JLPT N5 food and drink vocabulary covers 41 essential words — from staples like ご飯 (rice) and お茶 (tea) to meats, produce, and tableware. Food vocabulary appears throughout the N5 exam in restaurant and home-life scenarios. This guide covers all 41 words organized by category.

This article is part of our JLPT N5 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 41 words with the N5 Food & Drink deck in Onigiri Anki.

Drinks & Staples (12)

The most frequently tested food words — 水, ご飯, and コーヒー appear in nearly every N5 listening scenario.

water水mizu

水を飲みたいです。 — I want to drink water.

rice / mealご飯gohan

毎日ご飯を食べます。 — I eat rice every day.

coffeeコーヒーkoohii

朝にコーヒーを飲みます。 — I drink coffee in the morning.

tea (Japanese)お茶ocha

日本のお茶はおいしいです。 — Japanese tea is delicious.

breadパンpan

朝食にパンを食べます。 — I eat bread for breakfast.

milk牛乳gyuunyuu

コーヒーに牛乳を入れます。 — I put milk in coffee.

juiceジュースjuusu

ジュースをのみます。 — I drink juice.

beerビールbiiru

ビールをのみます。 — I drink beer.

alcohol / sakeお酒osake

お酒を飲みません。 — I do not drink alcohol.

black tea紅茶koucha

紅茶をのみます。 — I drink black tea.

food食べ物tabemono

この食べ物はおいしいです。 — This food is delicious.

drink / beverage飲み物nomimono

飲み物を買います。 — I buy a drink.

Proteins & Produce (10)

Ingredient vocabulary appears in N5 reading passages about shopping, cooking, and restaurant menus.

meat肉niku

この肉はおいしいです。 — This meat is delicious.

chicken鶏肉toriniku

鶏肉を食べます。 — I eat chicken.

pork豚肉butaniku

豚肉が好きです。 — I like pork.

beef牛肉gyuuniku

うちで牛肉を食べます。 — I eat beef at home.

fish魚sakana

魚を買いました。 — I bought fish.

vegetable野菜yasai

毎日野菜を食べます。 — I eat vegetables every day.

fruit果物kudamono

毎日果物を食べます。 — I eat fruit every day.

egg卵tamago

卵を一つ食べます。 — I eat one egg.

salt塩shio

塩をください。 — Please pass the salt.

sugar砂糖satou

お茶に砂糖を入れます。 — I put sugar in tea.

Meals & Tableware (10)

Meal names and tableware vocabulary are tested in N5 listening and reading passages about daily routines.

breakfast朝ご飯asagohan

家で朝ご飯を食べます。 — I eat breakfast at home.

lunch昼ご飯hirugohan

学校で昼ご飯を食べます。 — I eat lunch at school.

dinner晩ご飯bangohan

晩ご飯をいっしょに食べます。 — We eat dinner together.

cooking / dish料理ryouri

毎日料理をします。 — I cook every day.

boxed lunchお弁当obentou

お弁当をたべます。 — I eat a boxed lunch.

sweets / snacksお菓子okashi

お菓子がすきです。 — I like sweets.

chopsticks箸hashi

わたしは箸をつかいます。 — I use chopsticks.

rice bowl茶碗chawan

この茶碗はあたらしいです。 — This rice bowl is new.

plate皿sara

つくえの上に皿があります。 — There is a plate on the table.

spoonスプーンsupuun

スプーンをください。 — Please give me a spoon.

Key Patterns with Food Vocabulary

食べる vs 飲む. 食べる (taberu) = eat solid food. 飲む (nomu) = drink. Simple, but N5 listening catches learners who mix them up.
Particle を. Food is always the direct object: ご飯を食べます, お茶を飲みます. Using が instead is a common error.
Three meal words. 朝ご飯 (breakfast), 昼ご飯 (lunch), 晩ご飯 (dinner) — note the pattern: time word + ご飯.
料理 as a verb. 料理 (ryouri) means "cooking/dish" as a noun, but 料理する means "to cook." Both usages appear on the N5.

Frequently Asked Questions

What food vocabulary is most important for N5?

Start with the three meal words (朝ご飯, 昼ご飯, 晩ご飯), basic drinks (水, お茶, コーヒー), and 食べ物/飲み物. These appear in nearly every N5 food-related question.

Do I need to know soy sauce (醤油) and butter (バター) for N5?

Yes — condiments like 醤油 (shouyu/soy sauce), 塩 (shio/salt), and 砂糖 (satou/sugar) are in the official N5 vocabulary list and can appear in reading passages.

Practice All 41 N5 Food & Drink Words

Import the N5 Food & Drink deck into Onigiri Anki and lock in all 41 words with spaced repetition before your exam.

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JLPT N5 Food & Drink Vocabulary: 41 Essential Words (2026)