How do you say "rice" in Japanese?

米

kome

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "rice" is 米 (kome).

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Pronunciation

米 is written using kanji. Romanised as kome, it sounds roughly like "koh-meh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kome is one of the most fundamental kanji in Japanese culture and cuisine. Rice is central to Japanese food and vocabulary.

Example sentence

朝ごはんに米を食べました。

Asagohan ni Kome wo tabemashita.

I had rice for breakfast.

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How to remember 米

The kanji 米 looks like rice grains arranged in a grid or scattered field. Rice feeds Japan - this character is foundational.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more supermarket words.

Questions about 米

How do you pronounce 米?

米 is romanised as kome. Say it roughly like "koh-meh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 米 formal or casual?

米 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 米 written in Japanese?

米 is written using kanji. Kome is one of the most fundamental kanji in Japanese culture and cuisine.

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.

"Rice" in other languages

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