食べ放題
tabehōdai[ta̠be̞ho̞ːda̠i]
The Japanese phrase for "all you can eat" is 食べ放題 (tabehōdai).
食べ放題 is used to describe a meal where a customer pays a fixed price to eat as much food as they want. You will commonly see this term on restaurant signage and in advertisements to indicate a fixed-price buffet system.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of the verb stem for "eat" (tabe) and the noun 放題 (hōdai), which means "unlimited" or "unrestricted/all-you-can".
How do you pronounce it?
tabehōdai
Did you know?
- The term バイキング for a buffet is not related to the Norse warriors, but comes from a 1958 hotel in Tokyo that named its buffet after the 'Viking' ship to suggest a spirit of adventure.
- In many 食べ放題 restaurants, leaving even a small amount of food on your plate may result in an extra 'waste charge' or 'penalty fee' added to your bill.
- The suffix 放題 is used in contexts beyond dining, such as 言い放題 for someone who says whatever they want without restraint or filter.
Examples in context
- 先週はパチンコで勝った友人に焼き肉をごちそうになりました。食べ放題でたらふく食べました。Last week I was treated to dinner by my friend who'd won at pachinko. It was all-you-can-eat so I ate to my heart's content.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 食べ放題 when describing eating to one's heart's content.Tatoeba #75469 by fcbond, translation #328249 by fcbond
- 食べ放題はありますか？Is there an all you can eat?
- このレストランはランチが食べ放題です。Kono resutoran wa ranchi ga tabehoudai desu.This restaurant has an all-you-can-eat lunch.
- デザートの食べ放題はありますか？Dezaato no tabehoudai wa arimasu ka?Is there an all-you-can-eat dessert option?
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are deciding where to have dinner.
- 美咲 Misaki今日の夕食はしゃぶしゃぶにしない？Kyō no yūshoku wa shabushabu ni shinai?Why don't we have shabu-shabu for dinner today?
- 陽太 Yotaいいよ。食べ放題のお店があるかな？Ii yo. Tabehōdai no omise ga aru kana?Sure. I wonder if there is an all-you-can-eat restaurant?
- 美咲 Misaki駅の近くに安い店があるよ。Eki no chikaku ni yasui mise ga aru yo.There is a cheap place near the station.
- 陽太 Yotaよし、そこにしよう！Yoshi, soko ni shiyō!Alright, let's go there!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 食べ放題, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
