Chances are…
You’re at at Japanese restaurant… or about to go to one… and you need to get acquainted with the menu.
Well, cranky Lingua Junkie is here to teach you how to read a Japanese menu.
And by teach you, I mean, I’ll just give a list of everything you can expect to find at a traditional place.
In essence… all this guide is a list of common dishes to help guide you when you’re staring at an actual Japanese menu and don’t know what’s what and who’s who.
So if you’re struggling to read their menu…
You can refer to this guide.
Cool? Cool.
You can also save this page as a PDF (link will be down below at the end.)
You may also be interested in knowing how to order food. If so, click that button below as well.
And if you want to actually learn to read Japanese… then check out the FREE PDF worksheet below.
麺類 – Menrui – Noodles
First, let’s start with the types of Japanese noodles ( ← link ) you can expect at on a Japanese menu. By the way, you can hit that link too to learn about the types and what makes them special.
ラーメン
- Raamen
- Ramen
味噌ラーメン
- Miso raamen
- Miso Ramen
醤油ラーメン
- Shouyu raamen
- Soy sauce ramen
豚骨ラーメン
- Tonkotsu raamen
- Pork bone ramen
つけ麺
- Tsuke men
- Ramen with dipping sauce instead of broth
冷やし中華
- Hiyashi chuuka
- Cold ramen noodles
そうめん
- Soumen
- Thin soumen noodles
うどん
- Udon
- Udon noodles
ざるうどん
- Zaru udon
- Cold udon with dipping sauce
そば
- Soba
- Soba or buckwheat noodles
ざるそば
- Zaru soba
- Cold soba with dipping sauce
焼きそば
- Yaki soba
- Stir-fried noodles
和食 – Washoku – Japanese dishes
Washoku just means traditional Japanese dishes. Washoku often includes rice, miso soup, pickles, and seafood, and is simple and elegant in presentation.
生姜焼き
- Shouga yaki
- Pork with soy sauce and ginger
親子丼
- Oyako don
- Chicken and egg on top of rice
肉じゃが
- Niku jaga
- Meat with potatoes flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin
鰻重
- Unajuu
- Grilled eel on rice
お茶漬け
- Ochazuke
- Green tea poured over rice
焼き魚
- Yaki zakana
- Grilled fish
お味噌汁
- Omisoshiru
- Miso soup
雑炊
- Zousui
- Rice soup
茶碗蒸し
- Chawan mushi
- Savory egg custard
洋食 – Youshoku – Western dishes
Youshoku just means western dishes that have been adapted to Japanese tastes. So, western dishes mixed with Japanese flavors.
ナポリタン
- Naporitan
- Japanese ketchup spaghetti
オムライス
- Omuraisu
- Omelet filled with rice
ハヤシライス
- Hayashi raisu
- Japanese stew with demi-glace sauce
カレーライス
- Karee raisu
- Japanese curry with rice
パスタ
- Pasuta
- Pasta
明太子パスタ
- Mentaiko pasuta
- Spicy cod roe pasta
ハンバーグ
- Hanbaagu
- Salisbury steak
ピザ
- Piza
- Pizza
ハンバーガー
- Hanbaagaa
- Hamburger
ドリア
- Doria
- Rice gratin
ビーフシチュー
- Biifu shichuu
- Beef stew
おつまみ – Otsumami – Appetizer
Otsumami are little appetizers that you get at the start, when you sit down.
枝豆
- Edamame
- Green soybeans
フライドポテト
- Furaido poteto
- French fries
キムチ
- Kimuchi
- Kimchi
サラダ
- Sarada
- Salad
焼き鳥
- Yakitori
- Grilled chicken
たこわさび
- Tako wasabi
- Octopus with wasabi
ししゃも
- Shishamo
- Smelt with roe inside
餃子
- Gyoza
- Dumplings
漬物
- Tsukemono
- Pickles
お寿司 – Osushi – Sushi
It’s possible that you may see sushi on a menu of a non-sushi Japanese restaurant.
マグロ
- Maguro
- Tuna
えび
- Ebi
- Shrimp
いくら
- Ikura
- Salmon roe
たこ
- Tako
- Octopus
はまち
- Hamachi
- Yellow tail
大トロ
- Ootoro
- Fatty tuna
中トロ
- Chuutoro
- Medium fatty tuna
ネギトロ
- Negitoro
- Minced tuna with green onions
サーモン
- Saamon
- Salmon
穴子
- Anago
- Saltwater eel
うに
- Uni
- Sea urchin
甘エビ
- Ama ebi
- Sweet shrimp (cold water northern shrimp)
たい
- Tai
- Sea bream
いか
- Ika
- Squid
たまご
- Tamago
- Egg
サザエ
- Sazae
- Sea snail
鍋物 – Nabemono – Hotpot
Hotpots are part of Japanese cuisine so it’s possible you’ll have some on a menu.
すき焼き
- Sukiyaki
- Beef and vegetables in a sweet and savory soy sauce hot pot broth.
しゃぶしゃぶ
- Shabu shabu
- Thinly sliced meat dipped into boiling water with dipping sauces.
もつ鍋
- Motsu nabe
- Intestine stew.
おでん
- Oden
- Light soy-sauce flavored dashi broth with various fish cakes, eggs, and radish.
ちゃんこ鍋
- Chanko nabe
- Sumo wrestler’s stew.
揚げ物 – Agemono – Fried Foods
Below is a list of agemono that you can expect at a restaurant. The most famous one is likely shabu shabu.
唐揚げ
- Karaage
- Japanese fried chicken with soy sauce flavor
天ぷら
- Tenpura
- Tempura
コロッケ
- Korokke
- Croquettes
とんかつ
- Tonkatsu
- Breaded and fried pork cutlet
メンチカツ
- Menchi katsu
- Breaded and fried ground meat patty
春巻き
- Harumaki
- Fried spring rolls
お飲み物 – Nomimono – Drinks
Below is a list of all the drinks you can expect at a Japanese restaurant. Water isn’t mentioned as it’s obvious. But just in case, water is “Mizu.”
ビール
- Biiru
- Beer
生ビール
- Nama biiru
- Beer on tap
ワイン
- Wain
- Wine
ジュース
- Juusu
- Juice
ウーロン茶
- Uuron cha
- Oolong tea
チューハイ
- Chuu hai
- Mixed drinks with shochu
日本酒
- Nihon shu
- Sake
ノンアルコール
- Non arukooru
- Non Alchol
コーヒー
- Koohii
- Coffee
紅茶
- Koucha
- Black tea
緑茶
- Ryokucha
- Green tea
デザート – Dezaato – Dessert
Here are the desserts you can expect on a Japanese menu.
パフェ
- Pafe
- Parfait
プリン
- Purin
- Japanese custard pudding
コーヒーゼリー
- Koohii zerii
- Coffee jelly
ゼリー
- Zerii
- Jelly
ケーキ
- Keeki
- Cake
あんみつ
- Anmitsu
- Japanese dessert with agar jelly and red bean paste
ジェラート
- Jeraato
- Gelato
アイスクリーム
- Aisu kuriimu
- Ice cream
Conclusion
Now you know how to read a Japanese menu.
Or, if you come across those traditional menus in all kanji with no English to be found…
(which is very likely in non-tourist cities)
You can always rely on this guide.
Feel free to save this guide for your next trip.
Of course, if you want to know how to read in Japanese as well, then I recommend this PDF worksheet below as a starting point;p
The Main LinguaJunkie