Reading Japanese Onigiri Filling Labels: A Beginner's Field Guide
Learn to match handwritten onigiri tags to fillings like 鮭, ツナマヨ, 梅, 昆布 and 明太子, and ask staff which one is which at the counter.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
At a small onigiri shop, the fillings are often written by hand on little tags in front of each rice ball. The words are short, but they are not always the words you met in a textbook. This lesson teaches you to recognise six common label words, to ask which rice ball is which with 〜はどれですか, to check what is inside with 〜が入っていますか, and to ask about heat with 辛いですか. You will also learn のり and 塩, which describe the outside texture rather than the filling. The aim is simple: walk in, read what you can, point when reading is slow, and leave with the rice ball you actually wanted.
By the end, you can…
- recognise the filling words 鮭, ツナマヨ, 梅, 昆布, 明太子 and 具 on handwritten tags.
- ask which rice ball is which using 〜はどれですか.
- ask what is inside a rice ball using 〜が入っていますか.
- ask whether a filling is spicy with 辛いですか and point to a tag when reading is slow.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
鮭はどれですか。
Which one is the salmon?
sa-KE wa DO-re des-ka
Use when you can read the word 鮭 on a tag but cannot tell which rice ball it belongs to. Point at the tag as you say it.
ツナマヨが入っていますか。
Does it have tuna mayo in it?
tsu-na-MA-yo ga ha-IT-te i-mas-ka
Use for any filling word you can name. Replace ツナマヨ with 梅, 昆布 or 明太子 to check a different rice ball.
これは何が入っていますか。
What is inside this one?
ko-RE wa NA-ni ga ha-IT-te i-mas-ka
Use while pointing at a rice ball whose tag you cannot read. 何 is the question word for 'what'.
明太子は辛いですか。
Is the mentaiko spicy?
men-TA-i-ko wa ka-RA-i des-ka
Use for any filling you are unsure about. 辛い asks about heat, not about strong flavour in general.
すみません、読めません。指さしてもいいですか。
Excuse me, I can't read it. May I point?
su-mi-ma-SEN, yo-ME-ma-sen. yu-bi-sa-SHI-te mo i-i des-ka
Use when the handwriting is hard to read. It politely asks permission to point instead of reading the tag aloud.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern 〜はどれですか means 'which one is 〜?'. Put the label word before は: 鮭はどれですか, 梅はどれですか, 昆布はどれですか. The pattern 〜が入っていますか means 'does it contain 〜?'. Here が marks the filling as the thing being checked: ツナマヨが入っていますか, 明太子が入っていますか. Keep the two patterns separate. はどれですか asks you to identify a rice ball; が入っていますか asks you to confirm its contents. For spice, use 辛いですか after the filling word: 明太子は辛いですか.
When to use it
Use these patterns at the counter, not from across the shop. Start with すみません to get attention, then ask one question at a time. If the tag is handwritten and unclear, say 読めません and point at the rice ball or tag. Staff often answer with a short noun, for example はい、それです or いいえ、こちらです. Listen for これ, それ and こちら while they point. If you only need to know whether a rice ball is plain rice with のり or has 塩 on the outside, ask のりはついていますか or 塩はついていますか. These are texture questions about the outside, not about the filling.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、鮭はどれですか。
Excuse me, which one is the salmon?su-mi-ma-SEN, sa-KE wa DO-re des-ka鮭はこちらです。のりがついています。
The salmon is this one. It has nori on it.sa-KE wa ko-CHI-ra des. NO-ri ga tsu-IT-te i-masありがとうございます。明太子は辛いですか。
Thank you. Is the mentaiko spicy?a-ri-ga-TOO go-ZAI-mas. men-TA-i-ko wa ka-RA-i des-kaはい、少し辛いです。ツナマヨは辛くないです。
Yes, it is a little spicy. The tuna mayo is not spicy.HAI, su-KO-shi ka-RA-i des. tsu-na-MA-yo wa ka-ra-KU-na-i desA little context goes a long way
At a small shop, the person at the counter is often the person who made the rice balls, so a short, clear question is welcome. Neutral-polite forms such as 〜ですか and 〜ますか fit this setting well; casual forms can sound too familiar with a stranger, while very formal keigo can feel distant at a takeaway counter. Handwritten tags may use shop abbreviations, so if a word is unfamiliar, ask about it rather than guessing. Do not assume a filling is vegetarian or free of a specific ingredient just because the label is short; ask directly with 〜が入っていますか.
One thing to watch for
Asking 鮭は何ですか to mean 'which one is the salmon?'
Try this instead: 何ですか asks 'what is it?', which sounds like you do not know what salmon is. To identify a rice ball, use どれ: 鮭はどれですか. Use 何が入っていますか only when you want to know the contents: これは何が入っていますか.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You can read 梅 on a tag but cannot see which rice ball it belongs to. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
梅はどれですか。
This uses 〜はどれですか to ask which rice ball is the ume one. Pointing at the tag while asking is also fine.
2You want to check whether a rice ball contains mentaiko. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
明太子が入っていますか。
This uses 〜が入っていますか to ask about contents. You can replace 明太子 with ツナマヨ or 昆布 for other fillings.
3You are not sure whether a filling is spicy. What question do you ask?
Show a sample answer
これは辛いですか。
This asks whether this one is spicy. You can also name the filling: 明太子は辛いですか. Both are natural at the counter.
Read the tag if you can, point if you cannot, and ask one clear question: 〜はどれですか to identify a rice ball, 〜が入っていますか to check the filling, and 辛いですか for heat.
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