Home / Guides / Kitchen words in Japanese

Kitchen words in Japanese

Last updated July 7, 2026 · 5 min read

40 kitchen words in Japanese

Phrases you can actually say

Words alone don't get used in conversation — phrases do. Here are eight short sentences built from the words above:

• コップをください。 (Koppu o kudasai.) — "A cup, please."
• お皿を洗います。 (Osara o araimasu.) — "I'll wash the plate."
• スプーンはどこですか。 (Supūn wa doko desu ka?) — "Where's the spoon?"
• 冷蔵庫にオレンジがあります。 (Reizōko ni orenji ga arimasu.) — "There's an orange in the fridge."
• フライパンを使います。 (Furaipan o tsukaimasu.) — "I'll use the frying pan."
• お箸で食べます。 (Ohashi de tabemasu.) — "I eat with chopsticks."
• やかんでお湯を沸かします。 (Yakan de oyu o wakashimasu.) — "I'll boil water with the kettle."
• ゴミ箱はこっちです。 (Gomibako wa kocchi desu.) — "The trash can is over here."

Catch them instead of memorizing them

A list like this one is a starting point, not a finish line. The fastest way to actually keep these words is to stop reading them off a page and start photographing the real objects sitting in your own kitchen — the actual cup by your sink, not a stock photo of one.

That's what CatchFrase does: point your camera at your rice cooker, your kettle, your cutting board, and it names the object in Japanese with kana, romaji, and an example sentence, reads it aloud, and saves it as a card in your collection. Say the word back out loud and CatchFrase shows your words live as you speak, so you know you got it right, not just that you recognized it. Each card then comes back for review right before you'd forget it.

On the free tier, that's 10 catches a day — so a full kitchen of 40 objects takes about four days of two-minute sessions, not because the app is holding you back but because 10 unhurried catches a day beats 40 rushed ones in an afternoon. CatchFrase Plus removes the daily cap if you want to move faster.

Common questions

Do I need to know hiragana and katakana to use this list?

No — every word here comes with romaji, so you can start saying them today. CatchFrase also reads each word aloud, so your ear learns the pronunciation before you worry about the script.

Why do some words use katakana and others use kanji?

Katakana usually marks a loanword from another language — コップ (koppu, cup) comes from Dutch. Kanji or hiragana usually marks a native Japanese word, like お皿 (osara, plate) or 塩 (shio, salt). Both are normal, everyday Japanese.

Can I learn all 40 words in one sitting?

You can read through them in a few minutes, but recognition isn't the same as remembering. Spaced review over several days is what actually makes new words stick.