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Lesson 6: Food & Drink Vocabulary

Why This Lesson

Food is the fastest way to connect with Japanese culture. Whether at a convenience store, restaurant, or host family dinner, knowing food and drink words means you can feed yourself and participate in the most common social activity: eating together.

Goal

Recognize and pronounce 10 essential food and drink words that appear daily on menus and in conversation.

What You Gain

After finishing, you can read basic menu items, order at a counter, and discuss food preferences in simple Japanese.

10 Essential Food & Drink Words

These 10 words cover staple foods and the most commonly ordered drinks in Japan.

ごはん gohan Rice / Meal
パン pan Bread
さかな sakana Fish
にく niku Meat
たまご tamago Egg
くだもの kudamono Fruit
みず mizu Water
おちゃ ocha Tea (green tea)
コーヒー koohii Coffee
ジュース juusu Juice

Practice: What Would You Order?

Match the situation to the correct word.

1. You want something hot to drink at breakfast. You ask for:
みず (mizu)
コーヒー (koohii)
ジュース (juusu)
パン (pan)
2. Listen: — What food is this?
Meat
Egg
Fish
Rice
3. At a sushi restaurant, the main ingredient is:
にく (niku)
パン (pan)
ごはん + さかな (gohan + sakana)
くだもの (kudamono)
4. Listen: — This is:
Coffee
Juice
Water
Tea (green)
5. You are thirsty and want something plain and free. You ask for:
おちゃ (ocha)
コーヒー (koohii)
みず (mizu)
ジュース (juusu)
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