たべる
taberudictionary form, casual
In hiragana, "eat" is たべる (taberu). The polite form is たべます (tabemasu), and めしあがる (meshiagaru) is the respectful word for someone else eating.
Meaning: to eat (verb)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| たべる | taberu | dictionary form, casual |
| たべます | tabemasu | polite |
| めしあがる | meshiagaru | honorific |
What does it mean word for word?
The usual spelling uses a kanji, 食べる, but in hiragana it is simply た (ta), べ (be) and る (ru). The stem たべ (tabe) stays the same in たべます (tabemasu), たべない (tabenai) and たべた (tabeta).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Use たべる (taberu) with friends and family and たべます (tabemasu) with people you do not know well. Use めしあがる (meshiagaru) only for the other person, never for yourself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The object takes the particle を (o), as in ごはんを たべる (gohan o taberu). を is read as "o" and is used almost only as a particle.
Did you know?
- Before a meal Japanese speakers say いただきます (itadakimasu), and after it ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita).
Examples in context
- ごはんを たべます。Gohan o tabemasu.I eat a meal.
- いっしょに たべない？Issho ni tabenai?Shall we eat together?
- どうぞ めしあがってください。Dōzo meshiagatte kudasai.Please go ahead and eat.
Example conversation
Yuki asks her classmate Ren what he is doing at lunch break.
- Yukiおひるごはん、たべた？Ohiru gohan, tabeta?Did you eat lunch?
- 蓮 Renまだ たべてない。Mada tabete nai.Not yet.
- Yukiじゃあ、いっしょに たべよう。Jā, issho ni tabeyō.Then let us eat together.
