How do you say "chef" in Japanese?

シェフ

shefu

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "chef" is シェフ (shefu).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

シェフ is written using katakana. Romanised as shefu, it sounds roughly like "s-heh-foo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Shefu (シェフ) is a katakana loanword from English 'chef'. Japanese job titles use various endings like shi (士) for licensed professionals or sha (者) for workers.

Example sentence

あのシェフはとても親切です。

Ano shefu wa totemo shinsetsu desu.

That chef is very kind.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember シェフ

Shefu sounds exactly like the English word chef. It is the modern term for a professional kitchen expert.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about シェフ

How do you pronounce シェフ?

シェフ is romanised as shefu. Say it roughly like "s-heh-foo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is シェフ formal or casual?

シェフ 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 シェフ written in Japanese?

シェフ is written using katakana. Shefu (シェフ) is a katakana loanword from English 'chef'.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Chef" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town