【香辛料（こうしんりょう）】”KŌSHINRYŌ”
Meaning:
spice
Usage:
「この料理は香辛料をあまり使っていないので、小さな子供でも食べられます。」
（このりょうりはこうしんりょうをあまりつかっていないので、ちいさなこどもでもたべられます。）
(Kono ryōri wa kōshinryō o amari tsukatteinai node, chīsana kodomo demo taberaremasu.)
” This meal does not use a lot of spices, so even small children can eat it.”
- 「～でも (demo)」means “even”.
*When used as a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence, it can mean “however” or “but”.
Glossary:
- この: this […]
- 料理（りょうり）: cuisine, meal, dish, item on the menu
- 香辛料（こうしんりょう）: spice
- あまり～ない: not very much, not very often
- ～ので（/～なので）: because […], since […], as […]
- 小さい（ちいさい）: small
- 小さな～（ちいさな）: small […]
- 子供（こども）: child/ren, kid/s
- 食べる（たべる）: to eat
【塩（しお）】”SHIO”
Meaning:
salt
Usage:
「日本ではお葬式から帰ってきた人に、家族がお清めの塩をかける風習があります。」
（にほんではおそうしきからかえってきたひとに、かぞくがおきよめのしおをかけるふうしゅうがあります。）
(Nihon dewa osōshiki kara kaettekita hito ni, kazoku ga okiyome no shio o kakeru fūshū ga arimasu.)
“In Japan, there is a custom for family members to sprinkle salt to purify people who come back from a funeral.”
- In Japan, there is an ancient custom of using salt to purify things. Have you ever seen a sumo match? The rikishi (“sumo wrestlers”) sprinkle salt in the ring before a match to purify the ring.
It is said that sprinkling salt on people coming back from a funeral was not to purify the person who had passed away, but to keep death, a symbol of something terrible, away from them. (This is a Shinto concept, but the act of sprinkling salt is also done after Buddhist funerals.)
Glossary:
- 日本（にほん / にっぽん）: Japan
- 葬式（そうしき）: funeral
- 帰る（かえる）: to go back home, to return, to go home
- 帰ってくる（かえってくる）: to come back *It’s basically not take 「私 (わたし / watashi / “I”)」 as its subject.
- 人（ひと）: person, people
- 家族（かぞく）: family
- お清め（おきよめ）: purification
- 塩（しお）: salt
- かける : to shower, to sprinkle *There are so many meanings for 「かける」. Check out for other meanings with dictionaries.
- 塩をかける（しおをかける）: to sprinkle salt
- 風習（ふうしゅう）: custom
- ある: there is, there are
【胡椒（こしょう）】”KOSHŌ”
Meaning:
pepper
Usage:
「餃子のタレの代わりに、お酢と胡椒で食べる人も居る。」
（ぎょうざのたれのかわりに、おすとこしょうでたべるひともいる。）
(Gyōza no tare no kawari ni, osu to koshō de taberu hito mo iru.)
“Some people eat dumplings with vinegar and pepper instead of dumpling sauce.”
- Gyōza dumplings come from China, where they are pronounced jiǎozi with the same Chinese characters. In China, they are often eaten boiled, but in Japan, they are mostly eaten fried on a griddle or in a frying pan.
- There is a special sauce for gyoza, but you can make your own sauce with your own favorite blend. Generally, you mix the gyoza sauce (or soy sauce), vinegar, and chili oil on a small plate. Since the ingredients are simple, you can try putting a variety of seasonings and sauces on it.
- Gyōza dumplings are often made with pork, but now many delicious dumplings are sold with halal chicken, beef or mutton for Muslims.
Our recommendation in Tokyo:
Tokyo Halal Restaurant in Jūjō, Tokyo
Glossary:
- 餃子（ぎょうざ）: gyōza (crescent-shaped pan-fried dumplings stuffed with minced pork and vegetables)
- タレ（たれ）: (dipping) sauce
- 代わり（かわり）: substitute, replacement
- お酢（おす）: vinegar
- 胡椒（こしょう）: pepper
- 食べる（たべる）: to eat
- 人（ひと）: person, peopleいる: there is, there are
【唐辛子（とうがらし）】”TŌGARASHI”
Meaning:
hot pepper
Usage:
「日本人にhotpepperと言うと、大抵の人は美容室の予約サイトを思い浮かべるよ。」
（にほんじんにほっとぺっぱーというと、たいていのひとはびようしつのよやくさいとをおもいうかべるよ。）
(Nihonjin ni hottopeppā to iuto, taitei no hito wa biyōshitsu no yoyaku saito o omoiukaberuyo.)
“If you say ‘hot pepper’ to Japanese people, most of them will think of a hair salon booking website.”
- In Japan, there is a website called Hot Pepper Beauty for booking beauty salons, esthetic salons, and nail salons. There are also free paper versions placed everywhere in Japan. It is the largest beauty-related booking website here. Therefore, when you say “hot pepper”, Japanese people think of it.
- There are two similar verbs, 「思い浮かべる (おもいうかべる / omoiukaberu)」 and 「思い浮かぶ (おもいうかぶ / omoiukabu)」. Both have similar meanings, but 「思い浮かべる (おもいうかべる / omoiukaberu)」 is used when you think of something by yourself. (For example, on a day when your child is going on a field trip, you might think of him or her arriving now and wondering what he or she is doing. )
On the other hand, 「思い浮かべる (おもいうかべる / omoiukaberu)」 is used when you see, hear, or touch something and it automatically brings something to your mind. (For example, when a nostalgic smell comes from somewhere and a memory from your childhood comes to your mind.)
Glossary:
- 日本人（にほんじん）: Japanese (people)
- 言う（いう）: to say, to tell
- 大抵の（たいていの）: most, almost all
- 人（ひと）: person, people
- 美容室（びようしつ）: beauty salon
- 予約（よやく）: reservation, booking
- サイト（さいと）: website
- 思い浮かべる（おもいうかべる）: to be reminded of, to call to mind, to recall
【生姜（しょうが）】”SHŌGA”
Meaning:
ginger
Usage:
「生姜は古くから東洋医学で薬として使われてきました。」
（しょうがはふるくからとうよういがくでくすりとしてつかわれてきました。）
(Shōga wa furukukara tōyō-igaku de kusuri toshite tsukawaretekimashita.)
“Ginger has long been used as a medicine in Eastern medicine.”
- Western medicine uses medication and surgery to remove the bad part and treat it. Oriental medicine, on the other hand, is a method of treatment that improves the body’s overall condition by regulating the body’s balance and chi. To prevent illnesses, oriental medicine is also based on the concept of avoiding fatigue and stress and building up resistance.
- In Oriental medicine, ginger has a stomachic effect that improves nausea and loss of appetite. And dried ginger is said to be effective for diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain with a cold stomach. In today’s Japan, Western medicine is the standard, but some people take Eastern medicine treatments to prevent diseases and improve their physical condition.
Glossary:
- 生姜（しょうが）: ginger
- 古い（ふるい）: old
- 古くから（ふるくから）: from ancient times
- 東洋（とうよう）: the Orient *The antonym is 西洋 (せいよう / seiyō / “the Occident”).
- 医学（いがく）: Medicine, medical science
- 薬（くすり）: medicine, (legal) drug, pill
- ～として: as […]
- 使う（つかう）: to use
【ニンニク（にんにく）】”NINNIKU”
Meaning:
garlic
Usage:
「私はニンニクという漢字を読めるけど、書けない。」
（わたしはにんにくというかんじをよめるけど、かけない。）
(Watashi wa nin-niku to iu kanji o yomeru kedo, kakenai.)
“I can read but not write the kanji for garlic.”
- 「ニンニク (にんにく / nin-niku)」is written as 「大蒜」in Kanji. (I could NOT write this Kanji… now I can..I guess…!)
- Aomori Prefecture is the most famous garlic-producing area in Japan. Among all the garlic products in Aomori Prefecture, those from Takko Town are said to be of the highest quality and have more flavor and sweetness than others.
Glossary:
- 私（わたし）: I, me
- ニンニク（にんにく）: garlic
- 漢字（かんじ）: Kanji
- 読む（よむ）: to read
- 書く（かく）: to write
- ない: no, not
【ハーブ（はーぶ）】”HĀBU”
Meaning:
herb
Usage:
「ハーブで肉の臭みを消す。」
（はーぶでにくのくさみをけす。）
(Hābu de niku no kusami o kesu.)
“Use herbs to remove the smell of the meat.”
- The pronunciation of 「ハーブ (はーぶ / hābu)」 is similar to “herb” in British English. If you usually use American English or languages with a silent “H”, check out DN’s Instagram for the audio!
- One of the best Japanese herbs (in my opinion) is shiso. There are two types of shiso: green and purple. The green one can be eaten raw, but the purple one is not so tasty when uncooked. The green shiso is very tasty when eaten with cold udon noodles, tofu, or sashimi. It is also delicious when cooked as tempura. The purple shiso is mainly used to add color to dried plums.
Glossary:
- ハーブ（はーぶ）: herb
- 肉（にく）: meat, flesh
- 臭み（くさみ）: bad smell, fulsomeness
- 消す（けす）: to erase, to delete, to turn off, to extinguish, to put off