How do you say "cake" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "cake" is ケーキ (kēki). It is a noun pronounced "keh-kee".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of cake from Noun Town

Pronunciation

ケーキ is written in katakana. Romanised as kēki, it sounds roughly like "keh-kee" to an English ear.

Example sentence

ケーキを一つください。

Kēki wo hitotsu kudasai.

One cake, please.

Usage notes

Kēki (ケーキ) is the Japanese word for cake. 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 ケーキ

How do you pronounce ケーキ?

ケーキ is romanised as kēki. Say it roughly like "keh-kee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ケーキ formal or casual?

ケーキ 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 ケーキ written in Japanese?

ケーキ 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.