Translation guide
The English verb 'eat' covers consuming food, having meals, and various figurative uses. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 食べる (taberu), but the appropriate word depends on formality, the eater, and the context. This guide organizes the main ways to express 'eat' in natural Japanese.
The basic act of eating food, applicable to most everyday situations.
The standard, everyday verb for 'eat'. Used for people eating solid food. Casual form is 食べる, polite form is 食べます.
朝ごはんを食べました。
I ate breakfast.
何を食べたい？
What do you want to eat?
A more casual, sometimes rough way to say 'eat', often used by men. Can sound coarse in polite settings. Also used for animals eating.
腹減ったから、何か食おう。
I'm hungry, so let's eat something.
Honorific verb for 'eat', used when referring to someone of higher status (e.g., a guest, boss, or elder). Never use for yourself.
どうぞ召し上がってください。
Please eat (help yourself).
Humble verb for 'eat', used when speaking about your own eating in formal situations or to show gratitude. Also used in the set phrase いただきます before meals.
もう十分いただきました。
I've already eaten enough. (polite)
Referring to eating a meal, often with a focus on the occasion rather than the physical act.
Literally 'do a meal', a common way to say 'have a meal' or 'dine'. More formal than just 食べる.
一緒に食事をしませんか。
Would you like to have a meal together?
Literally 'eat rice/meal', a very common way to say 'eat a meal' in daily conversation. ご飯 can refer to a meal in general.
もうご飯食べた？
Have you eaten already?
Eating at a restaurant or outside the home.
Eating in a hurried manner or having a light meal/snack.
Literally 'eat lightly', used for having a snack or a light meal.
出かける前に軽く食べた。
I had a light snack before going out.
Means 'to nibble' or 'to snack on', often used for eating finger foods or snacks, especially with drinks.
ナッツをつまみながらビールを飲んだ。
I drank beer while nibbling on nuts.
Eating a lot or with great enthusiasm.
An adverb meaning 'greedily' or 'ravenously', combined with 食べる.
彼はがつがつ食べている。
He's devouring his food.
Literary or emphatic way to say 'devour' or 'wolf down'. Can have negative connotations of greed.
犬が肉をむさぼり食った。
The dog devoured the meat.
Describing animals eating. Different verbs are often used.
Can be used for pets or animals in a neutral way.
猫が魚を食べた。
The cat ate the fish.
Commonly used for animals eating, especially in casual or rough speech.
ライオンが肉を食っている。
The lion is eating meat.
Specifically for animals eating feed or fodder. 餌 means animal food.
鳥が餌を食べている。
The birds are eating feed.
Metaphorical uses like 'eat away at savings' or 'eat up time'.
To eat into (savings), to consume resources until they are gone. Literally 'eat and exhaust'.
貯金を食いつぶしてしまった。
I ate up all my savings.
In casual speech, 食う can mean 'to consume' (time, money, space).
この仕事は時間を食う。
This job eats up time.
In English, we sometimes say 'eat soup' or 'take medicine', but in Japanese, soup is drunk (飲む) and medicine is taken (飲む or 服用する). Using 食べる for these would sound unnatural.
Use 食べる in casual settings, 食べます in polite settings. When speaking about someone you respect, use 召し上がる. When humbly referring to your own eating in formal situations, use いただく. The pre-meal greeting いただきます comes from this humble form.
毎日7時に朝ごはんを食べます。
I eat breakfast at 7 every day.
今夜は外食しよう。
Let's eat out tonight.
子供たちがクッキーを全部食べちゃった。
The kids ate all the cookies.