油で揚げた
abura de ageta
The Japanese phrase for "deep fried" is 油で揚げた (abura de ageta).
The phrase 油で揚げた describes food that has been cooked in hot oil until it is crisp. In casual conversation, you might also hear the term Agepan used to specifically refer to deep-fried bread or pastries.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of abura (oil), de (by means of/in) and ageta (fried/deep fried).
How does it change in a sentence?
The form ageta is the past tense of the verb ageru. In this phrase, it is used as an adjective to describe a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
abura de ageta
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the concept of deep frying is linguistically tied to the action of lifting. The verb ageru literally means 'to raise', referring to the moment the food is lifted out of the oil.
- In Japan, deep fried food is often served with a mountain of shredded cabbage. This is not just a garnish but is intended to aid digestion due to the richness of the oil.
- The word ageru in 油で揚げた is a homophone for the word meaning 'to give'. While they sound the same, they use entirely different kanji to avoid confusion between frying food and giving a gift.
Examples in context
- Karaage o kudasai (から揚げをください)Please give me deep-fried chicken
- Kore wa tatsutaage desu ne (これは竜田揚げですね)This is tatsutaage, isn't it?
- Agemono ga arimasu (揚げ物があります)There are deep-fried foods
- 油で揚げたジャガイモは美味しいです。abura de ageta jagaimo wa oishii desu.Deep fried potatoes are delicious.
- これは油で揚げた魚です。kore wa abura de ageta sakana desu.This is deep fried fish.
- 油で揚げた野菜を食べたいです。abura de ageta yasai o tabetai desu.I want to eat deep fried vegetables.
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are looking at a menu at a restaurant.
- 健太 Kentaこの油で揚げた鶏肉はどうですか？kono abura de ageta toriniku wa dou desu ka?How about this deep fried chicken?
- 結衣 Yuiとても美味しそうですね！totemo oishisou desu ne!It looks very delicious!
- 健太 Kentaじゃあ、それにしましょう。jaa, sore ni shimashou.Then, let's go with that.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、楽しみです。hai, tanoshimi desu.Yes, I'm looking forward to it.
