Learn Japanese Cooking Verbs: Chop, Boil, Fry, Bake, and Mix
Master five essential Japanese cooking verbs and use them in simple sentences like 'I chop the onions' with clear grammar and polite forms.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn five everyday Japanese verbs for cooking actions: chop, boil, fry, bake, and mix. Unlike lessons that only name foods, this lesson focuses on what you do to the food. You will practice the core pattern 'I chop the onions' and learn how to change the ingredient and the verb. All examples use polite, beginner-friendly Japanese in natural script with Hepburn romanization.
By the end, you can…
- say and understand five common cooking verbs in Japanese.
- build a simple sentence saying what I chop, boil, fry, bake, or mix.
- ask and answer what someone is cooking in a polite conversation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
玉ねぎを切ります。
I chop the onion. / I chop onions.
tamanegi o kirimasu
Use を (o) to mark the ingredient and 切ります (kirimasu) for cutting or chopping. This is the main pattern for this lesson. Japanese nouns do not change for singular or plural, so 玉ねぎ can mean 'onion' or 'onions' depending on context.
水を沸かします。
I boil water.
mizu o wakashimasu
沸かします (wakashimasu) means to boil a liquid. Use it for water, soup, or stock, not for boiling a solid ingredient.
野菜を炒めます。
I stir-fry the vegetables.
yasai o itamemasu
炒めます (itamemasu) is stir-frying in a pan. It is the usual verb for quick frying with oil.
パンを焼きます。
I bake (or grill) the bread.
pan o yakimasu
焼きます (yakimasu) covers baking, roasting, and grilling. The object tells you which meaning fits.
卵を混ぜます。
I mix the eggs.
tamago o mazemasu
混ぜます (mazemasu) means to mix or stir ingredients together, often with a spoon or whisk.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is: ingredient + を (o) + verb in the polite ます (masu) form. For example, 玉ねぎを切ります (tamanegi o kirimasu) means 'I chop the onion(s).' To change the ingredient, replace 玉ねぎ (tamanegi) with another food: にんじんを切ります (ninjin o kirimasu) means 'I chop the carrots.' To change the action, keep the ingredient and swap the verb: 玉ねぎを炒めます (tamanegi o itamemasu) means 'I stir-fry the onion(s).' Japanese does not require a separate word for 'I' here, because the polite verb form and context make the subject clear.
When to use it
Use these verbs when talking about cooking steps, recipes, or what you are doing in the kitchen. For a question, say 何を切りますか (nani o kirimasu ka), meaning 'What do you chop?' You can answer 玉ねぎを切ります (tamanegi o kirimasu). If you want to say 'I am chopping,' use the ています (te imasu) form: 玉ねぎを切っています (tamanegi o kitte imasu). Use 沸かします (wakashimasu) only for liquids, and use 焼きます (yakimasu) for bread, fish, or meat. Mixing with 混ぜます (mazemasu) is common for eggs, batter, and salads.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
今日は何を作りますか。
What will you cook today?kyou wa nani o tsukurimasu kaカレーを作ります。まず玉ねぎを切ります。
I will make curry. First, I chop the onion(s).karee o tsukurimasu. mazu tamanegi o kirimasuそれから、何をしますか。
And then, what do you do?sorekara, nani o shimasu ka肉を炒めて、水を沸かします。
I stir-fry the meat and boil water.niku o itamete, mizu o wakashimasuA little context goes a long way
In Japanese kitchens and recipes, polite ます (masu) forms are standard in instructions and conversation with people you do not know well. Among close friends or family, plain forms like 切る (kiru) and 炒める (itameru) are common. When cooking together, a host may use polite forms to be considerate, while a family member may use plain forms naturally. Both are correct; choose based on your relationship and the situation.
One thing to watch for
Using 沸かします (wakashimasu) for solid food, as in 野菜を沸かします (yasai o wakashimasu).
Try this instead: Use 沸かします (wakashimasu) only for liquids. For vegetables, say 野菜をゆでます (yasai o yudemasu), meaning 'I boil the vegetables,' or 野菜を炒めます (yasai o itamemasu) for stir-frying.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I chop the onions' in polite Japanese?
Show a sample answer
玉ねぎを切ります。 (tamanegi o kirimasu)
This uses the ingredient 玉ねぎ (tamanegi), the particle を (o), and the polite verb 切ります (kirimasu). You could also say 玉ねぎを切る (tamanegi o kiru) in plain form with friends.
2Which verb would you use for 'I boil water'?
Show a sample answer
水を沸かします。 (mizu o wakashimasu)
沸かします (wakashimasu) is correct for boiling a liquid like water. For boiling a solid ingredient such as vegetables, ゆでます (yudemasu) is more accurate.
3Change パンを焼きます (pan o yakimasu) to mean 'I fry the bread.'
Show a sample answer
パンを炒めます。 (pan o itamemasu)
Replacing 焼きます (yakimasu) with 炒めます (itamemasu) changes baking or grilling to stir-frying. If you mean deep-frying, 揚げます (agemasu) is another valid option.
Remember the pattern ingredient + を (o) + polite verb: 玉ねぎを切ります (tamanegi o kirimasu). Learn each verb with its typical ingredient, and check whether it is for liquids, solids, or baking.
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