食べ物と飲み物Food and Drink
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Name common foods, drinks, and meal-related vocabulary.
- Say what you like and dislike using が好きです and が好きじゃないです.
- Mark the object of an action with を, including 何を食べますか and 何を飲みますか.
- Order food and drinks politely using ください.
- Ask for and state simple quantities using limited counters.
- List items using と for complete lists and や for partial lists.
- Read and write the extended katakana combinations used in loanwords, completing your core katakana.
- Recognize and read the eight Chapter 8 kanji in familiar words, with furigana support.
Communication Scenario
Tom has invited his study partner, Priya, over for lunch. Before she arrives, he needs to talk with Mrs. Tanaka about what to serve, since she has offered to help him shop at a small café near the station. Later, Tom and Priya order food together and talk about what they like and dislike to eat.
- This chapter teaches you to talk about food and drink using the object particle を you saw briefly in Chapter 7, along with new tools for preference, ordering, and quantity.
- By the end of the chapter, you will be able to order a simple meal, say what you like and dislike, and ask someone what they want to eat or drink.
Core Vocabulary
This chapter's vocabulary covers foods, drinks, meals, and simple ordering language.
たべもの — Foods
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ごはん | ごはん | cooked rice; a meal |
| パン | パン | bread |
| さかな | さかな | fish |
| にく | にく | meat |
| やさい | やさい | vegetables |
| くだもの | くだもの | fruit |
| たまご | たまご | egg |
| ラーメン | ラーメン | ramen |
| ピザ | ピザ | pizza |
| ケーキ | ケーキ | cake |
のみもの — Drinks
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| みず | みず | water |
| おちゃ | おちゃ | tea |
| コーヒー | コーヒー | coffee |
| ジュース | ジュース | juice |
| ミルク | ミルク | milk |
| フィルターコーヒー | フィルターコーヒー | filter coffee |
しょくじのことば — Meal and ordering words
| Japanese | Reading | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| あさごはん | あさごはん | breakfast |
| ひるごはん | ひるごはん | lunch |
| ばんごはん | ばんごはん | dinner |
| メニュー | メニュー | menu |
| レストラン | レストラン | restaurant |
| カフェ | カフェ | café |
| すきです | すきです | to like (na-adjective) |
| きらいです | きらいです | to dislike (na-adjective) |
| ください | ください | please give me |
好き ("liked") and きらい ("disliked") describe a quality, not an action, so they behave like other な-adjectives rather than like English verbs. You will study な-adjectives directly in Chapter 9; for now, use 好きです and きらいです as fixed, formulaic patterns for talking about preferences.
Script Focus: Extended Katakana and Food Kanji
カタカナ — かくちょうくみあわせ (Extended combinations)
You completed the basic katakana chart in Chapter 7. Many loanwords, including several in this chapter, need extra combinations to represent sounds that do not exist among the fifty basic katakana symbols. These combine a full-size katakana symbol with a small vowel or small ワ-row symbol.
A combination such as ティ represents a single mora, timed the same as any other katakana symbol, even though it is written with two characters. You can see this in フィルターコーヒー ("filter coffee") from the vocabulary above: フィ・ル・タ・ー・コ・ー・ヒ・ー is eight morae, not nine. These combinations follow established, conventional spellings; do not invent new combinations to represent an English sound.
Unit II かんじ — Eight new kanji
These eight kanji support food, drink, and the numbers one through five. As in earlier chapters, furigana continues to support every kanji in this chapter's reading passages.
食べる and 飲む show the kanji base with a changing okurigana ending: 食べます, 食べません, 飲みます, 飲みません. The kanji stays fixed while the hiragana ending changes to match the verb form, exactly as you saw with 食べる in the Japanese-language conventions introduced earlier in this course.
れんしゅう — Practice: Write each extended katakana combination three times, then write the eight new kanji next to their readings from memory. Check your work against the charts above.
Pronunciation Focus
Say each number aloud, tapping once per mora:
- いち — 1 (2 morae: い・ち)
- に — 2 (1 mora: に)
- さん — 3 (2 morae: さ・ん)
- よん — 4 (2 morae: よ・ん)
- ご — 5 (1 mora: ご)
Notice that さん and よん both end in the moraic ん, which must keep its own full beat of timing, just as it did in コンビニ in Chapter 6.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
8.1 Nが好きです — Saying what you like
Purpose: state a preference for a food, drink, or other thing.
- わたしはさかなが好きです。Watashi wa sakana ga suki desu. — I like fish.topic は + N が + 好きです
- トムさんはコーヒーが好きです。Tomu-san wa kōhī ga suki desu. — Tom likes coffee.
- わたしはにくが好きじゃないです。Watashi wa niku ga suki janai desu. — I don't like meat.
好き takes が for the thing that is liked, not を. This is because 好き is a な-adjective describing a quality of the liked thing, not a verb acting on an object. Compare this with を食べます below, where 食べます is a true action verb.
8.2 何を食べますか／何を飲みますか — Asking what someone eats or drinks
Purpose: ask and answer about the object of an action using を.
- 何を食べますか。Nani o tabemasu ka. — What will you eat?何を + verb + か
- ラーメンを食べます。Rāmen o tabemasu. — I'll eat ramen.
- 何を飲みますか。Nani o nomimasu ka. — What will you drink?
- おちゃを飲みます。Ocha o nomimasu. — I'll drink tea.
This continues the object を pattern from Chapter 7's シャワーをあびます: the thing acted upon takes を, while the action verb follows it.
8.3 ください — Ordering politely
Purpose: request an item, such as when ordering food or shopping.
- コーヒーをください。Kōhī o kudasai. — Coffee, please.N を + ください
- すみません、ピザをください。Sumimasen, piza o kudasai. — Excuse me, pizza, please.
ください is a formulaic request pattern in this chapter. Its full grammar, built from the て-form, will be studied directly beginning in Chapter 11.
8.4 かんたんなかず — Limited counters for ordering
Purpose: ask for or state a small quantity when ordering.
- コーヒーを二つください。Kōhī o futatsu kudasai. — Two coffees, please.N を + [number]つ + ください
- パンを三つください。Pan o mittsu kudasai. — Three pieces of bread, please.
This chapter uses only the general counter つ (as in ひとつ、ふたつ、みっつ) for simple ordering. The full counter system, including counters for specific object types, is introduced in Chapter 9.
8.5 と and や — Listing items
Purpose: list two or more items, either completely or as examples.
- パンとたまごを食べます。Pan to tamago o tabemasu. — I'll eat bread and eggs.complete list: N と N
- やさいやくだものが好きです。Yasai ya kudamono ga suki desu. — I like things like vegetables and fruit.partial list: N や N
と lists every item you have in mind, with nothing left out. や gives a few representative examples from a longer, unstated list. やさいやくだものが好きです suggests that vegetables and fruit are examples among other foods the speaker likes, not a complete inventory.
Error: *わたしはさかなを好きです。
Correction: わたしはさかなが好きです。 — 好き always takes が for the liked item, never を.
From naming to choosing and requesting. Earlier chapters let you name things and say where they are. This chapter adds the tools to talk about what you want: stating preferences with 好き, marking objects with を, requesting items with ください, asking for quantities, and listing items completely or by example.
Practice — Ordering sentences
Complete each sentence using the correct particle.
- わたしはやさい＿＿好きです。
- 何＿＿食べますか。
- ジュース＿＿一つください。
- パン＿＿たまごを食べます。 (complete list)
Model Dialogue
Setting: Tom and Priya order lunch together at a small café near the station.
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What does Priya order to eat and drink?
- What foods does Tom say he likes and dislikes?
- How many coffees does Tom order?
- Identify each use of を and が in this dialogue and explain the difference.
Guided Practice
タスク１ — Build an order. Imagine you are at a café. Write four sentences: one preference sentence with 好き, one question asking what someone will eat, and two request sentences with ください, including at least one quantity.
タスク２ — と or や？ Decide whether each situation calls for a complete list or a partial list, then write a sentence using the correct particle.
- You are listing everything on your plate right now.
- You are giving a few examples of foods you generally enjoy.
Listening Practice
Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following description aloud at a clear, moderate pace.
きくタスク — Priya's food preferences
わたしはやさいやくだものが好きです。にくはあまり好きじゃないです。あさごはんはパンとたまごを食べます。おちゃをよく飲みます。コーヒーはあまり飲みません。ひるごはんはたいていラーメンやサラダを食べます。
聞くタスク — Listening task: Draw a simple two-column chart labeled "likes" and "dislikes," then sort the foods and drinks mentioned into the correct column. Compare your chart with a partner or check it against the passage above.
Speaking Practice
コントロールされた練習 — Controlled practice: What do you like?
Ask and answer the following, substituting real foods and drinks.
- 何が好きですか。
- あさごはんは何を食べますか。
- 何を飲みますか。
コミュニケーションタスク — Order at the café
One partner plays the café staff member and asks 何を食べますか and 何を飲みますか. The other partner orders at least two food items and one drink, using 好き, を, a quantity, and ください.
ひとりでもできる練習 — Solo practice: My food preferences
Record yourself describing what you like and dislike to eat and drink, and what you typically eat for breakfast and lunch, in five to six sentences.
Reading Practice
Read the following short café menu and order note, then answer the questions below.
カフェのメニューとちゅうもん — A café menu and order note
このカフェのメニューです。ラーメン、ピザ、パン、ケーキがあります。飲み物はコーヒー、おちゃ、ジュース、ミルクがあります。トムさんのちゅうもんは、ピザを一つと、コーヒーを二つです。プリヤさんのちゅうもんは、ラーメンを一つと、おちゃを一つです。二りともケーキが好きですから、ケーキを三つちゅうもんしました。
ないようりかい — Comprehension questions:
- What four foods and four drinks does the café offer?
- What did Tom order, and how many of each item?
- What did Priya order?
- How many cakes did they order, and why?
- Write one additional sentence in Japanese describing what you would order from this menu.
Writing Workshop
In this workshop you will write a short note describing your food preferences and a simple order.
- List your favorite and least favorite foods and drinks in English first. Include at least three foods and two drinks.
- Write three to four sentences describing your preferences. Use 好き and きらい, and connect at least one list with と or や.
- Write two to three sentences describing what you typically eat and drink for breakfast or lunch. Use object を with an action verb such as 食べます or 飲みます.
- Write a short café order of at least two items, including a quantity and ください.
- Revise and check using the checklist below before finalizing your work.
チェックリスト — Editing checklist:
- I used が, not を, with 好き and きらい.
- I used を correctly to mark the object of 食べます and 飲みます.
- I used と for complete lists and や for partial, example-based lists.
- I used a quantity with つ correctly before ください.
- I wrote the new extended katakana combinations accurately.
- I used the eight new kanji correctly, with furigana.
- I ended each sentence with 。.
Culture and Communication
Many people in Japan say いただきます before starting a meal and ごちそうさまでした after finishing, expressions of gratitude for the meal and the effort behind it. These expressions are widely used across many households, restaurants, and settings, though how consistently they are used can vary by family, generation, and occasion.
Many cafés and restaurants in Japan are increasingly able to accommodate dietary preferences and restrictions, though the range of options and the ease of communicating them can vary widely by establishment, region, and type of food served. Learning to state clearly what you like, dislike, or cannot eat, as this chapter practices, is a useful skill in many everyday situations.
Common Mistakes
Error: *コーヒーを好きです。
Correction: コーヒーが好きです。 — The liked item always takes が with 好き and きらい.
Error: *パンを食べます。 written correctly, but *パン食べます。 without a particle is not natural in careful written Japanese at this level.
Correction: パンを食べます。 — Keep the object particle を between the object and the verb in written practice at this stage.
Error: Using や to list every single item on an order, implying there are unstated items when there are not.
Correction: Use と when the list is complete, such as ピザとコーヒーをください。 (exactly these two items, nothing else).
Chapter Review
Section A — ごい (Vocabulary)
1. Name four foods and three drinks in Japanese.
2. Give the Japanese words for "breakfast," "lunch," and "dinner."
3. Give the Japanese numbers one through five.
Section B — もじ (Script)
1. Write the extended katakana combinations ティ・ディ・ファ・フィ・ウィ from memory.
2. Write the eight Chapter 8 kanji and give one word using each.
3. Count the morae in フィルターコーヒー.
Section C — ぶんぽう (Grammar)
1. Write a sentence saying what food you like, using が好きです.
2. Write a question asking what someone will drink, using 何を.
3. Write a request for two of an item, using a quantity and ください.
4. Write one sentence with と and one sentence with や, and explain the difference.
Section D — どっかいりかい (Reading comprehension)
1. Look again at the café menu and order note in the Reading Practice section. Write two sentences summarizing Tom's and Priya's orders.
Section E — かくこと (Writing)
1. Write a five-sentence description of your food preferences and a simple café order.
Section F — はなすこと (Speaking)
1. Order a meal aloud without reading from the page, then answer two follow-up questions about your preferences.
Practical Performance Task
パフォーマンスタスク
カフェでちゅうもんする — Ordering at a café
You and a study partner are ordering lunch together at a café near your school.
- Written: Write an order note of at least eight sentences covering your food and drink preferences, at least two request sentences with quantities, and one list sentence with と or や.
- Spoken: Give a short spoken order from memory, as if speaking to café staff.
- Interaction: Answer at least three questions a partner asks about your food and drink preferences, using 何, 好きですか, or 何を食べますか／飲みますか.
- Script check: Hand-write the extended katakana combinations and the eight Chapter 8 kanji from memory.
Assessment focus: correct use of が with 好き／きらい; correct use of object を with action verbs; correct use of a quantity before ください; correct choice between と and や; accurate extended katakana and new kanji; and an organized, connected description of food preferences and an order.
Answer Key
Practice — Ordering sentences
1. わたしはやさいが好きです。 2. 何を食べますか。 3. ジュースを一つください。 4. パンとたまごを食べます。
Model Dialogue — Comprehension
- Priya orders ramen to eat and tea to drink.
- Tom says he dislikes meat and likes vegetables and eggs; he orders pizza.
- Tom orders two coffees.
- を marks the ordered item before ください and the eaten/drunk item before 食べます／飲みます; が marks the liked or disliked item after 好き／きらい.
Listening task — Model description
Likes: vegetables, fruit, bread, eggs, tea, ramen, salad. Dislikes: meat (not very much liked); coffee (not drunk much).
Reading — Comprehension
- Foods: ramen, pizza, bread, cake. Drinks: coffee, tea, juice, milk.
- Tom ordered one pizza and two coffees.
- Priya ordered one ramen and one tea.
- They ordered three cakes, because they both like cake.
- Open-ended; accept any accurate sentence about an order from the menu.
Chapter Review — Section A
- Any four of: ごはん、パン、さかな、にく、やさい、くだもの、たまご、ラーメン、ピザ、ケーキ; any three of: みず、おちゃ、コーヒー、ジュース、ミルク.
- あさごはん・ひるごはん・ばんごはん.
- 一・二・三・四・五 (いち・に・さん・よん・ご).
Chapter Review — Section B
- ティ・ディ・ファ・フィ・ウィ.
- 食・飲・何・一・二・三・四・五 — check against the kanji grids above.
- Eight morae: フィ・ル・タ・ー・コ・ー・ヒ・ー.
Chapter Review — Section C
- Model: わたしはケーキが好きです。
- Model: 何を飲みますか。
- Model: コーヒーを二つください。
- Model: パンとたまごを食べます。 (complete list); やさいやくだものが好きです。 (partial, example list) — と lists everything; や gives examples from a longer list.
Chapter Review — Section D
Model answer: トムさんはピザを一つとコーヒーを二つちゅうもんしました。プリヤさんはラーメンを一つとおちゃを一つちゅうもんしました。 (Other accurate answers accepted.)
Chapter Review — Section E and F
These are open-ended production tasks. Evaluate written work against the Writing Workshop checklist above, and evaluate spoken work against the Performance Task assessment focus.
Looking Ahead
いまできること — What you can do now
You can name foods and drinks, say what you like and dislike using 好き and きらい, mark objects with を, order politely with ください and a quantity, and list items completely with と or by example with や. You can read and write extended katakana combinations and eight new kanji for food, drink, and numbers.