40+ Japanese Kitchen Vocabulary - Appliances, Cooking verbs

If you're passionate about cooking and want to expand your Japanese kitchen vocabulary, you're in the right place! We’ll explore key kitchen-related vocabulary in Japanese, along with practical example sentences to help you communicate easily while cooking or dining with friends and colleagues.

Kitchen Appliances and Utensils 

To get started, here are some common kitchen appliances and utensils - キッチンの家電と器具 (キッチンのかでんときぐ, Kicchin no kaden to kigu) in Japanese:

Example Sentences

1. 冷蔵庫に牛乳がありますか？ (Reizōko ni gyūnyū ga arimasu ka?)
   → Do we have milk in the refrigerator?

2. フライパンで卵を焼きます。 (Furaipan de tamago o yakimasu.)
   → I’ll fry the eggs in the frying pan.

Ingredients Vocabulary 

To cook any dish, it’s crucial to know the ingredients - 料理の材料 (りょうりのざいりょう, Ryōri no zairyō) ! Here's a list of common ingredients used in Japanese cooking:

Vocabulary List 

• Rice - ご飯 - ごはん (Gohan)

• Noodles - 麺 - めん (Men)

• Soy Sauce - 醤油 - しょうゆ (Shōyu)

• Tofu - 豆腐 - とうふ (Tōfu)

• Seaweed - 海藻 - かいそう (Kaisō)

• Fish - 魚 - さかな (Sakana)

• Meat (General) - 肉 - にく (Niku)

• Eggs - 卵 - たまご (Tamago)

• Vegetables - 野菜 - やさい (Yasai)

• Fruit - 果物 - くだもの (Kudamono)

• Salt - 塩 - しお (Shio)

Example Sentences

1. ご飯を炊きます。 (Gohan o takimasu.)
   → I will cook the rice.

2. 豆腐を切って、スープに入れます。 (Tōfu o kitte, sūpu ni iremasu.)
   → I will chop the tofu and add it to the soup.

Cooking Verbs 

To talk about cooking in Japanese, it’s important to know cooking verbs - 料理の動詞 (りょうりのどうし, Ryōri no dōshi). Here’s a list of some commonly used verbs.

Verb List

Example Sentences

1. お湯を沸かして、パスタを茹でます。 (Oyu o wakashite, pasuta o yudemasu.)
   → Boil the water and cook the pasta.

2. お肉を焼きます。 (Oniku o yakimasu.)
   → I will grill the meat.

A Few Good Phrases for Dining 

When you’re dining with friends or colleagues, there are some common expressions - 食事のフレーズ (しょくじのふれーず, Shokuji no furēzu) that will help you engage in conversations and show good manners.

• Can you pass the salt? – 塩を取ってくれますか？ (しおをとってくれますか, Shio o totte kuremasu ka?)

• This needs to be cooked for 10 minutes. – これを10分間料理してください。 (これをじゅっぷんかんりょうりしてください, Kore o juppun kan ryouri shite kudasai.)

• Please chop the vegetables. – 野菜を切ってください。 (やさいをきってください, Yasai o kitte kudasai.)

• Turn off the stove. – コンロを消してください。 (こんろをけしてください, Konro o keshite kudasai.)

• Can you wash the dishes? – お皿を洗ってくれますか？ (おさらをあらってくれますか, Osara o aratte kuremasu ka?)

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