グルメ

• Reading: グルメ
• Romaji: gurume
• Kanji breakdown: From French 'gourmet' → adopted into Japanese as a loanword covering both fine food and food enthusiasts
• Pronunciation: /ɡu.ɾu.me/

Meaning

Fine food or gourmet cuisine; also used to describe a person who appreciates and seeks out good food — a foodie.

Borrowed from French 'gourmet,' this loanword has been fully naturalized in Japanese and is used far more broadly than in English. It functions as both a noun (delicious food, cuisine) and an adjective (food-savvy, having refined taste). Japanese TV is filled with グルメ shows, and the word appears in countless compound terms like B級グルメ and ご当地グルメ.

Examples

1. あの人めっちゃグルメだから、お店選びは任せよう。 That person is a total foodie, so let's leave the restaurant pick to them.
2. 週末はグルメ巡りするのが趣味なんだ。 Going on gourmet tours on weekends is my hobby.
3. このエリア、グルメな店が多くて迷うよね。 This area has so many great food spots, it's hard to choose.

Usage Guide

Context: restaurants, TV shows, travel, conversation

Tone: appreciative, descriptive

Do Say

• グルメな友達に連れてってもらった店がめっちゃ美味しかった。 (A foodie friend took me to a restaurant that was incredible.)
• この街はグルメの街として有名だよね。 (This city is famous as a food lover's town.)

Don't Say

• 自分をグルメと呼ぶのは少し自慢っぽく聞こえることがある (Calling yourself a グルメ can sound a bit boastful — it's better when others say it about you)

Common Mistakes

• Assuming グルメ only means expensive food — it covers all quality food appreciation including street food and casual dining

Origin & History

From French 'gourmet.' Entered Japanese in the 1980s-90s during the gourmet boom (グルメブーム), when food culture and dining out became major lifestyle trends in Japan.

Cultural Context

Era: 1980s-90s gourmet boom, now permanent vocabulary

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Central to Japanese food media and tourism culture.