オムライス
omuraisu
In Japan, omurice is written オムライス and read omuraisu.
It is a popular home and cafe dish of fried rice wrapped in a thin omelette.
What does it mean word for word?
The name joins the first part of the word omelette with the word rice, both borrowed from English.
How does it change in a sentence?
It is written in katakana because it is made from foreign loanwords.
How do you pronounce it?
Say omuraisu as five even syllables. The final u is very soft.
When do people say it?
It is usually topped with ketchup, and cafes often draw a heart or a message on it with the sauce.
Did you know?
- The phrase omurice belongs to a category of 'yoshoku' meaning 'Western-style food', which refers to dishes adapted from European cuisine to suit Japanese tastes.
- The word オムライス is an example of 'wasei-eigo', or 'Japanese-made English', where English words are combined to create a new concept that does not exist in English-speaking countries.
- In Japanese menus, the word ライス used in オムライス specifically denotes Western-style rice, distinguishing it from ごはん, which refers to traditional Japanese steamed rice.
Examples in context
- オムライスを食べたいです。omuraisu o tabetai desu.I want to eat omurice.
- 今日のランチはオムライスにしよう。kyou no ranchi wa omuraisu ni shiyou.Let's have omurice for lunch today.
- この店のオムライスはとても美味しいです。kono mise no omuraisu wa totemo oishii desu.The omurice at this restaurant is very delicious.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are looking at a cafe menu.
- 蓮 Ren美咲、何にする？Misaki, nani ni suru?Misaki, what will you have?
- 美咲 Misaki私はオムライスにします。Watashi wa omuraisu ni shimasu.I'll have the omurice.
- 蓮 Renいいですね。僕もそれにしようかな。Ii desu ne. Boku mo sore ni shiyou kana.That sounds good. Maybe I'll have that too.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くんもオムライスにするんだね。Ren-kun mo omuraisu ni surun da ne.You're having omurice too, Ren.
