How to Say What You Eat on Holidays in Japanese: Expressing Thanksgiving-Style Food Traditions
Learn to describe holiday food customs in Japanese using 〜を食べます, 〜の日, and 〜とき, so you can explain traditions like eating turkey on Thanksgiving naturally.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Describing a holiday food custom is not the same as describing a dish. In this lesson you will learn how to say what people eat on a particular holiday or occasion in Japanese. The key is to combine an occasion phrase, such as サンクスギビングの日 (Thanksgiving Day), with a verb phrase like 七面鳥を食べます (eat turkey). You will also learn how to talk about customs in general, using 〜とき (when) and 〜ます (polite present tense). By the end, you will be able to explain a tradition like 'We eat turkey on Thanksgiving' in clear, natural Japanese.
By the end, you can…
- say what food is eaten on a specific holiday using 〜の日に〜を食べます。
- describe a general custom with 〜とき、〜を食べます。
- ask someone what they eat on a holiday and understand their answer.
- use 〜と言います to explain a tradition in Japanese.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
サンクスギビングの日に七面鳥を食べます。
We eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Sankusugibingu no hi ni shichimenchō o tabemasu.
The most direct way to state a holiday food custom. 〜の日に marks the specific day, and を marks the food eaten.
サンクスギビングのとき、七面鳥を食べます。
When it is Thanksgiving, we eat turkey.
Sankusugibingu no toki, shichimenchō o tabemasu.
Use 〜のとき for a broader occasion or season. It sounds a little more general than 〜の日に.
日本では、お正月におせちを食べます。
In Japan, people eat osechi on New Year's.
Nihon de wa, oshōgatsu ni osechi o tabemasu.
A common Japanese example. では marks the place or culture, and に marks the occasion.
あなたの国では、特別な日に何を食べますか。
In your country, what do you eat on special days?
Anata no kuni de wa, tokubetsu na hi ni nani o tabemasu ka.
A polite question to ask about another person's food traditions. 何を (nani o) asks 'what' as the object.
それは伝統的な食べ物です。
That is a traditional food.
Sore wa dentōteki na tabemono desu.
Use this to explain that a food is part of a tradition. 伝統的 (dentōteki) means 'traditional'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is [occasion] に [food] を食べます。 For example, クリスマスにケーキを食べます (Kurisumasu ni kēki o tabemasu) means 'We eat cake on Christmas.' The particle に marks the time when something happens, and を marks the food that is eaten. If you want to talk about a custom in general, you can use 〜とき, as in 誕生日のとき、ケーキを食べます (Tanjōbi no toki, kēki o tabemasu), meaning 'When it is someone's birthday, we eat cake.' Notice that Japanese does not require a plural form for 'we' or 'turkey'; context makes it clear.
When to use it
Use 〜の日に when you mean a specific calendar day, such as サンクスギビングの日に (on Thanksgiving Day). Use 〜のとき when you mean the occasion more loosely, such as サンクスギビングのとき (at Thanksgiving time). To talk about your own family custom, you can say うちでは (uchi de wa), meaning 'in our house' or 'in our family.' For example, うちでは、サンクスギビングに七面鳥を食べます (Uchi de wa, Sankusugibingu ni shichimenchō o tabemasu) means 'In our family, we eat turkey on Thanksgiving.' This is natural and polite.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
アメリカでは、サンクスギビングに何を食べますか。
In America, what do you eat on Thanksgiving?Amerika de wa, Sankusugibingu ni nani o tabemasu ka.七面鳥を食べます。それから、パンプキンパイも食べます。
We eat turkey. And we also eat pumpkin pie.Shichimenchō o tabemasu. Sore kara, panpukin pai mo tabemasu.いいですね。家族と一緒に食べますか。
That sounds nice. Do you eat together with your family?Ii desu ne. Kazoku to issho ni tabemasu ka.はい、家族と一緒に食べます。それが伝統です。
Yes, we eat together with our family. That is the tradition.Hai, kazoku to issho ni tabemasu. Sore ga dentō desu.A little context goes a long way
In Japanese, holiday food customs are often described with 〜の日 or 〜のとき, but Japanese holidays themselves differ. New Year's (お正月) is the most important food tradition in Japan, with dishes like おせち and お雑煮 (ozōni). When talking about another country's holiday, it is natural to add では (de wa) to mean 'in that country' or 'in that culture.' Avoid saying サンクスギビングを食べます; you eat food, not the holiday itself.
One thing to watch for
サンクスギビングを食べます。 (Sankusugibingu o tabemasu.)
Try this instead: This says 'I eat Thanksgiving,' which is wrong. The holiday is the occasion, not the food. Say サンクスギビングに七面鳥を食べます (Sankusugibingu ni shichimenchō o tabemasu) — 'We eat turkey on Thanksgiving.' Use に for the occasion and を for the food.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'We eat turkey on Thanksgiving' using 〜の日に?
Show a sample answer
サンクスギビングの日に七面鳥を食べます。
This uses の日に to mark the specific day and を to mark the food. You could also say サンクスギビングに七面鳥を食べます, which is equally natural.
2Ask a Japanese friend what people eat on New Year's in Japan.
Show a sample answer
日本では、お正月に何を食べますか。
This uses では for 'in Japan,' に for the occasion, and 何を for 'what.' A valid alternative is お正月に何を食べますか if the context is already clear.
3Change this sentence to talk about a general custom: クリスマスにケーキを食べます。
Show a sample answer
クリスマスのとき、ケーキを食べます。
Replacing に with のとき makes the statement about the occasion in general rather than a specific day. Both are correct, but the nuance is slightly different.
To describe a holiday food tradition in Japanese, use [occasion] に [food] を食べます, or [occasion] のとき [food] を食べます for a more general custom. Remember: the holiday takes に, and the food takes を.
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