あなたの好きな食べ物
anata no sukina tabemono
The English phrase "your favourite food" is translated into Japanese as あなたの好きな食べ物 (anata no sukina tabemono).
This phrase refers to the food that a person likes more than any other. In natural conversation, the possessive あなたの (your) is often omitted if the context already makes it clear whose preferences are being discussed, leaving just 好きな食べ物.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of anata (you), the possessive particle no, sukina (favorite/liked) and tabemono (food).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
While あなたの好きな食べ物 is a standard way to express the idea, you can make the phrase more polite when asking someone else about their preferences by adding the honorific prefix o to create お好きな食べ物.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word suki is a na-adjective, which means it requires the particle na to modify the noun tabemono.
How do you pronounce it?
anata no sukina tabemono
Did you know?
- If someone's 好きな食べ物 is too exotic or uncommon, a Japanese speaker might respond with omoshiroi, meaning 'interesting'. In this context, it is often a polite way of saying the choice is strange.
- When asking a person of higher status about their favorite food, you should avoid using the word anata (you) altogether. Instead, use their name or title followed by san to avoid sounding impolite or confrontational.
- In Japanese, the word suki (like) is technically an adjective meaning 'likable' rather than a verb. This is why you use the particle ga instead of o when saying you like a certain food.
Examples in context
- 私は寿司が大好きです。I really like sushi.
- 私のお気に入りの食べ物はラーメンです。My favorite food is ramen.
- 私の好きな食べ物はピザだよ。My favorite food is pizza.
- 寿司が大好き！I love sushi!
- あなたの好きな食べ物は何ですか？Anata no suki na tabemono wa nan desu ka?What is your favourite food?
- あなたの好きな食べ物を教えてください。Anata no suki na tabemono o oshiete kudasai.Please tell me your favourite food.
- あなたの好きな食べ物は寿司ですか？Anata no suki na tabemono wa sushi desu ka?Is your favourite food sushi?
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are chatting about food during lunch.
- 蓮 Ren美咲、あなたの好きな食べ物は何？Misaki, anata no suki na tabemono wa nani?Misaki, what is your favourite food?
- 美咲 Misaki私はお寿司が一番好きです。Watashi wa osushi ga ichiban suki desu.I like sushi the most.
- 蓮 Renお寿司か、いいですね。Osushi ka, ii desu ne.Sushi, huh? That's nice.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんは何が好きですか？Ren-san wa nani ga suki desu ka?What do you like, Ren?
