What does “tabemono” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tabemono” to mean ‘food’ or ‘something to eat’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word well as it is quite often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “tabemono” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “tabemono”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “tabemono”.
- tabemono – 食べ物 (たべもの) : a noun meaning ‘food’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘something to eat’ in general.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to food in Japanese. Its usage is very similar to that of the English word, “food”, I think.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Tabemono in kanji
Below are the kanji characters used in “tabemono”.
- 食 : a kanji character widely used to express the act of eating. This can also be found in other words like “choushoku“, “chuushoku“, and “yuushoku“.
- 物 : a kanji character widely used to mean ‘thing’, ‘stuff’, or ‘matter’. This can also work as a suffix to add the meaning of ‘something’ or such. This kanji can also be found in other words like “kaimono“.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “tabemono” means ‘something to eat’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation seems to be in line with the meanings.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “tabemono” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “tabemono” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “food” in Japanese
watashi no sukina tabemono wa ramen desu – 私の好きな食べ物はラーメンです (わたしのすきなたべものはらーめんです)
My favorite food is ramen.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- sukina – 好きな (すきな) : a na-adjective meaning ‘favorite’ in Japanese. In the example, this works as a modifier before “tabemono”.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after the noun phrase, “watashi no sukina tabemono”, to make the subject in the sentence.
- ramen – ラーメン (らーめん) : a noun meaning ‘ramen’ in Japanese.
- 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 “ramen” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “tabemono”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “sukina tabemono”, which means ‘favorite food’ in Japanese. Japanese people sometimes use this expression in conversations, so it’s worth knowing.
Example #2: another usage of “tabemono”
kare wa mise de tabemono wo kat ta – 彼は店で食べ物を買った (かれはみせでたべものをかった)
He bought something to eat at the shop.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ 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 “mise” to say where “kare” bought something to eat.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tabemono” to make the object word 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. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “kat” to make its past tense form, “kat ta”, which means ‘to have bought’ in Japanese.
This is another typical usage of “tabemono”. In this example, it works as the object word in the sentence and means ‘something to eat’.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “tabemono” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- tabemono – 食べ物 (たべもの) : a noun meaning ‘food’ in Japanese. This can also mean ‘something to eat’ in general. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘something to eat’.
- sukina tabemono – 好きな食べ物 (すきなたべもの) : a commonly-used expression meaning ‘favorite food’ in Japanese. Native speakers sometimes use this expression in conversations, so it’s worth knowing.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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