How to Say Drinks in Japanese: Water, Coffee, Tea, Juice, Milk, Soda
Learn six common Japanese drink words and the pattern 'I drink ___' using the particle o with the verb nomimasu, with polite and casual forms.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
This lesson teaches you to name six everyday drinks in Japanese and to say that you drink them. The key pattern is simple: a drink word, then the particle o, then the verb nomimasu. Unlike English, Japanese does not use articles like 'a' or 'the', and drink words do not change for singular or plural. You will also learn the casual verb nomu, which you will hear often in friendly conversation. Focus first on the six nouns, then add the verb, and you can already talk about what you drink.
By the end, you can…
- name six common drinks in Japanese: water, coffee, tea, juice, milk and soda.
- say 'I drink ___' politely using the particle o and the verb nomimasu.
- recognize the casual form nomu in everyday conversation.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
水
water
mizu
The everyday word for cold or plain water. In a restaurant, お水 (omizu) with the polite prefix o is very common when asking for water. Note that お水 refers to cold drinking water; hot water is お湯 (oyu).
コーヒー
coffee
kōhī
Written in katakana because it is a loanword. The long vowel is held for two beats: ko-o-hi-i. Say コーヒーを飲みます (kōhī o nomimasu) for 'I drink coffee'.
お茶
tea
ocha
The general word for tea, usually green tea in Japan. The o is a polite prefix. For black tea, Japanese says 紅茶 (kōcha) instead.
ジュース
juice
jūsu
Written in katakana. The long vowel makes it ju-u-su. In Japan this word can also mean a sweetened soft drink, so オレンジジュース (orenji jūsu) is clearer for orange juice.
牛乳
milk
gyūnyū
The standard word for cow's milk. Both vowels are long: gyu-u-nyu-u. In cafés you may also hear the katakana word ミルク (miruku).
炭酸飲料
soda; carbonated drink
tansan inryō
A formal word for carbonated drinks. In casual speech, people often say サイダー (saidā) for a fizzy drink or name the brand, such as コーラ (kōra) for cola. Note that サイダー in Japan usually means a clear, sweet carbonated drink, not the same as English 'cider'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To say what you drink, put the particle o after the drink word and add the verb nomimasu: 水を飲みます (mizu o nomimasu) means 'I drink water'. The particle o marks the thing you drink. Japanese does not need a separate word for 'I' here, because the verb form already shows the speaker. To make a question, add ka at the end: コーヒーを飲みますか (kōhī o nomimasu ka) means 'Do you drink coffee?'. For a negative answer, use nomimasen: お茶を飲みません (ocha o nomimasen) means 'I do not drink tea'.
When to use it
Use nomimasu in polite situations, such as talking to a teacher, a shop worker or someone you have just met. With close friends and family, the casual form nomu is natural: ジュースを飲む (jūsu o nomu) means 'I drink juice'. In casual speech, the particle o is sometimes dropped, giving ジュース飲む, but beginners should keep o at first because it makes the sentence clear. When offering a drink, you can say お茶を飲みますか (ocha o nomimasu ka) or, more casually, お茶飲む? (ocha nomu).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
朝、何を飲みますか。
What do you drink in the morning?asa, nani o nomimasu kaコーヒーを飲みます。
I drink coffee.kōhī o nomimasu私はお茶を飲みます。ジュースも飲みますか。
I drink tea. Do you drink juice too?watashi wa ocha o nomimasu. jūsu mo nomimasu kaいいえ、飲みません。水を飲みます。
No, I do not. I drink water.iie, nomimasen. mizu o nomimasuA little context goes a long way
In Japan, water or tea is often served free at restaurants, and お冷 (ohiya) means cold water. When someone offers you a drink at home, saying いただきます (itadakimasu) before drinking is polite. The word お茶 usually means green tea, so if you want black tea, say 紅茶 (kōcha) to avoid confusion.
One thing to watch for
Using the verb tabemasu ('eat') with drinks, as in コーヒーを食べます (kōhī o tabemasu).
Try this instead: Drinks take the verb nomimasu, not tabemasu. Say コーヒーを飲みます (kōhī o nomimasu) for 'I drink coffee'. Use tabemasu only for food, such as パンを食べます (pan o tabemasu), 'I eat bread'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I drink milk' politely in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
牛乳を飲みます。 (gyūnyū o nomimasu)
The drink word comes first, then the particle o, then nomimasu. ミルクを飲みます (miruku o nomimasu) is also acceptable in casual or café settings.
2What is the casual form of 'I drink juice'?
Show a sample answer
ジュースを飲む。 (jūsu o nomu)
Nomu is the plain, casual form of nomimasu. In very casual speech, the particle o may be dropped: ジュース飲む.
3How do you ask 'Do you drink tea?' politely?
Show a sample answer
お茶を飲みますか。 (ocha o nomimasu ka)
Adding ka at the end of a polite sentence makes a question. 紅茶を飲みますか (kōcha o nomimasu ka) is also correct if you mean black tea specifically.
Learn the six drink words, then attach o and nomimasu to say 'I drink ___'. Keep the particle o while you are learning, and switch to nomu only with close friends.
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