English Japanese Japanese Alternative

ingredients ざいりょう ぐざい

材 料 具材

pot なべ
鍋

pan フライパン

boil ゆ
茹でる

bake や
焼く

stir-fry/sautee いた
炒 める

fry あ
揚げる

to steam む
蒸らす

steam じょうき
蒸気

to chop finely ぎ
みじん 切り

number of portions ぶんりょう

分 量

to prepare (ahead of time) ととの ようい

整 える 用 意 する

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left-over あま
余 った

in-season ingredients しゅん しょくざい

旬 の 食 材

to peel かわ
皮 をむく

to whisk あわだ
泡 立 てる

sour す
酸っぱい

salty しおから
塩 辛い

savory/umami み
うま 味

mouth-watering で
よだれが 出そう

watery みず
水 っぽい

bland/thinly flavored あじ うす
味が 薄い

healthy からだ よ けんこう よ

体 に 良い 健 康 に 良い

crumbs パンくず だんぺん

断 片

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to stir/to mix ま
混ぜる

to soak/put in marinade ひた
～に 浸 す

English Japanese Japanese Alternative

leafy greens な ぱ
菜っ 葉

rice flour こめこ

米粉

wheat flour こむぎこ

小麦粉

ground (beef, pork, etc) ひ にく

挽き 肉

cuts of meat take your pick

oil あぶら
油

seafood シーフード ぎょかい

魚 介

spinach そう
ほうれん 草

sake used for cooking りょうりしゅ

料理酒

herbs/spices こうしんりょう
香 辛 料

black pepper コショウ

胡 椒

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frozen れいとう
冷 凍

soy/soy milk とうにゅう

豆 乳

fermented はっこう はっこうしょくひん

発 酵 させた 発 酵 食 品

the bacteria in yogurt にゅうさんきん

乳 酸 菌

gyoza wrap ぎょうざ

餃 子の皮

150 Delicious Japanese Vocabulary Words About Food and Cooking

Ingredients: 食材 (しょくざい)

Japan is intensely seasonal, so a short stroll through the supermarket every month will show you
what’s fresh now, and also what’s local to your area.

What’s good right at this moment? Pumpkins, 南瓜 (かぼちゃ), chestnuts, 栗 (くり), and

mushrooms, 榎茸 (えのきだけ)!

Fruit: 果物 (くだもの)

apple: りんご

yuzu: 柚子 (ゆず)

柚子 is a Japanese citrus fruit most closely related to lemons, but with a sweeter and more floral

taste. Once the hot weather hits, you’ll find 柚子 everywhere and in everything. Additionally, in

the middle of the winter, you can find “yuzu hot springs,” refreshing, fragrant and natural hot

springs filled with 柚子.

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fig: 無花果 (いちじく)

strawberry: 苺 (いちご) or ストローベリー (すとろべりー)

watermelon: 西瓜 (すいか)

cucumber: きゅうり

grape(s): 葡萄 (ぶどう)

Vegetables and Herbs: 野菜とハーブ(やさいとはーぶ)

eggplant: 茄子 (なす)

carrot: 人参 (にんじん)

lotus root: 蓮根 (れんこん) or 蓮 (はす)

ginger: 生姜 (しょうが)

bell pepper: ピーマン (ぴーまん)

potato: じゃがいも

いも by itself refers to tubers related to potatoes (like yams, sweet potatoes, taro root and so on).

じゃがいも is one of the more common types. さつまいも are Japanese sweet potatoes: purple on the

outside and yellow on the inside, unlike the American orange variety.

garlic: にんにく

shiso, Japanese mint: しそ

Where we have peppermint, spearmint and regular mint in the States, they have しそ in Japan.

The flavor is closer to spearmint, or even basil, than peppermint, and the herb is popularly served
battered and deep-fried or wrapped up in red meat and grilled.

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onion: 玉ねぎ (たまねぎ)

scallion: ねぎ or 長ねぎ (ながねぎ)

red pepper or chili pepper: 唐辛子 (とうがらし) or パプリカ (ぱぷりか)

shishito pepper: 獅子唐 (ししとう)

獅子唐 is a type of Japanese sweet pepper, like a small, green bell pepper. These are best grilled

over charcoal.

Nuts and Grains: 木の実と穀物 (きのみとこくもつ)

rice: 米 (こめ)

uncooked rice: 米 (こめ)

cooked rice: ご飯 (ごはん)

also cooked rice: 飯 (めし)

As the Inuit are said to have many words for “snow,” Japan has many words for “rice.” Raw,

uncooked grain is generally 米, and different strains of the crop are variations on that word. ご飯

and 飯 are the same word, pronounced differently.

sesame seeds: 胡麻 (ごま)

walnuts: 胡桃 (くるみ)

oats: 麦 (むぎ)

麦 also refers to barley and wheat.

Condiments: 調味料 (ちょうみりょう)

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If you want to cook in Japan, some things you’ll definitely need in your kitchen are:

soy sauce: 醤油 (しょうゆ)

rice wine vinegar: みりん

sesame oil: 胡麻油 (ごま あぶら)

vegetable oil: サラダ油 (さらだ ゆ/さらだ あぶら)

water: 水 (みず)

sauce: たれ or ソース (そーす)

broth: 出汁 (だし)

rice wine: 酒 (さけ) or 日本酒 (にほんしゅ)

olive oil: オリーブ油 (おりーぶ ゆ/おりーぶ おいる)

salt: 塩 (しお)

black pepper: 胡椒 (こしょう)

Japanese pepper: 山椒 (さんしょう)

vinegar: 酢 (す)

mustard: 辛子 (からし)

honey: 蜂蜜 (はちみつ)

蜂蜜 is a compound of 蜂, “wasp” or “bee,” and 蜜, “nectar.” If you reverse the characters, 蜜

蜂 (みつばち), you end up with “honeybee.” I’ll pass on the honeybee cake, thank you.

oyster sauce: オイスターソース (おいすたー そーす)

wine: ワイン (わいん)

white wine: 白ワイン (しろ わいん)

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red wine: 赤ワイン (あか わいん)

Animal Products: 畜産物 (ちくさんぶつ)

When it comes to eating living things, Japan is far from squeamish. In some restaurants, they
even serve fish sperm, which looks like mayo. For meat eaters, the must-see spots are Japanese
grills and chicken barbecue restaurants, where they’ll serve every part of any animal they can
find.

gelatin: ゼラチン (ぜらちん)

egg: 卵 (たまご)

egg yolk: 卵黄 (らんおう)

egg white: 卵白 (らんぱく)

milk: ミルク (みるく) or 牛乳 (ぎゅうにゅう)

condensed milk: 練乳 (れんにゅう)

mentaiko, seasoned pollack roe: 明太子 (めんたいこ)

bonito flakes: かつお節 (かつおぶし)

unsalted butter: 無塩バター (むえん ばたー)

salted butter: 有塩バター (ゆうえん ばたー)

cream: 生クリーム (なま くりーむ)

meat: 肉 (にく)

ground meat: ひき肉 (ひきにく)

chicken: 鶏肉 (とりにく)

chicken wings: 手羽先 (てばさき)

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chicken tender: ささ身 (ささみ)

fish: 魚 (さかな)

mackerel: 鯖 (さば)

shrimp: 海老 (えび)

oyster: 牡蠣 (かき)

clam: あさり

pork: 豚肉 (ぶたにく)

beef: 牛肉 (ぎゅうにく)

chicken gizzard: 砂肝 (すなぎも)

I once made the mistake of buying 砂肝. The name is a compound of 砂, “sand,” and 肝, “liver,”

but I ended up completely ignoring the other half-dozen characters on the package, and I just
zeroed in on “liver.” I had never had chicken liver before! Imagine my disappointment when I bit
into a piece of gizzard, the texture of which is diametrically opposite that of liver, and promptly
tossed it all into the garbage.

pork bone: 豚骨 (とんこつ)

豚骨 is the standard base for Japanese ramen, and it produces a rich, heavy, oily and milky

broth… it’s like heaven in my mouth.

cartilage: 軟骨 (なんこつ)

quail: うずら

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Quail isn’t something you see every day, but in Japan they love quail eggs, うずらの卵 (うずらの た

まご), and you’ll often find them steamed (like tea eggs) or grilled, skewered and wrapped in

bacon.

sausage: ソーセージ (そーせーじ)

tsukune: つくね

つくね is a Japanese meat ball, usually made from poultry instead of red meat.

Making Pastries: お菓子作り (おかし づくり)

There are traditional Japanese sweets, but Japan is far more enamored with French and German
pastries, and everywhere you go, you’ll find a French patissier or a bread baker.

However, though European sweets are popular, baking at home is not and many people don’t
have the space to bake (Japanese kitchens are small, and their ovens minuscule). As a
result, finding ingredients can be difficult, and finding them in appropriate quantities a pain.

agar-agar: 寒天 (かんてん)

寒天 is a gelatin obtained from seaweed (and thus a good substitute in vegan baking), used in

pastry as a binder and thickener.

granulated sugar: グラニュー糖 (ぐらにゅー とう)

brown sugar: 黒砂糖 (くろ ざとう)

light brown sugar: きび砂糖 (きび ざとう)

powdered sugar: 粉砂糖 (こな ざとう)

wheat flour: 麦粉 (むぎこ) or 小麦粉 (こむぎこ)

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Japanese flours, 麦粉, are named according to the amount of protein: “strong” refers to bread

flour (強力粉, きょうりき こ), “medium” (中力粉, ちゅうりき こ) would be all-purpose and “weak” is

cake or pastry flour (薄力粉, はくりき こ).

roasted soybean flour: きな粉 (きなこ)

きな粉 is a nutty, flavorful, light brown flour used for dusting Japanese confections or adding

flavor to sweets. It’s not the same as soy flour.

rice flour: 米粉 (こめこ)

Like different types of 米, there are different types of 米粉: 餅粉 (もちこ) is a sticky rice flour

used in making sticky rice buns, 餅 (もち), and often used in gluten-free baking. It can also be

called 団子粉 (だんごこ). 玄米粉 (げんまいこ) is the brown, fibrous sister of 餅粉: brown rice

flour.

amazake: 甘酒 (あまざけ)

甘酒 is sweet rice wine used in cooking or baking, or just drinking.

whole wheat flour: 全粒粉 (ぜんりゅう ふん)

almond flour: アーモンドプードル (あーもんど ぷーどる)

Not “poodle,” but poudre, from French.

potato starch: 片栗粉 (かたくりこ)

cocoa powder: ココアパウダー (ここあ ぱうだー)

yeast: イースト (いーすと)

baking powder: ベーキングパウダー (べーきんぐ ぱうだー)

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caramel: キャラメル (きゃらめる)

vanilla essence: バニラエッセンス (ばにら えっせんす)

poppy seeds: 芥子粒 (けしつぶ)

cinnamon: シナモン (しなもん)

cardamom: カルダモン (かるだもん)

star anise: 八角 (はっかく) or アニス (あにす)

soy milk: 豆乳 (とうにゅう)

sweet red bean paste: 餡子 (あんこ)

Counters: 助数詞 (じょすうし)

teaspoon: 小さじ (こさじ)

tablespoon: 大さじ (おおさじ)

piece: 個 (こ)

This can be used for eggs, fruit or things that are generally just measured by numbers without
amounts.

small piece, seed, drop: 粒 (つぶ)

can: 缶 (かん)

sheets, leaves: 枚 (まい)

slices/pieces (of meat): 切れ (きれ)

sticks, stalks: 本 (ほん/ぼん/ぽん)

This is the counter for long, round things like stalks of asparagus.

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Preparation: 作り方 (つくり かた)

To Cook: 料理をする (りょうりをする)

to fry, grill, roast, bake: 焼く (やく)

In the case of rice or noodles (“fried rice,” “stir-fried noodles” and so on), this means “to stir-fry”

or “to pan fry.” The next verb below is used with meat, vegetables and sautéing. 焼く is for

baking pastries, frying pancakes or omelets, grilling, roasting in the oven, pan searing (steak,
etc.) and the aforementioned stir-fried noodles and rice.

to stir-fry: 炒める (いためる)

to deep fry: 揚げる (あげる)

to steam: 蒸す (むす)

to cut: 切る (きる)

to heat: 熱する (ねっする)

to pre-heat: 予熱をする (よねつをする)

to turn off the stove: 火を止める (ひをとめる)

to mix together: 混ぜる (まぜる)

to serve: 盛り付ける (もりつける)

to grate (ginger, sesame seeds, etc.): 卸す (おろす)

to add: 加える (くわえる)

to boil: 茹でる (ゆでる)

to stew, simmer, boil: 煮る (にる)

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茹でる and 煮る both mean “to boil,” but the former implies cooking an object in boiling liquid:

e.g., hard-boiled eggs, 茹で卵 (ゆでたまご). The latter means “to boil” or “to simmer” a liquid,

either with the goal of reducing it (stews and braises) or cooking what’s inside.

to come to a simmer: 煮立つ (にたつ)

煮立つ, is the intransitive verb: the stew “boils” or “comes to a simmer.”

Utensils/Tools 道具 (どうぐ)

skillet: フライパン (ふらいぱん)

knife: 包丁 (ほうちょう) or ナイフ (ないふ)

rubber spatula: ゴムベラ (ごむべら)

strainer: こし器 (こしき)

whisk: 泡立て器 (あわだてき)

baking sheet or jelly roll pan: バット (ばっと) or オーブン用鉄板 (おーぶん よう てっぱん)

parchment paper: オーブンシート (おーぶん しーと) or クッキングシート(くっきんぐ しーと)

どうぞお召し上がりください！

Bon appétit!

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