JLPT N3 food and cooking vocabulary covers all 24 words — ingredients, traditional Japanese dishes, and cooking-process terms. This is the smallest N3 category, making it an easy, quick win for well-rounded N3 vocabulary coverage.

This article is part of our JLPT N3 Complete Vocabulary Guide. Practice all 24 words with the N3 Food & Cooking deck in Onigiri Anki.

Ingredients & Seasoning (8)

Core ingredient vocabulary appears in N3 recipe descriptions and shopping-related reading passages.

ingredient材料zairyou

この材料は新鮮です。 — This ingredient is fresh.

nutrition栄養eiyou

栄養をしっかり取ることは大切です。 — Good nutrition is important.

seasoning調味料choumiryou

調味料を少し入れてください。 — Please add a little seasoning.

vinegar酢su

サラダに少し酢を入れました。 — I put a little vinegar in the salad.

miso味噌miso

母は毎朝みそ汁を作ります。 — My mother makes miso soup every morning.

canned food缶詰kanzume

缶詰を買いました。 — I bought some canned food.

powder粉kona

水に粉を入れてください。 — Please add powder to the water.

skin; peel皮kawa

そのりんごの皮はうすいです。 — The apple's skin is thin.

Traditional Dishes (7)

These words name specific Japanese dishes and food categories — useful for both the exam and real restaurant menus.

japanese food和食washoku

私は和食が好きです。 — I like Japanese food.

western food洋食youshoku

レストランで洋食を食べました。 — I ate Western food at the restaurant.

sushi寿司sushi

家族とすしを食べました。 — I ate sushi with my family.

sliced raw fish刺身sashimi

店で刺身を買いました。 — I bought sliced raw fish at the store.

simmered dish煮物nimono

母が夕食に煮物を作りました。 — My mother made a simmered dish for dinner.

noodles麺men

この店の麺はおいしいです。 — This shop has delicious noodles.

meal食事shokuji

食事のあとで一緒に出かけました。 — We went out together after the meal.

Cooking & Preparation (9)

Cooking process vocabulary describes preparation, storage, and the sensory experience of food.

kitchen knife包丁houchou

よく切れる包丁を使ってください。 — Please use a sharp kitchen knife.

ovenオーブンoobun

ケーキをオーブンで焼きました。 — I baked the cake in the oven.

freezing冷凍reitou

冷凍の野菜は便利です。 — Frozen vegetables are convenient.

preservation保存hozon

このファイルをUSBに保存します。 — We store this file on a USB memory stick.

aroma香りkaori

この花はいい香りがします。 — This flower has a nice aroma.

hunger空腹kuufuku

長い散歩のあとで空腹になりました。 — I got hungry after a long walk.

full stomach満腹manpuku

ラーメンを食べて満腹になりました。 — I felt full after eating ramen.

bite一口hitokuchi

まず一口食べてください。 — Please take one bite first.

sauceソースsoosu

このソースは肉によく合います。 — This sauce goes well with meat.

和食 vs 洋食: A Common N3 Contrast

和食 (washoku, Japanese food) and 洋食 (youshoku, Western food) are frequently contrasted in N3 reading passages about restaurant choices and cultural comparison. 和 means "Japanese/harmony" and 洋 means "Western/ocean" — this kanji pair appears across many N3 compound words (和室/洋室, 和風/洋風).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 空腹 and お腹がすく?

空腹 (kuufuku) is a formal, written-style noun for hunger. お腹がすく (onaka ga suku) is the everyday spoken expression for "to get hungry." The N3 tests recognition of the more formal 空腹 in reading passages.

Why is this the smallest N3 vocabulary category?

Most everyday food vocabulary is covered at N5/N4 level. N3 food vocabulary focuses on more abstract or formal terms (栄養, 保存, 冷凍) that build on the basic vocabulary you already know.

Practice All 24 N3 Food & Cooking Words

Import the N3 Food & Cooking deck into Onigiri Anki and complete this quick, high-value vocabulary category with spaced repetition.

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JLPT N3 Food & Cooking Vocabulary: All 24 Essential Words (2026)