Japanese-English-Japanese Dictionary
Japanese – English (go to English – Japanese)
| Japanese | English |
| abekawa mochi | grilled cut mochi topped with mixed sugar and kinako, or syrup and kinako |
| abura | oil |
| aburage | puffy, thin brown fried tofu slices |
| aemono | cooked salad, foods in vinegar dressing or sauces |
| agari | green tea (as served in sushi restaurants) |
| age | fried |
| agedofu | thick slices of deep fried tofu used in soups, nimono etc |
| agemono | fried foods |
| aji, aji-no-tataki | Spanish mackerel, horse mackerel |
| aji-no-moto | monosodium glutamate (MSG) |
| aka miso | red soy bean paste |
| akagai | red clam |
| akami | lean tuna, cut from the back of the fish |
| ama-ebi | sweet shrimp, usually served raw (see odori-ebi) |
| amiyaki | cooked over a wire grill |
| an | sweetened pureed paste of cooked adzuki or white kidney bean |
| ankimo | monkfish liver |
| anko-nabe | monkfish stew |
| anmitsu | dessert made from agar-agar, an and sugar |
| annago or anago | conger eel (saltwater) |
| ao shiso no mi | prepared beefsteak plant seeds |
| aoyagi | yellow clam |
| asa gohan | breakfast |
| awabi | abalone |
| awaze-zu | rice vinegar (also su) |
| ayu | sweetfish, a medium sized river fish |
| azuki or aduki | small red bean |
| baigai | small water snails |
| bara sushi | sushi rice and other ingredients mixed together, like a rice salad |
| basashi | horse-meat sashimi |
| bata | butter |
| battera-sushi | Osaka-style pressed and moulded mackerel sushi |
| beni shoga | red pickled ginger |
| bento | traditional boxed lunch |
| biru | beer |
| bulgogi | Korean marinated beef dish |
| buri | adult yellowtail tuna (also hamachi) |
| burokkori | broccoli |
| buta | pork |
| California roll | crab meat, smelt or flying fish roe, with avocado (the avocado is the Californian bit!) |
| chanko-nabe | seafood and vegetable stew eaten by sumo wrestlers |
| chawan mushi | egg custard with diced vegetables |
| chazuke | rice and various toppings, over which green tea is poured |
| chiizu | cheese |
| chikuwa | tube shaped, hollow browned fish cake |
| chirashi sushi | bed of sushi rice with other ingredients mixed on top; usually consists of assorted raw fish on a bed of vinegared rice (also iso-don or gomoku sushi) |
| chutoro | medium fatty tuna, from the upper belly |
| daikon | giant long white, carrot-shaped Japanese radish |
| daizu | soybeans |
| dango | dumplings |
| dashi | soup stock made from kelp and fish (basic to Japanese cooking) |
| dengaku | tofu or konnyaku broiled with sweet miso |
| doburoku | type of thick, soupy sake |
| donburi | large bowl for noodle and rice dishes |
| ebi | cooked shrimp or prawn |
| engawa | halibut fin muscle or the orangey meat that surrounds a scallop |
| enoki | long, thin, white mushrooms |
| fugu | blowfish; requires a licence for preparation as it is poisonous if prepared incorrectly! |
| fugu-chiri | blowfish soup |
| fuki | fibrous vegetable often simmered in broth |
| fukusa sushi | type of sushi which is wrapped in a crepe |
| funamori | nigiri sushi wrapped to hold in less-solid ingredients (also gunkan maki or kakomi sushi) |
| furutsu | fruit |
| futomaki | large roll |
| gari or shoga | sliced pickled ginger, a condiment used to refresh the palate |
| genmai | brown rice |
| geta | wooden block used at a sushi bar as a plate |
| gobo | long, slender burdock root |
| gohan | formal word for rice, also meaning “meal” (the informal word meshi can also be used) |
| goma | sesame seeds |
| gomoku sushi | bed of sushi rice with other ingredients mixed on top (also chirashi sushi or iso-don) |
| gunkan maki | nigiri sushi wrapped to hold in less-solid ingredients (also funamori or kakomi sushi) |
| gyoza | or wonton: Chinese style meat dumplings pan-fried, sautéed and/or steamed |
| gyu tataki | beef tataki |
| hamachi | yellowtail tuna (also buri) |
| hamo | pike conger |
| hari hari zuke | pickled vegetable mix (yellow) |
| harusame | thin semi-transparent bean gelatine noodles |
| hashi | chopsticks |
| hatahata | sandfish |
| hijiki | variety of black seaweed in tiny threads |
| hikari-mono | fish sliced for serving, with the silver fish skin left on |
| hirame | flounder |
| hiru-gohan | lunch |
| hiya yakko | blocks of cold tofu |
| hiyashi | cold |
| hiyashi-bachi | served chilled in a bowl with ice and cold water |
| hocho | general term for knives |
| hokkigai | surf clam |
| horenso | spinach |
| hotatagai | scallops |
| iidako | small octopus |
| iIka-geso | squid’s tentacles |
| ika | squid |
| ikura | salmon roe |
| inari sushi | aburage stuffed with sushi rice |
| ishikari-nabe | salmon stew with sake |
| iso-don | bed of sushi rice with other ingredients mixed on top (also chirashi sushi or gomoku sushi) |
| iwana | char |
| iwashi | sardine |
| ji- | prefix meaning locally made or caught |
| kabayaki | grilled eel on skewers without rice |
| kabu | small white turnip |
| kai | generic term for shellfish |
| kaiseki ryori | elaborate Kyoto-style cuisine |
| kajiki | swordfish |
| kakomi sushi | nigiri sushi wrapped to hold in less-solid ingredients (also funamori or gunkan maki) |
| kamaboko | fish cake |
| kamachi-kama | yellowtail collars |
| kampyo | seasoned Japanese dried gourd |
| kani | crab meat |
| kani-kamaboko | fake crab meat |
| kanimiso | green contents of a crab’s head |
| kanpachi | very young yellowtail |
| kanpyo | strips of dried gourd |
| kanten | gelatine derived from seaweed |
| kappa | cucumber |
| kappa -maki | rolled cucumber sushi |
| kareh katsu | curry sauce poured over deep-fried pork cutlet |
| karei | halibut |
| katsu | cutlet |
| katsuo | bonito fish |
| katsuo-boshi | dried bonito fish used to make dashi |
| kayaku gohan | mixed rice |
| kikurage | dried fungus, wood-ear mushroom (substitute: cloud-ear) |
| kimachi | small fish from the yellowtail family |
| kinako | parched soya bean flour |
| kinoko | generic term for mushrooms |
| kinome | leaves of the Japanese prickly ash |
| kissaten | coffee shop |
| kohada | gizzard shad |
| kohi | coffee |
| koi | saltwater carp |
| kombu (or konbu) | kelp, may be dried |
| konnyaku | gelatinous rubbery cake made from the “devils-tongue” tuber or snake palm |
| koyadofu | freeze-dried tofu |
| kuro goma | black sesame seeds |
| kurodai | snapper |
| kyur | Japanese cucumber |
| langostino | small shellfish (a bit Italian really!) |
| maguro | tuna |
| makisu | mat made of bamboo strips for making roll sushi |
| manju | sweet bun filled with an |
| masago (or masagu) | smelt roe |
| masu | trout |
| matsutake | very rare pine mushroom |
| mekajiki | blue marlin |
| meshi | informal word for cooked rice, can also mean “meal”, See also gohan) |
| meshimono | rice mixed with meat or vegetables |
| mirin | sweet rice wine (sake) for cooking |
| mirugai | long neck clam, geoduck, in the American Pacific northwest |
| miso | fermented paste of soya beans and either barley or rice, with salt; basic to Japanese cookery and especially miso soup |
| mitzutaki | cooked in liquid |
| mizu | water |
| mochi | sweet glutinous rice cakes |
| mochigome | mochi rice |
| mochiko | sweet glutinous rice flour |
| momen tofu | ‘cottony’ bean curd; see tofu |
| momo | peach |
| mori-soba | cold buckwheat noodles served on a bamboo screen |
| moyashi | bean sprouts |
| murasaki | sushi bar term for soy sauce |
| mushimono | steamed foods |
| myoga | variety of ginger |
| nabemono | quick-cooked and rustic stews |
| nama | prefix meaning raw food or draught beer |
| nama-tako | fresh or raw octopus |
| nametake chazuke | prepared mushrooms |
| nanami togarashi | mixed hot spices (also shichimi togarashi) |
| narizushi | stuffed bean curd rolls or sushi rice in fried tofu pockets |
| nasu | eggplant or aubergine |
| natto | fermented soy bean |
| negi | Japanese onion |
| negitoro | chopped and mixed negi-onion and toro |
| neta | the fish topping in nigiri sushi |
| nigiri | hand-made sushi is the typical sushi and is ordered and served in pairs |
| nigiri sushi | slice of fish or other topping on vinegared rice |
| nihon shu | type of sake, rice wine |
| niika | cooked Monterey squid |
| nijimas | rainbow trout |
| nimono | simmered or boiled foods, usually in an otoshi buta |
| nori | purple laver seaweed pressed and toasted in thin sheets |
| norimake | roll with nori seaweed on the outside |
| ocha | green tea |
| ochazuke | rice and tea soup |
| odori-ebi | ‘dancing shrimp’, served live (see also ama-ebi) |
| ohba | Japanese beefsteak plant |
| ohitsu | special bowl to keep rice warm |
| okonomi-zushi | home-style nigiri sushi |
| onigiri | balls made with plain steamed rice with various stuffings |
| oshi | pressed sushi, cut into small squares |
| oshibori | moistened heated towel |
| oshinko | pickled vegetables, usually cucumber |
| oshiwaku | wooden box with top |
| oshizushi | sushi rice and other ingredients pressed into a box or mould |
| otoro | fattest tuna |
| otoshi buta | heavy straight-sided pan with wooden lid, used for simmering (see nimono) |
| pan-joon | very light Korean scallion (spring onion) pancake |
| renkon | lotus roots |
| robata-yaki | fresh ingredients cooked over a wood fire |
| ronzu | sauce made with Japanese citron |
| saba | pickled mackerel |
| sake | rice wine |
| sake | salmon |
| sakura denbu | seasoned shredded cod fish (pink powder) |
| sanma | Japanese mackerel |
| sansho | Japanese pepper |
| sashimi | raw seafood, usually slices or slabs of raw seafood, such as tuna and octopus, served on a platter with thinly sliced ginger, finely shredded radish, and wasabi |
| sato-imo | taro root |
| sawagani | small crabs |
| seigo | young sea bass |
| senbei | thin, crisp rice crackers |
| shako | mantis shrimp |
| shamoji | flat rice-serving spoon |
| shari | sushi bar term for sushi rice |
| shichimi togarashi | mixed hot spices (also nanami togarashi) |
| shiitake | type of Japanese mushroom |
| shirako | milt of cod |
| shiratake | translucent rubbery noodles |
| shira-uo | whitebait, icefish or salangid |
| shiro goma | white sesame seeds |
| shiro maguro | albacore tuna |
| shiro miso | white soy bean paste |
| shiromi no sakana | sushi/sashimi fish which are relatively white in colour |
| shirumono | Japanese term for soup |
| shiso | Japanese mint |
| shiso sakura | pickled radish and ginger with beefsteak plant (pink) |
| shochu | 25-40% spirit made from potatoes or rice |
| shoga | ginger root |
| shoyu | soy sauce, mixed with the wasabi for dipping the sushi |
| shu-mei | stuffed wontons, served steamed or deep-fried |
| soba | buckwheat noodles |
| soba-zushi | sushi made with soba rather than rice |
| somen | white, threadlike wheat noodles |
| soy sauce | salty sauce made from fermented soybeans |
| su | rice vinegar (also awaze-zu) |
| sudare | floor- or window-sized bamboo mat |
| suimono | clear soup |
| sukimi | bits of fish scraped from the bones, used in rolls |
| sunomon | vinegared foods |
| suribachi | bowl with a rough corrugated inside, used as a mortar |
| surikogi | wooden pestle shaped like a big cucumber |
| sushi | delicacies made with fish, seafood or vegetables moulded on top of vinegared moulded rice fingers |
| sushimeshi | rice for preparing sushi |
| suzuki | sea bass, striped bass or rockfish |
| tai | sea bream, porgy or snapper |
| tairagai | razor-shell clam |
| takenoko | bamboo shoots |
| tako | octopus |
| takuwan | pickled daikon |
| tamago | eggs |
| tamago yaki | fried egg |
| tare | thick sauce, usually soy-based and slightly sweetened |
| tataki | grilled on the surface, then finely chopped |
| tazuna sushi | roll with diagonal strips of food across the top, Rainbow roll |
| tekka | tuna, especially in a roll |
| temaki | hand rolls, usually cone-shaped |
| tempura | seafood or vegetables, battered and deep-fried usually in a light batter |
| teriyaki | broiled foods marinated in a sweet soy sauce |
| tobiko | flying-fish roe |
| tofu | set soya bean curd |
| togarashi | whole dried hot red peppers |
| tonkatsu | pork cutlet, breaded then fried |
| tori | chicken |
| torigai | cockle clam |
| toro | fatty tuna |
| toshi-koshi soba | Japanese custom of eating soba at the end of the year |
| tsukemono | pickles |
| udon | thick, wide wheat noodles |
| umeboshi | small, bitter, pickled Japanese plum |
| ume-shiso | plum paste and shiso leaf mixture |
| una-don | grilled eel, served on rice |
| unagi | freshwater eel |
| unagi | grilled or smoked eel |
| unagi maki | eel roll |
| unagi no kimo | eel innards |
| uni | sea urchin |
| usukuchi shoyu | light Japanese soy sauce |
| wakame | lobe-leaf seaweed, possibly dried, in strands |
| wasabi | Japanese horseradish sauce (beware: very hot) |
| yak | grilled, toasted |
| yakidofu | broiled or grilled soy bean curd |
| yakimono | broiled foods |
| yakinori | toasted seaweed |
| yakitori | skewer-grilled foods |
| yakumi | one of several strongly-flavoured seasonings |
| yamakaki | grated mountain potato with chunks of maguro |
| yosenabe | fish, seafood and vegetable soup |
English – Japanese (go to Japanese – English)
| English | Japanese |
| abalone | awabi |
| aubergine | nasu |
| bamboo shoots | takenoko |
| bass, sea | suzuki |
| bass, sea, young | seigo |
| bean curd, ‘cottony’ | momen tofu |
| bean sprouts | moyashi |
| bean, small red | azuki or aduki |
| beefsteak plant, Japanese | ohba |
| beer | biru |
| blowfish | fugu |
| bonito fish | katsuo |
| bonito fish, dried | katsuo-boshi |
| bowl, large, for noodle and rice dishes | donburi |
| breakfast | asa gohan |
| bream, sea | tai |
| broccoli | burokkori |
| broiled (grilled) | yakimono |
| burdock root | gobo |
| butter | bata |
| carp, saltwater | koi |
| char | iwana |
| cheese | chiizu |
| chicken | tori |
| chopsticks | hashi |
| clam, cockle | torigai |
| clam, long neck | mirugai |
| clam, razor-shell | tairagai |
| clam, red | akagai |
| clam, surf | hokkigai |
| clam, yellow | aoyagi |
| cod milt | shirako |
| coffee | kohi |
| coffee shop | kissaten |
| cold | hiyashi |
| conger, pike | hamo |
| crab meat | kani |
| crab meat, fake | kani-kamaboko |
| crabs, small | sawagani |
| crackers, thin, crisp rice | senbei |
| cucumber | kappa |
| cucumber, Japanese | kyur |
| cutlet | katsu |
| daikon, pickled | takuwan |
| dumplings | dango |
| eel innards | unagi no kimo |
| eel roll | unagi maki |
| eel, conger (saltwater) | annago or anago |
| eel, freshwater | unagi |
| egg | tamago |
| egg, fried | tamago yaki |
| eggplant | nasu |
| fish cake | kamaboko |
| flounder | hirame |
| flour, sweet glutinous rice | mochiko |
| fried | age |
| fried foods | agemono |
| fruit | furutsu |
| gelatine (derived from seaweed) | kanten |
| ginger | myoga |
| ginger root | shoga |
| ginger, red pickled | beni shoga |
| ginger, sliced pickled | gari or shoga |
| green tea | ocha |
| green tea (as served in sushi restaurants) | agari |
| grilled, toasted | yak |
| halibut | karei |
| horseradish sauce, Japanese | wasabi |
| kelp | kombu (or konbu) |
| knives | hocho |
| lotus roots | renkon |
| lunch | hiru-gohan |
| mackerel, Japanese | sanma |
| mackerel, pickled | saba |
| mackerel, Spanish or horse | aji, aji-no-tataki |
| marlin, blue | mekajiki |
| mat, for making roll sushi | makisu |
| mint, Japanese | shiso |
| monkfish liver | ankimo |
| monkfish stew | anko-nabe |
| monosodium glutamate (MSG) | aji-no-moto |
| mortar bowl | suribachi |
| mushroom, Japanese | shiitake |
| mushroom, long, thin, white | enoki |
| mushroom, pine | matsutake |
| mushroom, wood-ear | kikurage |
| mushrooms, generic | kinoko |
| mushrooms, prepared | nametake chazuke |
| noodles, buckwheat | soba |
| noodles, thick, wide wheat | udon |
| noodles, thin semi-transparent bean gelatine | harusame |
| noodles, translucent rubbery | shiratake |
| noodles, white, threadlike wheat | somen |
| octopus | tako |
| octopus, fresh or raw | nama-tako |
| octopus, small | iidako |
| oil | abura |
| onion, Japanese | negi |
| pan, heavy straight-sided with wooden lid | otoshi buta |
| peach | momo |
| pepper, Japanese | sansho |
| pepper, whole dried hot red | togarashi |
| pestle, wooden | surikogi |
| pickles | tsukemono |
| plum, small, bitter, pickled Japanese | umeboshi |
| pork | buta |
| radish, Japanese | daikon |
| rice for preparing sushi | sushimeshi |
| rice, brown | genmai |
| rice, cooked (formal term) | gohan |
| rice, cooked, (informal term) | meshi |
| rice, mixed | kayaku gohan |
| roe, flying-fish | tobiko |
| roe, salmon | ikura |
| roe, smelt | masago or masagu |
| roll, large | futomaki |
| salmon | sake |
| sandfish | hatahata |
| sardine | iwashi |
| scallops | hotatagai |
| seaweed, lobe-leaf | wakame |
| seaweed, purple laver | nori |
| seaweed, toasted | yakinori |
| sesame seeds | goma |
| sesame seeds, black | kuro goma |
| sesame seeds, white | shiro goma |
| shad, gizzard | kohada |
| shellfish | kai |
| shellfish, small | langostino (a bit Italian really!) |
| shrimp or prawn, cooked | ebi |
| shrimp, ‘dancing shrimp’ | odori-ebi (served live; see also ama-ebi) |
| shrimp, mantis | shako |
| shrimp, sweet | ama-ebi (see also odori-ebi) |
| snails, small water | baigai |
| snapper | kurodai |
| soup | shirumono |
| soup, clear | suimono |
| soup, rice and tea | ochazuke |
| soy bean paste, red | aka miso |
| soy bean paste, white | shiro miso |
| soy bean, fermented | natto |
| soy sauce, light, Japanese | usukuchi shoyu |
| soya bean curd, set | tofu |
| soybeans | daizu |
| spices, mixed hot | shichimi (or nanami) togarashi |
| spinach | horenso |
| spoon, flat, for serving rice | shamoji |
| squid | ika |
| squid, Monterey, cooked | niika |
| stock, soup | dashi |
| sushi, hand-made | nigiri |
| sweetfish | ayu |
| swordfish | kajiki |
| taro root | sato-imo |
| tentacles, squid | iIka-geso |
| towel, moistened heated | oshibori |
| trout | masu |
| trout, rainbow | nijimas |
| tuna | maguro |
| tuna in a roll | tekka |
| tuna, albacore | shiro maguro |
| tuna, fattest | otoro |
| tuna, fatty | toro |
| tuna, lean | akami |
| tuna, medium fatty | chutoro |
| tuna, yellowtail | hamachi (also buri) |
| tuna, yellowtail, small | kimachi |
| tuna, yellowtail, very young | kanpachi |
| turnip, small white | kabu |
| urchin, sea | uni |
| vinegar, rice | su (also awaze-zu) |
| water | mizu |
| whitebait, icefish or salangid | shira-uo |
| wine, rice | sake |
| wine, rice, sweet, for cooking | mirin |
| wonton | gyoza |
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