つまみ

• 読み: つまみ
• ローマ字: tsumami
• 発音: /tsu.ma.mi/

意味

Snacks or small bites eaten alongside alcoholic drinks — bar food, drinking nibbles.

つまみ refers to the small dishes and snacks that accompany drinking in Japanese culture. Classic つまみ include edamame, yakitori, dried squid, and pickles. The concept is deeply embedded in Japanese drinking etiquette — ordering only drinks without つまみ can feel incomplete. The word comes from つまむ (to pinch/pick at), reflecting the casual, finger-food nature of these snacks.

例文

1. 何かつまみ買ってこようか、枝豆とかある？
2. この店のつまみ、どれも美味しくてお酒が進む。
3. 家飲みするならつまみは何がいい？

使い方ガイド

場面: drinking, izakayas, home drinking, friends

トーン: casual, convivial

正しい言い方

• つまみ何にする？ (What do you want for drinking snacks?)
• つまみにちょうどいい枝豆あるよ。 (I have edamame that's perfect as a drinking snack.)

避ける言い方

• 食事としてしっかり食べるものを「つまみ」とは言わない (Don't call a proper full meal 'tsumami' — it specifically means small drinking snacks)

よくある間違い

• Confusing つまみ with おつまみ — おつまみ is the polite form (with お prefix) and both are used, but つまみ is more casual

起源と歴史

From the verb つまむ (to pinch/pick at). A long-established word in Japanese drinking culture, referring to the small bites you pick at between sips of alcohol.

文化的背景

時代: Traditional, deeply rooted in Japanese drinking culture

世代: All adult ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. Classic つまみ include edamame, yakitori, takowasa, and shiokara.