ご飯を食べる
To say "eat rice" in Japanese, use ご飯を食べる.
The phrase ご飯を食べる can be used idiomatically to mean "to eat a meal" in general. This is because the word ご飯 means both "cooked rice" and "meal".
What does it mean word for word?
The word ご飯 (gohan) literally means cooked rice or a meal.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For formal situations, such as business meetings or when speaking to elders, the expression ごはんを召し上がる (gohan o meshiagaru) is commonly used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle を marks ご飯 as the direct object of the verb 食べる.
Did you know?
- If you are eating rice with chopsticks, you should never stick them vertically into a bowl of ご飯, as this gesture resembles a funeral ritual where incense is offered to the dead.
- Japanese has different words for rice depending on its state: 米 (kome) is raw rice and ご飯 (gohan) is cooked rice. You cannot use 米 to describe the act of eating a meal.
- In historical Japan, the amount of ご飯 one ate was a direct indicator of social class. Because rice was a precious commodity, 'eating rice' was a symbol of wealth and power.
Examples in context
- 毎朝、ご飯を食べる。maiasa, gohan o taberu.I eat rice every morning.
- 子供はご飯を食べるのが好きだ。kodomo wa gohan o taberu no ga suki da.Children like eating rice.
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking at school about their lunch plans.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太くん、もうご飯を食べる？Yōta-kun, mō gohan o taberu?Yota, are you going to eat rice now?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、今から食べるよ。Un, ima kara taberu yo.Yeah, I'm eating now.
- 美咲 Misaki私も一緒にご飯を食べるね。Watashi mo issho ni gohan o taberu ne.I'll eat rice with you too.
- 陽太 Yotaいいよ。行こう！Ii yo. Ikō!Sure. Let's go!
