食べる
taberu[ta̠be̞ɾɯ̟]
To eat in Japanese is 食べる (taberu).
The verb is used to describe the action of eating a meal. Depending on the context, the dictionary form 食べる can mean 'to eat' in a habitual or future sense or 'is eating' to describe a present continuous action.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The casual form is 食べる. For a common and formal way to speak, use the polite form 食べます. When you are speaking about the actions of someone with higher social status, you should use the honorific expression 召し上がる.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb changes to express different tenses and moods in its informal state. The past tense 'ate' is 食べた, and the negative form 'do not eat' is 食べない. To express the desire 'want to eat', you change the verb to the stem form and add たい, resulting in 食べたい. The polite version of the verb is 食べます.
How do you pronounce it?
taberu
When do people say it?
Before starting a meal, it is customary to say いただきます to express gratitude.
Did you know?
- While 食べる is the standard word for eating, Japanese has distinct words for eating based on the type of food, such as 啜る for slurping noodles.
- The verb 食べる (taberu) traces its roots back to a humble expression meaning 'to receive from a superior'.
- The common phrase for 'I humbly receive' used before meals, いただきます (itadakimasu), is actually a way of saying you are receiving the food from a higher power or person.
Examples in context
- これ食べる？Are you going to eat this?This sentence shows how to use 食べる to ask if someone will eat something.Tatoeba #12206268 by small_snow, translation #3154896 by CK
- アイス食べる？Do you want to eat some ice cream?This sentence shows how to use 食べる to ask if someone wants to eat ice cream.Tatoeba #3699447 by tommy_san, translation #9259553 by GioBo
- いつ食べるの？When do we eat?This sentence shows how to use 食べる to ask when a meal will happen.Tatoeba #8596646 by small_snow, translation #5460868 by mailohilohi
- まいにち、しょくじをします。(Mainichi, shokuji wo shimasu.)I have a meal every day.
- ともだちとたべる。(Tomodachi to taberu.)I will eat with my friend.
- 249 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two siblings are in the kitchen deciding on lunch.
- 陽太 Yotaお昼ごはん、何食べる？Ohiru gohan, nani taberu?What are you eating for lunch?
- 陽葵 Himariパスタを食べる。Pasuta o taberu.I will eat pasta.
- 陽太 Yota僕も一緒に食べる。Boku mo issho ni taberu.I will eat with you too.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、準備するね。Jaa, junbi suru ne.Then, I will get it ready.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 食べる, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 食べる, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
