昼ごはん食べた？
hiru gohan tabeta?
The English phrase "did you eat lunch?" is translated into Japanese as 昼ごはん食べた？ (hiru gohan tabeta?)
This phrase is used to ask whether someone has already had their midday meal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase 昼ごはん食べた? is an informal way to ask the question and is used with friends or family. For a polite version suitable for use with strangers or superiors, you should use 昼ごはんを食べましたか? or Hirugohan o tabemashita ka?
How does it change in a sentence?
The word tabeta is the past tense of the verb taberu, which means "to eat".
How do you pronounce it?
hiru gohan tabeta?
Did you know?
- While 'lunch' in English is often a specific meal, the Japanese 昼ごはん literally translates to 'noon rice', reflecting a cultural tradition where rice was the staple of almost every meal.
- In many Japanese social circles, asking 昼ごはん食べた? functions less as a literal inquiry about hunger and more as a casual way to initiate conversation or signal that you are free to chat.
- Depending on the intonation, 食べた can be a question or a statement, making the rising pitch at the end the only thing distinguishing the two.
Examples in context
- 昼ごはん食べた？hirugohan tabeta?Did you eat lunch?
- もう昼ごはん食べた？mou hirugohan tabeta?Have you eaten lunch already?
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking in the office during a break.
- 結衣 Yui健太、もう昼ごはん食べた？Kenta, mou hirugohan tabeta?Kenta, did you eat lunch already?
- 健太 Kentaううん、まだ食べてないよ。uun, mada tabetenai yo.No, I haven't eaten yet.
- 結衣 Yuiじゃあ、一緒に食べに行かない？jaa, issho ni tabe ni ikanai?Then, do you want to go eat together?
- 健太 Kentaうん、行こう！un, ikou!Yeah, let's go!
