How to Say What You Eat and Drink for Breakfast in Japanese
Learn the Japanese pattern for describing your breakfast: asagohan ni ___ o tabemasu / nomimasu, with common breakfast foods and drinks.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn how to say what you eat and drink for breakfast in Japanese. The key pattern is asagohan ni ___ o tabemasu for eating and asagohan ni ___ o nomimasu for drinking. You will practice common breakfast foods such as gohan, pan, tamago, and natto, and drinks such as ocha, kōhī, and gyūnyū. You will also learn how to ask someone what they eat for breakfast. This lesson focuses only on breakfast, so you can talk about your morning meal naturally.
By the end, you can…
- say what I eat for breakfast using asagohan ni ___ o tabemasu.
- say what I drink for breakfast using asagohan ni ___ o nomimasu.
- ask someone what they eat or drink for breakfast.
- name at least five common Japanese breakfast foods and drinks.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
朝ごはんにごはんを食べます。
For breakfast, I eat rice.
Asagohan ni gohan o tabemasu.
Asagohan ni marks breakfast as the time. Gohan means cooked rice here, not the meal itself. Note that 朝ごはん and ごはん share the same ごはん, so this sentence repeats the word; it is grammatically fine but sounds slightly redundant.
朝ごはんにパンを食べます。
For breakfast, I eat bread.
Asagohan ni pan o tabemasu.
Pan is bread. Sliced white bread (shokupan) is a common breakfast choice in Japan.
朝ごはんにたまごを食べます。
For breakfast, I eat eggs.
Asagohan ni tamago o tabemasu.
Tamago is egg. Japanese does not require a plural ending, so tamago can mean one or more eggs.
朝ごはんにお茶を飲みます。
For breakfast, I drink tea.
Asagohan ni ocha o nomimasu.
Ocha usually means green tea. Use nomimasu for drinking.
朝ごはんに何を食べますか。
What do you eat for breakfast?
Asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka.
Nani means what. Add ka to make a polite question.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is 朝ごはんに + food/drink + を + 食べます or 飲みます. Use 食べます (tabemasu) for eating and 飲みます (nomimasu) for drinking. For example, 朝ごはんにごはんを食べます (Asagohan ni gohan o tabemasu) means I eat rice for breakfast. 朝ごはんにコーヒーを飲みます (Asagohan ni kōhī o nomimasu) means I drink coffee for breakfast. The particle に (ni) marks breakfast as the occasion, and を (o) marks the food or drink as the object. Note that を is written with the kana を but pronounced like お (o) when used as a particle.
When to use it
Use this pattern when talking about your own breakfast or asking about someone else's. To ask, say 朝ごはんに何を食べますか (Asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka). If you want to say you do not eat breakfast, use 朝ごはんを食べません (Asagohan o tabemasen). Note that 朝ごはんに is for the meal occasion, while 朝ごはんを is for the meal itself as an object. For drinks, always use 飲みます, not 食べます.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
朝ごはんに何を食べますか。
What do you eat for breakfast?Asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka.朝ごはんにパンとたまごを食べます。
For breakfast, I eat bread and eggs.Asagohan ni pan to tamago o tabemasu.飲み物は何を飲みますか。
What do you drink (as for drinks)?Nomimono wa nani o nomimasu ka.朝ごはんにお茶を飲みます。
For breakfast, I drink tea.Asagohan ni ocha o nomimasu.A little context goes a long way
A traditional Japanese breakfast often includes rice, miso soup, grilled fish, and pickles, but many people today eat bread, eggs, or cereal. When speaking, it is common to say 朝ごはんに (asagohan ni) rather than 朝食に (chōshoku ni), which sounds more formal. Use 朝ごはん in everyday conversation with friends and family.
One thing to watch for
Using 食べます (tabemasu) for drinks, as in 朝ごはんにコーヒーを食べます。
Try this instead: Use 飲みます (nomimasu) for drinks: 朝ごはんにコーヒーを飲みます。 (Asagohan ni kōhī o nomimasu.) 食べます is for solid food; drinks take 飲みます.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'For breakfast, I eat bread' in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
朝ごはんにパンを食べます。 (Asagohan ni pan o tabemasu.)
This uses asagohan ni for breakfast, pan for bread, o for the object marker, and tabemasu for eat. The basic form is correct and natural.
2Which verb do you use for drinking coffee?
Show a sample answer
飲みます (nomimasu)
Drinks take nomimasu, not tabemasu. For example, 朝ごはんにコーヒーを飲みます。 (Asagohan ni kōhī o nomimasu.)
3Ask someone what they eat for breakfast.
Show a sample answer
朝ごはんに何を食べますか。 (Asagohan ni nani o tabemasu ka.)
This is a polite question. You can also say 朝ごはんは何を食べますか, but asagohan ni is more common when asking about the breakfast occasion.
Use 朝ごはんに (asagohan ni) plus the food or drink, then を (o), and finish with 食べます (tabemasu) for food or 飲みます (nomimasu) for drinks.
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