Lunch in Japanese: chuushoku, ohirugohan, or ohiru, explained

How to say “lunch”in Japanese

Japanese native speakers would say “chuushoku”, “ohirugohan”, or “ohiru” to mean ‘lunch’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain these three words in detail based on their kanji expressions. And also, I will explain the difference among them. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “chuushoku”
• Kanji characters used in “chuushoku”
• Example #1: how to say “did you have lunch?” in Japanese
• Definition and meaning of “ohirugohan”
• Components of “ohirugohan”
• Example #2: how to say “did you have lunch?” more casually
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “chuushoku”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “chuushoku”.

• chuushoku – 昼食 (ちゅうしょく) : a noun meaning ‘lunch’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. To understand this word a bit more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kanji characters used in “chuushoku”

Below are the kanji characters used in “chuushoku”.

• 昼 – a kanji character widely used to mean ‘noon’ or ‘daytime’ in Japanese.
• 食 – a kanji character used to mean ‘to eat’. It is widely used in Japanese words related to the act of eating. It can also be found in words like “tabemono“.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “chuushoku” literally means ‘daytime eat’. This could be interpreted as something to eat during the daytime. It would mean ‘lunch’.

Like in this case, checking kanji characters in detail is very helpful to understand meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get a better understanding of “chuushoku” through the detailed kanji check above. It’s always worth trying.

Then, let me explain how to use “chuushoku” through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “did you have lunch?” in Japanese

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun or pronoun to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “chuushoku”, to make the object word in the sentence. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• tabe – 食べ (たべ) : one conjugation of the verb, “taberu”, which means ‘to eat’ in Japanese. In this example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is put after a verb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese masu form. In this example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “tabe”, to make it sound polite.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese ta form. In this example, it is put after the verb phrase, “tabe mashi”, to make its past tense.
• ka – か : a sentence ending particle used to make questions in Japanese. Normally, it is used with the raised pitch. As its definition suggests, it is put at the end of the example sentence to make the question.

This is a typical usage of “chuushoku”. Here, it is used as a part of the expression, “chuushoku wo tabe mashi ta ka”, which means ‘did you have lunch?’ in Japanese. This expression is very widely used, so worth knowing. But, it sounds very polite and formal. So, in less formal situations, in other words, in more casual situations, another word, “ohirugohan”, would be much better. Their difference is a degree of politeness.

Definition and meaning of “ohirugohan”

Then, let me explain the definition and meaning of “ohirugohan”.

• ohirugohan – お昼ご飯 (おひるごはん) : a noun meaning ‘lunch’ in Japanese.

To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

Components of “ohirugohan”

Below are the ones.

• o – お : a prefix used to make its following word polite.
• hiru – 昼 (ひる) : a noun meaning ‘noon’ or ‘daytime’ in Japanese.
• go – ご : a prefix used to make its following word polite.
• han – 飯 (はん) : a noun meaning ‘meal’ in Japanese.

From these components, we can understand that “ohirugohan” is a kind of polite expression of ‘daytime meal’. It can be understood as ‘lunch’.

Due to the two prefixes, “o” and “go”, “ohirugohan” still sounds polite, but less formal than “chuushoku”. Japanese native speakers quite often use “ohirugohan” in casual situations like conversations with friends and family members.

Let me paraphrase the last example with “ohirugohan” as follows.

Example #2: how to say “did you have lunch?” more casually

Here, “ohirugohan” is used instead of “chuushoku”. Honestly, Japanese people use this expression much more often than the last one. Of course, it highly depends on the situation, but the last one could sound a bit too formal. Unless in more formal situations, we should use “ohirugohan” in order to mean ‘lunch’ in Japanese, I think.

In more casual situations, Japanese people tend to use only the former part of “ohirugohan” as its shortened form. “Ohiru” can literally mean ‘daytime’ or perhaps ‘noon’ in Japanese, but depending on the situation and context, it can be understood as ‘lunch’. Let me paraphrase the last example above with “ohiru”.

This sounds much more casual than the other examples above. It would fit with more casual situations. But, again, “ohiru” can literally mean ‘daytime’ or perhaps ‘noon’. It does not always mean ‘lunch’ in Japanese. Its meaning highly depends on the situation and contenxt. So, when we want to say “lunch” more clearly and specifically in Japanese, we should use “ohirugohan” or “chuushoku”.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained how to say ‘lunch’ in Japanese. “Chuushoku”, “ohirugohan”, and “ohiru” can be used. Let me summarize them as follows.

• chuushoku – 昼食 (ちゅうしょく) : a noun meaning ‘lunch’ in Japanese. It sounds polite and formal, so would be suitable for more formal situations.
• ohirugohan – お昼ご飯 (おひるごはん) : a noun meaning ‘lunch’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers quite often use it to mean ‘lunch’. It’s less formal than “chuushoku”, but still sounds polite.
• ohiru – お昼 (おひる) : a shortened form of “ohirugohan”. It literally means ‘daytime’ or perhaps ‘noon’, but depending on the situation and context, can mean ‘lunch’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.