昼ご飯を食べる
hiru gohan o taberu
To eat lunch in Japanese is 昼ご飯を食べる (hiru gohan o taberu).
The phrase 昼ご飯を食べる is used to describe the act of consuming a meal during the middle of the day. In casual conversation, people often shorten 'hiru gohan' to just お昼 when referring to lunch.
Which one should you use?
The noun 昼食 can be used as a more concise, formal way to refer to lunch.
How do you pronounce it?
hiru gohan o taberu
Did you know?
- Before eating lunch, Japanese people say いただきます (itadakimasu). This phrase translates to 'I humbly receive' and expresses gratitude to the plants, animals and people involved in the meal.
- In Japanese schools, students often eat lunch in their classrooms rather than a cafeteria. The whole class eats together, and students often take turns serving the food to their peers.
- The word ご飯 (gohan) literally means 'cooked rice', yet it is used as a general term for any meal, including lunch.
Examples in context
- お昼ご飯を食べる場所が決めれないんだよ。I can't decide where to eat lunch.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use 昼ご飯を食べる in a sentence about making a decision.Tatoeba #2110624 by bunbuku, translation #1847823 by CK
- 外で昼ご飯を食べる。Soto de hirugohan o taberu.I will eat lunch outside.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are talking at school.
- 結衣 Yuiもう昼ご飯を食べる時間だよ。Mō hirugohan o taberu jikan dayo.It's already time to eat lunch.
- 健太 Kenta本当だ！どこで食べようか？Hontō da! Doko de tabeyō ka?You're right! Where shall we eat?
- 結衣 Yui外で昼ご飯を食べるのはどう？Soto de hirugohan o taberu no wa dō?How about eating lunch outside?
- 健太 Kentaいい考えだね。行こう！Ii kangae dane. Ikō!That's a great idea. Let's go!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
