米
kome[ko̞me̞]
The Japanese word for rice is 米 (kome). Wiktionary also lists 飯 (meshi) and ライス (raisu).
Meaning: seeds used as food (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 米 | kome | [ko̞me̞] (narrow) [jo̞ne̞] (narrow) |
|
| 飯 | meshi | [hã̠ɴ] (narrow) [iː] (narrow) |
informal |
| ライス | raisu | [ɾa̠isɨ] (narrow) |
In Japanese, different words are used depending on whether you are referring to the raw agricultural product, the cooked food or a specific style of dish. 米 refers to the unprocessed grains or the seeds themselves. ご飯 (gohan) is the standard term for rice that has been cooked and is ready to eat, and it is also frequently used as a synonym for 'meal' in a general sense.
Which one should you use?
米 (kome) specifically refers to unprocessed rice grains. In contrast, ご飯 (gohan) is the standard way to describe cooked rice.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
飯 (meshi) is a colloquial or rough way to say rice or a meal, and it is often used by men.
How do you pronounce it?
kome
Did you know?
- The Japanese word 米 (kome) may be a cognate of the Vietnamese word cơm, which means 'cooked rice'.
Examples in context
- ご飯にする？Do you want rice?This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants rice using the form 飯.Tatoeba #11001460 by small_snow, translation #7770328 by sharris123
- お米はあるの？Do you have rice?This sentence is useful for asking if someone has rice using the form 米.Tatoeba #10049462 by small_snow, translation #54336 by CK
- ご飯はうまい。The rice is delicious.This sentence is useful for describing rice as delicious using the form 飯.Tatoeba #12056104 by xyz_13, translation #462902 by lukaszpp
- 140 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is discussing a grocery list in the kitchen.
- 陽葵 Himari米は足りている？Kome wa tarite iru?Do we have enough rice?
- 大翔 Hirotoいや、米がなくなってきたよ。Iya, kome ga nakunatte kita yo.No, we're running out of rice.
- 陽葵 Himariじゃあ、米を買っておくね。Jaa, kome o katte oku ne.Then, I'll buy some rice.
- 大翔 Hirotoありがとう、助かるよ。Arigatou, tasukaru yo.Thanks, that helps.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rice” translations and entries 米, 飯, ライス, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 米, 飯, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
