好きな食べ物
sukina tabemono
In Japanese, the phrase for "your favorite food" is 好きな食べ物 (sukina tabemono).
This phrase refers to the food that a person likes more than any other. In casual conversation, you can ask someone what they like by shortening the question to 好きな食べ物は？
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 好きな (sukina), meaning "favorite" or "liked" and 食べ物 (tabemono), meaning "food".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
There are several ways to express this depending on the level of politeness. For formal situations, you can say Watashi no ichiban suki na tabemono wa [favorite food] desu. or [Favorite food] ga ichiban suki desu. To be more polite when specifically referring to someone else's preferences, you can use the honorific prefix お to say お好きな食べ物. In informal settings, you can use Watashi no suki na tabemono wa [favorite food]. or [Favorite food] ga ichiban suki!
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 好きな (sukina) is a na-adjective used to modify the noun 食べ物 (tabemono).
How do you pronounce it?
sukina tabemono
Did you know?
- Because Japanese culture values modesty, people sometimes answer a question about their favorite food with 何でも食べます (nandemo tabemasu), meaning 'I eat everything', rather than naming a specific dish.
- In Japanese, the word 好き (suki) is grammatically a noun or a 'na-adjective' rather than a verb, meaning that when you say you like a food, you are technically saying that food is 'likable'.
- Japanese has a specific term 好物 (koubutsu) for a favorite food, which is often used in the context of 'offerings' to ancestors or deities during traditional festivals.
Examples in context
- 好きな食べ物は？What's your favorite food?This sentence is useful for asking what someone's favorite food is.Tatoeba #3114647 by tommy_san, translation #70679 by CK
- 私の好きな食べ物は寿司です。Watashi no suki na tabemono wa sushi desu.My favorite food is sushi.
- 一番好きな食べ物を教えてください。Ichiban suki na tabemono o oshiete kudasai.Please tell me your favorite food.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about lunch at a cafe.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵さんの好きな食べ物は何ですか？Himari-san no suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka?What is your favorite food, Himari?
- 陽葵 Himari私はパスタが一番好きです。Watashi wa pasuta ga ichiban suki desu.I like pasta the most.
- 蓮 Ren僕の好きな食べ物はラーメンです。Boku no suki na tabemono wa ramen desu.My favorite food is ramen.
- 陽葵 Himariいいですね、美味しそうです！Ii desu ne, oishisou desu!That's nice, it sounds delicious!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
