飲み物
nomimono[no̞mʲimo̞no̞]
The Japanese word for drink is 飲み物 (nomimono).
飲み物 is used to refer to any liquid that one consumes through the mouth. If you are specifically referring to alcoholic beverages, you would use 酒 or お酒 instead.
Meaning: consume liquid through the mouth (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 飲み物 is a compound made of the stem of the verb 飲む (to drink) and the noun 物 (thing).
Which one should you use?
While 飲み物 covers all types of drinks, 酒 or お酒 are the specific terms used when the topic is alcohol.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
You can make the word more polite and professional by adding the honorific prefix お to the front, resulting in お飲み物.
How do you pronounce it?
nomimono
Did you know?
- Even though it means 'to drink', the verb 飲む (nomu) is also used for 'taking' medicine or swallowing a pill. This is quite different from English where we 'take' medicine rather than 'drink' it.
- In certain Japanese slang or casual contexts, if someone says they are 'drinking' (nomu), it is almost exclusively understood as an invitation to go out for alcoholic drinks rather than just consuming any liquid.
- The kanji used in 飲み物, specifically the character 飲, contains the radical for 'food' (食). This reflects the historical view that drinking was a fundamental part of the act of eating and nourishment.
Examples in context
- 何か飲み物をくれ。Give me something to drink.This sentence is useful for requesting a drink using 飲み物.Tatoeba #188048 by small_snow, translation #25185 by CK
- お飲み物はいかが？Would you like something to drink?This sentence is useful for offering a drink using 飲み物.Tatoeba #227408 by bunbuku, translation #1504 by CK
- 飲み物持ってきて。Bring something to drink.This sentence is useful for asking someone to bring a drink using 飲み物.Tatoeba #14011189 by small_snow, translation #3746188 by gin
- このレストランでは、お酒以外の飲み物もたくさんあります。In this restaurant, there are many non-alcoholic drinks available as well.
- 今日は何か飲み物を買ってこようか？Shall I buy some drinks today?
- 97 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are at a cafe.
- 健太 Kentaおすすめの飲み物は何ですか？Osusume no nomimono wa nan desu ka?What is your recommended drink?
- 結衣 Yui今は冷たい抹茶ラテが人気ですよ。Ima wa tsumetai matcha rate ga ninki desu yo.The cold matcha latte is popular right now.
- 健太 Kentaいいですね。その飲み物をください。Ii desu ne. Sono nomimono o kudasai.That sounds good. I'll have that drink, please.
- 結衣 Yuiかしこまりました。少々お待ちください。Kashikomarimashita. Shoushou omachi kudasai.Certainly. Please wait a moment.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 飲み物, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
