【切る(きる)】”KIRU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/60.jpg)
Meaning:
to cut
Usage:
「トマトを切る前に、人参を切ってください。」
(とまとをきるまえに、にんじんをきってください。)
(Tomato o kiru mae ni, nin-jin o kitte-kudasai.)
”Before you cut the tomatoes, please cut the carrots.”
- The verbs change depending on how the food is cut, so here are some examples.
- to slice: 薄切りする (うすぎりする / usu-giri suru)
- to chop: 刻む (きざむ / kizamu) or みじん切りする (みじんぎりする / mijin-giri suru)
- to dice: さいの目切りにする (さいのめぎりにする / sai-no-me-giri ni suru)
- to peel: (皮を)むく ([かわを]むく / [kawa o] muku)
- The kitchen knife is called 「包丁 (ほうちょう / hōchō)」.
Glossary:
- トマト(とまと): tomato
- 切る(きる): to cut
- ~する前に(するまえに): before you do […]
- 人参(にんじん): carrot
- ~してください: please do […]
【むく】”MUKU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/61.jpg)
Meaning:
to peel
Usage:
「和食の料理人は、大根の皮をむくのが上手い。」
(わしょくのりょうりにんは、だいこんのかわをむくのがうまい。)
(Washoku no ryōri-nin wa, daikon no kawa o muku noga umai.)
“Japanese cooks are very good at peeling daikon (“radish” in Japanese).”
- The Japanese words for tools used to peel fruits and vegetables are as follows.
- kitchen knife: 包丁 (ほうちょう / hōchō)
- peeler: ピーラー (ぴーらー / pīrā) or 皮むき器 (かわむきき / kawamuki-ki)
- fruit knife: フルーツナイフ (ふるーつないふ / furūtsu naifu) or ペティナイフ (ぺてぃないふ / peti naifu)
- Which of the two types of peeler shown in the photo below is more common in your country? In Japan, the type below is the most common. You don’t see many of the stick-type peelers above in Japan.
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_640,h_640/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/vegetable-peeler-613142_640.jpg)
Glossary:
- 和食(わしょく): Japanese cuisine
- 料理(りょうり): cooking
- 料理人(りょうりにん): cook, chef *This expression is often used to refer to Japanese chefs.
- 大根(だいこん): large white radish
- 皮(かわ): rind, peel
- ~するのが上手い(するのがうまい): to be good at doing […]
【混ぜる(まぜる)】”MAZERU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/62.jpg)
Meaning:
to mix/stir
Usage:
「ドレッシングに少しだけわさびを混ぜると美味しいです。」
(どれっしんぐにすこしだけわさびをまぜるとおいしいです。)
(Doresshingu ni sukoshi dake wasabi o mazeruto, oishī desu.)
“It tastes great if you mix a little bit of wasabi into the dressing.”
- Both “mix” and “stir” are 「混ぜる (まぜる / mazeru)」 in Japanese, but “stir” is often said as 「かき混ぜる (かきまぜる / kakimazeru)」.
- My wasabi dressing recipe is to mix olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice (or vinegar), and a little wasabi at the end. I adjust the mixture on hot days by adding more lemon juice for a refreshing taste, or a little more olive oil and soy sauce for salads with chicken breast.
Glossary:
- ドレッシング(どれっしんぐ): dressing
- 少し(すこし): a little
- ~だけ: only, just
- 少しだけ(すこしだけ): only a little bit
- わさび: wasabi
- 混ぜる(まぜる): to mix, stir
- ~すると: if you do […]
- 美味しい(おいしい): delicious, tasty
【焼く(やく)】”YAKU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/63.jpg)
Meaning:
to grill/roast/bake
Usage:
「日本のガスコンロにはお魚を焼くためのグリルがある。」
(にほんのがすこんろにはおさかなをやくためのぐりるがある。)
(Nihon no gasu-konro niwa osakana o yaku-tame no guriru ga aru.)
“Japanese gas stoves have a grill for grilling fish.”
- 「焼く (やく / yaku)」 is a verb meaning to cook with heat, which corresponds to grill, roast, bake, etc. in English. It can be used to cook meat, vegetables, and fish. It can also be used to bake bread, cakes, cookies, etc., in the oven. (It cannot be used to heat food in the microwave. We say 「温める (あたためる / atatameru / “to heat”)」, instead.)
- Almost all Japanese gas stoves have a built-in grill dedicated just to grilling fish. My Ghanaian and Austrian friends were amazed when they cooked at my house.
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_640,h_427/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/1395109_s.jpg)
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_640,h_480/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/3637164_s.jpg)
Glossary:
- 日本(にほん): Japan
- ガスコンロ(がすこんろ): gas stove
- お魚(おさかな): fish *「お」is a prefix to make it sound polite. It’s fine to say without it.
- 焼く(やく): to grill, roast, bake
- ~するため: for doing [..]
- グリル(ぐりる): grill
【煮る(にる)】”NIRU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/64.jpg)
Meaning:
to simmer/boil
Usage:
「時間をかけて煮ると、お肉の中まで味がついておいしくなる。」
(じかんをかけてにると、おにくのなかまであじがついておいしくなる。)
(Jikan o kakete niru-to, oniku no naka made aji ga tsuite oishiku-naru.)
“The longer you simmer it, the more seasoned and delicious the meat will be.”
- 「煮る (にる / niru)」 is used when you simmer the food to get the flavor into the food. But when you boil it just to heat it up (without seasoning it), you say 「茹でる (ゆでる / yuderu)」.
- For example, Pot-au-feu and chicken noodle soup are simmered so that the ingredients are well seasoned and the vegetables become tender. So, 「煮る (にる / niru)」 is perfect for these foods.
- On the other hand, boiling spaghetti noodles or boiling potatoes to make mashed potatoes is just to heat them up. For these, the verb 「茹でる (ゆでる / yuderu)」 is perfect.
Glossary:
- 時間(じかん): time
- 時間をかける(じかんをかける): to take time, to do […] for long time
- 煮る(にる): to simmer, boil
- お肉(おにく): meat *「お」is prefix to make it polite.
- ~の中(のなか): inside of […]
- ~まで: until, till, to
- 味(あじ): taste, flavor
- 味がつく(あじがつく): to be flavored, to be seasoned
- おいしい: tasty, delicious
- ~しくなる: to become […]* *Adjective
【揚げる(あげる)】”AGERU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/65.jpg)
Meaning:
to deep fry
Usage:
「アイスクリームを天ぷらにして揚げるお店があります。」
(あいすくりーむをてんぷらにしてあげるおみせがあります。)
(Aisu-curīmu o ten-pura ni shite ageru omise ga arimasu.)
“There are some restaurants that deep fry ice cream as tempura.”
- Some of the dishes that use the verb「揚げる (あげる / ageru)」 to fry include the following:
- 天ぷら (てんぷら / ten-pura) : tempura
- からあげ (kara-age) : fried chicken
- とんかつ (ton-katsu) : pork cutlet
- (フライド)ポテト ([ふらいど]ぽてと / [furaido] poteto) : french fries
- エビフライ (えびふらい / ebi-furai) : deep-fried shrimp
- アジフライ (あじふらい / aji-furai) : deep-fried horse mackerel
- コロッケ (ころっけ / korokke) : Japanese croquette (deep-fried bread-crumbed mashed potatoes)
Glossary:
- アイスクリーム(あいすくりーむ): ice cream
- 天ぷら(てんぷら): tempura (deep-fried foods in a light batter)
- ~にする: make it […], make it as […]
- 揚げる(あげる): to deep fry
- お店(おみせ): shop, store *「お」is prefix to make it polite.
- ~がある: there is (are)
【炒める(いためる)】”ITAMERU”
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_1080,h_1080/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/66.jpg)
Meaning:
to stir-fry
Usage:
「野菜炒めは野菜を切って炒めるだけの簡単な料理です。」
(やさいいためはやさいをきっていためるだけのかんたんなりょうりです。)
(Yasai-itame wa yasai o kitte itameru dake no kantan-na ryōri desu.)
“Vegetable stir-fry is a simple dish of cutting and stir-frying vegetables.”
- 「炒める (いためる / itameru)」means to stir fry. 「野菜炒め (やさいいため / yasai-itame / “vegetable stir-fry”)」 is a representative of Japanese home cooking. There are no fixed ingredients, just stir-fry the vegetables and meat you have at home with oil, and season with salt and pepper and soy sauce..
![](https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_auto,q_lossy,ret_img,w_640,h_427/https://japandictionary72.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/22316597_s.jpg)
Glossary:
- 野菜(やさい): vegetable
- 野菜炒め(やさいいため): vegetable stir-fry
- 切る(きる): to cut
- 炒める(いためる): to stir-fry
- ~だけ: just […], only […]
- 簡単(かんたん): easy, simple
- 料理(りょうり): cooking, cuisine, meal, dish