I love sushi!
私はお茶が好きです。特に緑茶が好きです。 Watashi wa ocha ga suki desu. Tokuni ryokucha ga suki desu. I like tea. I especially like green tea.
魚はちょっと苦手です。 Sakana wa chotto nigate desu. I'm not really a fan of fish.
飲み物は何が好きですか？　水が好きです。 Nomimono wa nani ga suki desu ka? Mizu ga suki desu. What drinks do you like? I like water.
辛い食べ物は好きですか？ Karai tabemono wa suki desu ka? Do you like spicy food?
はい、辛い食べ物が大好きです。 Hai, karai tabemono ga daisuki desu. Yes, I love spicy food.
いいえ、辛い食べ物は嫌いです。 Iie, karai tabemono ga kirai desu. No, I dislike spicy food.
一番好きな食べ物は何ですか？カレーライスです。 Ichiban sukina tabemono wa nan desu ka? Karee raisu desu. What is your favorite food? It's curry rice.
一番好きな飲み物は何ですか？ビールです。 Ichiban sukina nomimono wa nan desu ka? Biiru desu. What is your favorite drink? It's beer.
あの、すみません。ワインは好きですか？ Ano, sumimasen. Wain wa suki desu ka? Um, excuse me. Do you like wine?
リンゴジュースが好きですか。 Ringo juusu ga suki desu ka. Do you like apple juice?
果物の中で何が好きですか。 Kudamono no naka de nani ga suki desu ka. What is your favourite fruit (from among fruit)?
食べ物の中で寿司が一番好きです。 Tabemono no naka de sushi ga ichiban suki desu. Among food, I like sushi the most.

Practice

Let's put what you've learned into practice.

Ask a partner what their favorite food is.

Answer (Example)
あなたの一番好きな食べ物は何ですか？ (Anata no ichiban sukina tabemono wa nan desu ka?) - What is your favorite food?
Answer the question with your favorite food.

Answer (Example)
私の好きな食べ物はラーメンです。(Watashi no sukina tabemono wa raamen desu.) - My favorite food is ramen.
Ask a partner if they like a specific food, like tenpura.

Answer (Example)
天ぷらは好きですか？(Tenpura wa suki desu ka?) - Do you like tempura?
Respond with either liking, disliking, or being neutral about tenpura.

Answer (Example)
はい、天ぷらが好きです。(Hai, tenpura ga suki desu.) - Yes, I like tempura.
いいえ、天ぷらが嫌いです。(Iie, tenpura ga kirai desu.) - No, I dislike tempura.
まあまあです。(Maa maa desu.) - It's okay (Neither like nor dislike).
What kind of drinks do you like? (Ask a partner)

Answer (Example)
どんな飲み物が好きですか？ (Donna nomimono ga suki desu ka?) - What kind of drinks do you like?
I like sweet drinks. (Answer for yourself)

Answer (Example)
甘い飲み物が好きです。(Amai nomimono ga suki desu.) - I like sweet drinks.

More Practice - Fill in the Blanks

Complete the following sentences using the vocabulary and phrases you've learned.

私は____が大好きです。(Watashi wa ____ ga daisuki desu.) - I love ____.

Answer (Example)
寿司 (sushi) - sushi
飲み物の中で、____が一番好きです。(Nomimono no naka de, ____ ga ichiban suki desu.) - Among drinks, I like ____ the most.

Answer (Example)
お茶 (ocha) - tea
はちょっと苦手です。( wa chotto nigate desu.) - I'm not very good with ____.

Answer (Example)
わさび (wasabi) - wasabi
____食べ物は好きですか。( ____ tabemono wa suki desu ka?) - Do you like ____ food?

Answer (Example)
辛い (karai) - spicy

Culture Tip (Expanded)

In Japan, food is an integral part of the culture and social interaction. Here are a few more points to consider:

Itadakimasu and Gochisousama: As mentioned in the vocabulary, saying "Itadakimasu" before a meal and "Gochisousama" after a meal are essential. Itadakimasu expresses gratitude for the food and the effort that went into preparing it, while Gochisousama thanks the person who provided or prepared the meal.
Sharing Food: Sharing food is common, especially when dining in a group. It's polite to offer food to others before serving yourself.
Omotenashi (Hospitality): Omotenashi is the concept of selfless hospitality. In a food context, this could manifest as offering guests the best dishes or ensuring they have everything they need.
Slurping Noodles: While it might seem impolite in some cultures, slurping noodles like ramen or soba is perfectly acceptable and even encouraged in Japan. It's believed to enhance the flavor and show appreciation for the dish. However, be mindful not to slurp other types of food.
Specific Food Preferences: Dietary restrictions are not as widely understood as in some other cultures. While things are improving, clearly communicating allergies or dietary needs can be crucial. Stating "私は～アレルギーがあります。(Watashi wa ~ arerugii ga arimasu.)" - "I have a ~ allergy." can be useful, if you know the Japanese word for your specific allergy. For example 卵 (tamago) - egg.
Regional Specialties: Japan has a strong culture of regional specialties (meibutsu). Trying local dishes when visiting different areas is a great way to experience the diversity of Japanese cuisine.

Pronunciation Tips

Japanese pronunciation is generally straightforward. Here are some tips to help you sound more natural:

Vowel Sounds: Pay attention to the vowel sounds. "a" is like "ah," "i" is like "ee," "u" is like "oo," "e" is like "eh," and "o" is like "oh."
Long Vowels: Long vowels are indicated by a macron (a line above the vowel), such as in koohii (コーヒー). These should be held for slightly longer than a regular vowel.
"R" Sound: The Japanese "r" sound is somewhere between an "l" and an "r." Try to avoid making it a harsh "r" sound.
Pitch Accent: While not explicitly marked in romaji, pitch accent is important. Some words change meaning depending on the pitch. Listen to native speakers carefully to learn the correct pitch patterns.

Review

Practice the expanded vocabulary and phrases.
Try making your own sentences about what you like and dislike, using a variety of foods and drinks.
Consider your own food preferences and how you would express them in Japanese.
Think about Japanese food culture and how it differs from your own. What new things have you learned?