飲み物
nomimono[no̞mʲimo̞no̞]
The Japanese phrase for drinks is 飲み物, or nomimono.
飲み物 refers to liquids intended to be swallowed for refreshment or nutrition.
Which one should you use?
While 飲み物 is a general term for any beverage, 飲料 (inryō) is a more formal, technical or commercial term often used in legal or industrial contexts, such as the 'beverage industry'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The standard form is 飲み物. To make the phrase more polite, you can add the honorific prefix お to create お飲み物. This is the standard way to offer drinks to customers or guests. In informal speech, the verb 飲む (nomu) can be used to mean 'to drink'.
How do you pronounce it?
nomimono
Did you know?
- The word for 'to drink' in Japanese, 飲む (nomu), is also used for 'to take' medicine. If you say you are 'drinking' medicine, it is the natural way to express taking it.
- In Japanese business culture, the act of 'drinking' (飲み会, nomikai) refers to a specific social ritual of drinking and eating with colleagues to build trust and rapport.
- When offering お飲み物 (drinks) to a guest, it is customary to pour the drink for others first rather than serving oneself, as a sign of respect.
Examples in context
- お飲み物はいかがですか。Would you care for drinks?This sentence is useful for offering drinks.Tatoeba #227406 by small_snow, translation #64758 by CK
- 飲み物は、別料金ですか？Do you charge separately for drinks?This sentence is useful for asking if there is a separate charge for drinks.Tatoeba #11548114 by small_snow, translation #36890 by CM
- 冷たい飲み物が出されます。Cold drinks will be served.This sentence is useful for describing that cold drinks will be served.Tatoeba #9846151 by Ninja, translation #4902743 by CK
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are at a cafe.
- 結衣 Yui飲み物、何にする？nomimono, nani ni suru?What do you want for your drink?
- 健太 Kenta僕はコーヒーにするよ。Boku wa koohii ni suru yo.I'll have a coffee.
- 結衣 Yuiじゃあ、私も同じにする。Jaa, watashi mo onaji ni suru.Then, I'll have the same.
- 健太 Kenta了解。注文してくるね。Ryoukai. Chuumon shite kuru ne.Got it. I'll go order.
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.
