Translation guide
A small, complimentary appetizer served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. In Japanese dining, this concept is often expressed through specific culinary terms or descriptive phrases.
The direct equivalent in fine dining or French-influenced Japanese cuisine.
Direct loanword from French, used in high-end restaurants and culinary contexts. Widely understood among food enthusiasts.
シェフからのアミューズブーシュです。
Here is an amuse-bouche from the chef.
Literally 'one-bite appetizer'. A descriptive term that can be used in menus or explanations.
最初に一口前菜をお出しします。
We will serve an amuse-bouche first.
A small appetizer served at izakayas and some restaurants, often automatically and sometimes charged. Not exactly an amuse-bouche, but similar in concept. Note: it may not be complimentary.
お通し is often not free and is more of a cover charge appetizer, unlike a complimentary amuse-bouche.
お通しは枝豆でした。
The appetizer was edamame.
Explaining the concept in everyday Japanese.
Means 'a pre-meal one-bite dish'. Clear and understandable in most contexts.
コースの最初に、食前の一口料理が出ます。
At the start of the course, an amuse-bouche is served.
Simply 'small appetizer'. Less precise but easily understood.
小さな前菜が三種類ありました。
There were three kinds of amuse-bouche.
お通し is a small dish served at the beginning of a meal in many Japanese restaurants, but it is often not complimentary and is more like a cover charge. An amuse-bouche is always complimentary and served at the chef's discretion.
この店のお通しは有料です。
The appetizer at this restaurant is not free.