Eating and Drinking: Grammar, Culture and Practice

Let's discuss Japanese grammar and culture and then practice what we've learned.

Grammar

Nan ~ nani

Nan and nani are alternate forms of the Japanese word for what. You have already learned many questions with nan, including the following.

Kore-wa nan desu-ka? What is this?
Nan-sai? What age? How old?
Nan-nen-sei? What year student? What grade?
Nan-to iimasu-ka? What is it called?
With the particle -o, the form nani is used.
Nani-o tabemasu-ka? What do you eat?
Nani-o nomimasu-ka? What do you drink?

Culture

The Japanese diet

The traditional Japanese diet consisted of rice, pickled vegetables, fish, and soy bean products, all of which continue to be important food items. Over the years, especially since the end of World War II in 1945, an increasing number of Western foods have become part of the everyday diet. Today Japanese eat many of the same foods that Americans do as is evidenced by the hundreds of gairaigo from American English for foods and beverages.

Interactive Activities

The directions for the activities below are written with the idea of you working with a partner. If you do not have a partner available, complete the practice on your own, completing both parts of the activity as well as you can.

Vocabulary check

Silently review the vocabulary for this lesson. Then have a kurasumeeto orally test your knowledge of the new Japanese words, phrases, and expressions. Your partner says the eigo, and you give the nihongo. Switch and test your partner.

Nani-o tabemasu-ka?

With a kurasumeeto, practice the names of the foods and drinks as well as these two questions:

Nani-o tabemasu-ka? What do you eat?
Nani-o nomimasu-ka? What do you drink?

Partner A asks one of these questions, and Partner B responds as quickly and accurately as possible with an appropriate answer. Then Partner B asks Partner A one of the questions, and Partner A answers. Do not use the same answer more than once. Before you begin, take a few minutes to look at the names of the foods and beverages given in the Vocabulary and Expanding Your Vocabulary sections. Then do this activity without any materials. Read the sample exchange aloud with your partner before you begin.

A: Nani-o nomimasu-ka?
B: Orenji juusu-o nomimasu. Nani-o tabemasu-ka?
A: Banana-o tabemasu. Nani-o tabemasu-ka?
B: Keeki-o tabemasu. Nani-o nomimasu-ka?
A: Miruku-o nomimasu. Nani-o tabemasu-ka?
etc.

If you have time, change partners and repeat the activity.

LEARNING TIP: During interactive activities make a concerted effort to speak with your kurasumeeto in Japanese only. The more you speak in Japanese, the more progress you will make.

Salad-wa nihongo-de nan-to iimasu-ka?

Before beginning this vocabulary review, each partner should review the food and beverage words given in the Vocabulary and Expanding Your Vocabulary sections. Then, using the words in Activity #2, test each other this way:

A: Salad-wa nihongo-de nan-to iimasu-ka?
B: Sarada-to iimasu. Hamburger-wa nihongo-de nan-to iimasu-ka?
A: Hanbaagaa-to iimasu. Dessert-wa nihongo-de . . . etc.

Dare-ga ichi-ban desu-ka?

This activity is done as an entire class. One student serves as the master of ceremonies and does not use a grid. Each of the other students (individually and without showing anyone) selects and copies nine of the following foods/beverages into a 3x3 grid, writing one of them in each square. The emcee then selects and reads the words in mixed order while the students cross off the ones they have. Continue until there is a winner. The winner must have three items crossed off in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal row and must announce, “Ichi-ban desu.” The winner then reads the three winning items for verification by the emcee. Repeat as time allows.

**Food and Drink Vocabulary**
Food 1	Food 2	Drink
pan furaido chikin suteeki keeki aisukuriimu kukkii orenji hamu hanbaagaa doonattsu sandoitchi sarada	gohan tamago sakana banana meron shiriaru poteto furai chokoreeto piza dezaato supagetii gureepufuruutsu	(o)mizu ocha koohii juusu tomato juusu orenji juusu koora aisutii miruku

Writing practice

Write the following sentences in hiragana. Then check your own work by finding the words and phrases in the Reading sections on this page and the previous one.

Nani-o nomimasu-ka?
Kono tamago-wa chiisai desu-ne.
Sakana-wa eigo-de fish-to iimasu.
Ocha-o nomimasu-ka?
Iie, nomimasen.

Practice Activities: Lesson 29

Complete the following activities to review earlier content along with what we're learning in this lesson.

Practice 1: Hiragana Reading

Practice reading the following sentences until you can do so accurately and fluently. Turn over the card to view the roomaji and to check your pronunciation.

Practice 2: Review of small ゃ、ゅ、ょ

Write the following words in hiragana. Along with practicing writing the small characters, remember the basic rules for writing hiragana, like oo = おう.

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