Okome vs. Gohan: which should we use to say “rice” in Japanese?

How to say “rice” in Japanese

Native speakers would say “okome” or “gohan” to mean ‘rice’ in Japanese. Probably, some Japanese learners know these two words as both are sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain them in detail based on their grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand which to use more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “okome”
• Grammatical components of “okome”
  • Example #1: how to say “rice” in Japanese
• Definition and meanings of “gohan”
• Grammatical components of “gohan”
  • Example #2: how to use “gohan”
• Okome vs. Gohan: which to use
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “okome”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “okome”.

• okome – お米 (おこめ) : a noun meaning ‘rice’, especially ‘uncooked rice’, in Japanese.

Native speakers use this noun to refer to rice, especially rice before cooked, in Japanese.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

Grammatical components of “okome”

“Okome” consists of the following two components:

• o – お : a prefix making its following words polite.
• kome – 米 (こめ) : a noun meaning ‘rice’ in Japanese.

From these two components, we can understand that “okome” is literally the polite expression of “kome” and means ‘rice’ in Japanese. Native speakers quite often use this expression to refer to rice in Japanese. They always show their respect to what they eat.

When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “okome” through the detailed check above.

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

Example #1: how to say “rice” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
• kono – この : a determiner used before the noun which refers to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “mise” to say “this shop” in Japanese.
• mise – 店 (みせ) : a noun meaning ‘shop’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kono mise” to say where “boku” bought rice.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “okome” to make the object in the sentence.
• kat – 買っ (かっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kau”, which means ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “kat” to make its past tense form, “kat ta”.

This is a typical usage of “okome”. When we want to refer to rice, especially rice before cooked, in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.

Definition and meanings of “gohan”

Next, let me explain the definition and meanings of “gohan”.

• gohan – ご飯 (ごはん) : a noun meaning ‘rice’, especially ‘cooked rice’, in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can also mean ‘meal’ in general.

Native speakers normally use this noun to refer to cooked rice in Japanese. Cooked rice is often a major part of Japanese meals, so this noun can also mean ‘meal’ in general depending on the situation and context.

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

Grammatical components of “gohan”

“Gohan” consists of the following two components:

• go – ご : a prefix making its following words polite.
• han – 飯 (はん) : a noun meaning ‘cooked rice’ in Japanese.

From these two components, we can understand that “gohan” is literally the polite expression of “han” and means ‘cooked rice’ in Japanese. So, this noun has completely the same structure as “okome” does. Just their meanings are different.

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

Example #2: how to use “gohan”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• shiroi – 白い (しろい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘white’ in Japanese.
• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shiroi gohan” to make the object in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to like’.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “gohan”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “shiroi gohan”, which means ‘white cooked rice’ in Japanese.

Okome vs. Gohan: which to use

So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “okome” and “gohan” in detail based on their grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. As you may already understand, Japanese people use these two words differently. When we want to refer to uncooked rice, we should say “okome”. When we want to refer to cooked rice, we should say “gohan”.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the two different ways to say “rice” in Japanese: “okome” and “gohan”. Let me summarize them as follows.

• okome – お米 (おこめ) : a noun meaning ‘rice’, especially ‘uncooked rice’, in Japanese.
• gohan – ご飯 (ごはん) : a noun meaning ‘rice’, especially ‘cooked rice’, in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, this can also mean ‘meal’ in general.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.