How do you say "butter" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "butter" is バター (batā). It is a noun pronounced "bah-tah".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of butter from Noun Town

Pronunciation

バター is written in katakana. Romanised as batā, it sounds roughly like "bah-tah" to an English ear.

Example sentence

バターを一つください。

Batā wo hitotsu kudasai.

One butter, please.

Usage notes

Batā (バター) is the Japanese word for butter. Food vocabulary is among the most practical for daily life in Japan and is used constantly in markets, restaurants, and home cooking.

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Questions about バター

How do you pronounce バター?

バター is romanised as batā. Say it roughly like "bah-tah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is バター formal or casual?

バター is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is バター written in Japanese?

バター is written using katakana. Katakana is typically used for words of foreign origin or to give emphasis.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.