Japanese Food Words
Useful Words:
Amai : Sweet
Amakuchi : Sweet for beverages
Gochisosama (-deshita) : It was a feast (at the end of a meal)
Hashi : Chopsticks
Itadakimasu : Thank you for the food! (at the beginning of a meal)
Kanpai : Cheers (before drinking)
Karai : Hot or spicy
Karakuchi : Dry for beverages
Nama : Raw
Nigai : Bitter
Oishii : Delicious
Okawari : Refill
Osusume : Recommendation
Shoppai : Salty
Suppai : Sour
Evocative words:
Atsu atsu : Steaming hot, almost too hot to eat , like a hot pot
Fuwa fuwa : Fluffy, like a marshmallow
Gabu gabu : Drinking wholeheartedly
Hoka hoka : Hot, at just the right temperature, like a bowl of rice
Hoku hoku: Steamy, like baked potatoes
Jyu jyu : Juicy food being grilled
Kori kori : Crunchy, like a pickled daikon radish
Koto koto : Sound of a bubbling pot
Mochi mochi : Chewy, like mochi (rice taffy)
Neba Neba : Slimy and Sticky, like natto (fermented soybeans) or Tororo (grated yam)
Nuru nuru : Slimy and slippery, like a okra
Paku paku : Eating wholeheartedly
Pari pari : Thin and crispy, like a potato or nori seaweed chips
Piri piri : Something that is spicy, like too much wasabi or curry
Puri puri : Resistant, like fresh shrimp
Puru puru : Wiggly, like pudding or jelly
Saku saku : Delicate and crispy, like tempura
Shari shari : Sound of ice being shaved
Shiko shiko : Chewy, like a abalone or udon
Shuwa shuwa : Fizzy, like a sparkling water
Ton ton : The sound of a knife rhythmically hitting the cutting board
Toro toro : Melts in your mouth, like fatty tuna
Tsubu tsubu : Chunky bits, like the pulp in freshly squeezed orange juice
Tsuru tsuru : The sound of slurping noodles
* Reference of this article : Food Sake Tokyo (The Terroir Guides)
