ご飯

• Reading: ごはん
• Romaji: gohan
• Kanji breakdown: 飯 (han/meshi) — cooked rice, meal
• Pronunciation: /ɡo.haɴ/

Meaning

Cooked rice; meal. The most fundamental food word in Japanese.

Refers both to cooked rice specifically and to meals in general. When someone says ご飯を食べた, it can mean either 'I ate rice' or 'I had a meal.' Rice is so central to Japanese cuisine that the word for rice became synonymous with eating itself.

Examples

1. 毎日ご飯を食べます。 I eat rice every day.
2. 今日の晩ご飯は何ですか。 What's for dinner tonight?
3. ご飯がまだ炊けていません。 The rice isn't cooked yet.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, meals, cooking

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From 飯 (meshi/han, 'cooked rice') with the honorific prefix ご. The kanji 飯 combines 食 (food) and 反 (return), suggesting food that sustains and replenishes.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal