How do you say "japanese food" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "japanese food" is 和食 (washoku). It is a noun pronounced "wah-shoh-koo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of japanese food from Noun Town

Pronunciation

和食 is written in kanji. Romanised as washoku, it sounds roughly like "wah-shoh-koo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

和食を使います。

Washoku wo tsukaimasu.

I use the japanese food.

Usage notes

Washoku (和食) is the Japanese word for japanese food. This noun appears in everyday contexts across homes, offices, schools, and public spaces.

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Questions about 和食

How do you pronounce 和食?

和食 is romanised as washoku. Say it roughly like "wah-shoh-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 和食 formal or casual?

和食 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 和食 written in Japanese?

和食 is written using kanji. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

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.