When you want to say "to have a meal" in Japanese, you use the verb phrase 食事をする (shokuji o suru). This is a very common and practical phrase that you'll use daily.
The word 食事 (shokuji) means "meal," and をする (o suru) means "to do." So, literally, it's like saying "to do a meal."
You can use it in various situations, whether you're talking about breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's a polite and versatile way to express the action of eating a meal.
For example, if you want to say "Let's have a meal," you can say 食事をしましょう (shokuji o shimashō).
When you want to say "to have a meal" in Japanese, you use the verb phrase 食事をする (shokuji o suru). This is a very common and practical phrase that you'll use often. The word 食事 (shokuji) means "meal," and をする (o suru) means "to do." So, literally, it means "to do a meal."
You can use this phrase in various contexts, whether you're talking about breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or just generally eating. It's a polite and versatile way to express the action of eating a meal. Remember this phrase, as it's fundamental for everyday Japanese conversation.
§ Understanding 食事をする
Let's break down 食事をする (shokuji o suru). This verb means 'to have a meal'. It's a very common phrase you'll hear in daily Japanese conversations. While there are other ways to say 'eat', 食事をする specifically implies the act of having a meal, often a more formal or planned one, rather than just a snack.
- Japanese Word
- 食事をする (shokuji o suru)
- Definition
- To have a meal.
- CEFR Level
- B1
§ Real-world Usage
You'll hear 食事をする in many different contexts. It's not just for talking about dinner at home. It's used in professional settings, at school, and even in news reports. Here's how it pops up.
§ At Work
In a work environment, 食事をする is a polite and common way to refer to having a meal, especially with colleagues or clients. You might use it to suggest a lunch break or a business dinner.
ランチに食事をしましょう。(Ranchi ni shokuji o shimashou.)
- Hint: Let's have lunch.
クライアントと食事をする予定があります。(Kuraianto to shokuji o suru yotei ga arimasu.)
- Hint: I have plans to have a meal with a client.
§ At School
Students and teachers also use this phrase. It's common when talking about meal times or specific events where food is involved.
昼休みに食堂で食事をします。(Hiruyasumi ni shokudou de shokuji o shimasu.)
- Hint: I will have a meal in the cafeteria during lunch break.
遠足ではみんなで一緒にお弁当を食事しました。(Ensoku de wa minna de issho ni obentou o shokuji shimashita.)
- Hint: We all had our bentos (lunch boxes) together during the excursion.
§ In the News
News reports often use 食事をする, especially when detailing events where people had meals, such as official dinners, state visits, or even general reporting on daily life.
大統領は首脳会談の後、共同で食事をしたと報じられました。(Daitouryou wa shunou kaidan no ato, kyoudou de shokuji o shita to houjiraremashita.)
- Hint: It was reported that the president had a meal together after the summit.
宇宙飛行士たちは宇宙ステーションで特別な食事をしたそうです。(Uchuu hikoushi-tachi wa uchuu suteeshon de tokubetsu na shokuji o shita sou desu.)
- Hint: I heard that the astronauts had a special meal on the space station.
§ Everyday Conversations
Even in casual conversations, 食事をする is a natural choice when you want to emphasize the act of having a structured meal.
家族みんなで久しぶりに外で食事をしました。(Kazoku minna de hisashiburi ni soto de shokuji o shimashita.)
- Hint: Our whole family had a meal out for the first time in a long while.
今日の夜はどこで食事をしますか？(Kyou no yoru wa doko de shokuji o shimasu ka?)
- Hint: Where will we have dinner tonight?
§ Don't confuse it with other eating verbs
Many learners, especially beginners, often mix up "食事をする" (shokuji o suru) with other verbs that mean "to eat" or "to drink." While it does mean "to have a meal," it's more formal and encompasses the entire act of eating a meal, not just the physical consumption of food.
- DEFINITION
- To eat (general, physical act)
ご飯を食べる。(Gohan o taberu.)
- DEFINITION
- To drink (general, physical act)
水を飲む。(Mizu o nomu.)
While you could say 「ご飯を食事をする」 (gohan o shokuji o suru), it's redundant and unnatural. "食事をする" already implies eating a meal. Think of "食事" as "a meal" and "をする" as "to do." So, "to do a meal."
§ Using it in informal situations
"食事をする" carries a slightly more formal nuance than just "食べる." While not overly formal, it's generally used in polite or slightly more formal contexts. If you're talking with close friends or family in a casual setting, you're more likely to hear and use "食べる" or more specific phrases.
昼ご飯を食べた？ (Hirugohan o tabeta?)
Did you eat lunch? (More casual)
昼食を食事しましたか？ (Chūshoku o shokuji shimashita ka?)
Did you have lunch? (More polite/formal)
§ Overusing the particle "を"
Since "食事" itself is a noun meaning "meal," and the verb is "をする" (to do), some learners mistakenly add another object particle "を" before "食事." This is incorrect because "食事をする" functions as a single verb phrase.
Incorrect:
朝食を食事をします。(Chōshoku o shokuji o shimasu.)
Correct:
朝食をします。(Chōshoku o shimasu.)
Or more naturally, often with just the noun:
朝食です。(Chōshoku desu.)
§ Using it for non-meal eating
"食事をする" specifically refers to having a meal. It's not appropriate for snacking or eating individual items that don't constitute a full meal.
Incorrect:
お菓子を食事をする。(Okashi o shokuji o suru.)
Correct:
お菓子を食べる。(Okashi o taberu.)
To eat sweets/snacks.
§ Not understanding the nuance of "をします" with nouns
The pattern "Noun + をする" is very common in Japanese to turn a noun into a verb, meaning "to do/perform Noun." "食事をする" falls into this category. The mistake here is not recognizing that "食事" is the noun being "done" or "performed."
Consider these examples:
勉強をする (benkyō o suru) - To study (lit. "to do study")
仕事をする (shigoto o suru) - To work (lit. "to do work")
散歩をする (sanpo o suru) - To take a walk (lit. "to do a walk")
In all these cases, the particle "を" connects the noun (勉強, 仕事, 散歩) to the verb "する." "食事をする" works exactly the same way. The mistake is not seeing "食事" as the direct object of "する."
Wichtige Grammatik
Using particle を (o) with transitive verbs: The particle を (o) marks the direct object of a transitive verb. In "食事をする", 食事 (shokuji) is the direct object of する (suru).
本を読みます。(hon o yomimasu) - I read a book.
Using verb する (suru) for actions: する (suru) is a versatile verb meaning 'to do.' It often combines with nouns to form verbs describing actions. 食事 (shokuji) is a noun meaning 'meal' or 'eating,' so 食事をする means 'to do eating' or 'to have a meal.'
勉強する (benkyou suru) - To study.
Using ましょう (mashou) for suggestions: The ましょう (mashou) ending is used to make suggestions or invite someone to do something together.
行きましょう。(ikimashou) - Let's go.
Using verb します (shimasu) for polite present tense: します (shimasu) is the polite present tense form of する (suru).
毎日日本語を勉強します。(mainichi nihongo o benkyou shimasu) - I study Japanese every day.
Using つもりです (tsumori desu) for intentions: つもりです (tsumori desu) indicates an intention or plan.
明日、映画を見るつもりです。(ashita, eiga o miru tsumori desu) - I plan to watch a movie tomorrow.
Beispiele nach Niveau
毎日家族と一緒に食事をします。
Every day, I have a meal with my family.
レストランで食事をしたいですか？
Would you like to have a meal at a restaurant?
昼ご飯はどこで食事をしますか？
Where will you have lunch?
友達と食事をするのは楽しいです。
It's fun to have a meal with friends.
急いで食事をしました。
I ate my meal quickly.
彼はいつも健康的な食事をします。
He always eats healthy meals.
一緒に食事をしましょう。
Let's have a meal together.
昨夜、美味しい食事をしました。
Last night, I had a delicious meal.
私たちは毎晩家族と一緒に食事をします。
We have a meal together every night with family.
出かける前に何か食事をしませんか。
Would you like to eat something before we go out?
一人で食事をするのは寂しいです。
It's lonely to eat alone.
健康のために、バランスの取れた食事をすることが大切です。
For health, it's important to have balanced meals.
休日はたいてい外で食事をします。
On holidays, I usually eat out.
昨日、友達とレストランで食事をしました。
Yesterday, I had a meal with a friend at a restaurant.
忙しいので、食事をする時間がありませんでした。
I was busy, so I didn't have time to eat.
新しいカフェで食事をするのが楽しみです。
I'm looking forward to eating at the new cafe.
Wird oft verwechselt mit
While related, '食べる' focuses on the act of eating specific food items, whereas '食事をする' refers to the broader act of having a meal.
Distinct from '食事をする' as '飲む' is solely for drinking, not eating.
A noun meaning 'cooked rice' or 'meal,' not the verb 'to have a meal.'
Grammatikmuster
Leicht verwechselbar
Often confused with '食事をする' because both relate to eating.
'食べる' specifically means 'to eat' (an item of food), while '食事をする' means 'to have a meal' (the act of eating a meal). You '食べる' rice, but you '食事をする' breakfast.
ご飯を食べる (ごはんをたべる) - To eat rice. レストランで食事をする (レストランでしょくじをする) - To have a meal at a restaurant.
Sometimes confused in contexts where 'meal' might imply drinking, or when learners generalize 'eating' verbs.
'飲む' specifically means 'to drink.' It is separate from the act of eating solid food.
水を飲む (みずをのむ) - To drink water. お酒を飲む (おさけをのむ) - To drink alcohol.
Can be confused as a polite way to say 'eat' or 'receive,' making learners wonder if it's interchangeable with '食事をする.'
'いただく' is a humble verb meaning 'to receive' or 'to eat/drink' (when the speaker is the one doing the eating/drinking, and showing respect to the giver or the food). It's a politeness level, not a direct synonym for 'have a meal.'
お菓子をいただきました (おかしをいただきました) - I received/humbly ate sweets. 先生にご飯をいただきました (せんせいにごはんをいただきました) - I humbly ate a meal from the teacher.
Can mean 'cooked rice' or 'meal,' leading to confusion with the verb '食事をする.'
'ご飯' is a noun. While it can mean 'meal,' '食事をする' is the verb phrase 'to have a meal.' You can '食べる'ご飯, but you '食事をする' breakfast.
朝ご飯 (あさごはん) - Breakfast (morning meal). ご飯を食べる (ごはんをたべる) - To eat a meal/cooked rice.
The literal translation 'things to eat' might make learners think it's related to the act of having a meal.
'食べるもの' is a noun phrase meaning 'food' or 'things to eat.' It refers to the items consumed, not the action of having a meal itself.
これは食べるものです (これはたべるものです) - This is something to eat/food. 食べるものがありますか (たべるものがありますか) - Is there any food?
Satzmuster
[場所]で食事をします。
カフェで食事をします。 (I'll have a meal at the cafe.)
いつ[誰]と食事をしますか？
いつ友達と食事をしますか？ (When will you have a meal with your friend?)
Wortfamilie
Substantive
Verben
Teste dich selbst 48 Fragen
This sentence means 'I have a meal every day.' The order is Subject + Time + Object + Verb.
This means 'Would you like to have a meal together?' '一緒に' (together) comes before the action.
This sentence means 'He has already finished his meal.' 'もう' (already) typically comes after the subject.
毎晩、家族と一緒にも美味しい食べ物を（___）。
「食事をする」は「食事をします」が丁寧な形です。ここでは「美味しい食べ物を食事をします」が文法的に正しく、丁寧な表現です。
私たちはレストランでイタリアンを（___）。
「食事をする」の過去形は「食事をしました」。レストランでイタリアンを食べたことを表現しています。
明日のランチはどこで（___）か？
「食事をする」の丁寧形を使って、ランチをどこで食べるか尋ねています。
彼はいつも家で（___）。
「食事をする」を使って、彼がいつも家で食事をとることを説明しています。
出張中、毎日ホテルで朝食を（___）。
出張中の朝食について話しており、「食事をしました」が適切です。
友達と会うときは、たいてい一緒に（___）。
友達と会うときの活動として、「食事をします」が自然です。
Choose the correct way to say 'I will eat lunch now.'
While 食事をする means 'to have a meal,' for specific meals like 'lunch' (昼ご飯), it's more natural to use 食べる (to eat) directly. 食事をする is a more general term for eating.
Which sentence means 'Let's have a meal together'?
食事をする is the correct verb, and ましょう is the polite volitional form for 'let's do'.
Which of these is the most appropriate response if someone asks 'ご飯を食べましたか？' (Did you eat a meal?)
The past tense of 食事をする is 食事をしました. The other options are grammatically incorrect in this context.
You can use 食事をする to specifically say 'I ate breakfast.'
While more common to say 朝ご飯を食べた, you can use 食事をする in a more general sense to mean 'I had a meal (which happened to be breakfast)'. For instance, 朝食をしました is acceptable though 朝食を食べました is more common.
食事をする can be used to describe eating a quick snack.
食事をする generally refers to having a proper meal, not a quick snack. For a snack, you would typically use おやつを食べる (to eat a snack) or something similar.
The phrase 食事をする implies that you are eating in a formal setting.
食事をする is a neutral phrase meaning 'to have a meal.' It doesn't inherently imply formality. You can use it in various settings, from casual to formal.
What does the speaker do with their family?
Who did the speaker have a meal with last night?
Where does the speaker usually have lunch?
Read this aloud:
夕食を食事しますか？
Focus: shoku-ji o shi-ma-su-ka
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
私は朝食を食事しました。
Focus: wa-ta-shi wa chou-shoku o shoku-ji shi-ma-shi-ta
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
一緒に食事をしましょう。
Focus: is-sho-ni shoku-ji o shi-ma-shou
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'I have a meal at home every day.' The order of particles and adverbs is important in Japanese.
This sentence means 'Would you like to eat together?' '一緒に' (issho ni) means together, and 'しませんか' (shimasen ka) is a polite invitation.
This sentence asks 'Have you eaten already?' 'もう' (mou) means 'already', and 'しましたか' (shimashita ka) is the past tense of 'do' in a question form.
What do I like to do with my family?
What do I eat every morning?
Where do I eat when I meet friends?
Read this aloud:
昨日は友達と中華料理を食べました。
Focus: きのうはともだちとちゅうかりょうりをたべました。
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
健康のために、毎日バランスの取れた食事を心がけています。
Focus: けんこうのために、まいにちバランスのとれたしょくじをこころがけています。
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
週末は家族みんなで食卓を囲んで食事をするのが、我が家の習慣です。
Focus: しゅうまつはかぞくみんなでしょくたくをかこんでしょくじをするのが、わがやのしゅうかんです。
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
You are planning to meet a Japanese friend for dinner. Write a message suggesting to have a meal together and ask about their availability. Use polite Japanese.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
こんにちは！お元気ですか？近いうちに一緒にお食事をしませんか？いつが都合いいですか？
Describe a typical mealtime routine in your household. Include who usually prepares the meal and where you usually eat. Use '食事をする' at least once.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
私の家では、たいてい母が夕食を作ります。家族みんなでダイニングルームで食事をします。週末は、時々外食もします。
You just had a fantastic meal at a new Japanese restaurant. Write a short review for a blog, mentioning what you ate and how much you enjoyed '食事をする' there. (Use '食事をする' in a natural way).
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
先日、新しい日本食レストランに行ってきました。お寿司を食べましたが、本当に美味しかったです。とても良い雰囲気で食事をすることができて、大満足でした。
田中家にとって、夕食時に最も大切にしていることは何ですか？
Read this passage:
田中さんは毎日、家族と一緒に夕食を食べることを大切にしています。忙しい日でも、できるだけ早く家に帰って、みんなで食卓を囲みます。時には、お互いの今日の出来事を話しながら食事をします。
田中家にとって、夕食時に最も大切にしていることは何ですか？
文章の最初の文に「田中さんは毎日、家族と一緒に夕食を食べることを大切にしています」と明記されています。
文章の最初の文に「田中さんは毎日、家族と一緒に夕食を食べることを大切にしています」と明記されています。
日本の会社でランチを一緒にすることが多いのは、どのような目的からですか？
Read this passage:
日本の会社では、同僚とのコミュニケーションを深めるために、ランチを一緒にすることがよくあります。仕事の話だけでなく、趣味やプライベートなことについても話し、親睦を深めます。このような食事の時間は、チームワークにも良い影響を与えると言われています。
日本の会社でランチを一緒にすることが多いのは、どのような目的からですか？
文章に「同僚とのコミュニケーションを深めるために、ランチを一緒にすることがよくあります」と書かれています。
文章に「同僚とのコミュニケーションを深めるために、ランチを一緒にすることがよくあります」と書かれています。
筆者が海外旅行中に「食事をする」ことで得られた最も重要な経験は何でしたか？
Read this passage:
海外旅行中に、現地の文化を体験するために、地元の人々がよく利用する食堂で食事をしました。言葉はあまり通じませんでしたが、ジェスチャーを交えながら注文し、とても珍しい料理を味わうことができました。この食事の経験は、旅の思い出の中でも特に印象深いものとなりました。
筆者が海外旅行中に「食事をする」ことで得られた最も重要な経験は何でしたか？
文章に「現地の文化を体験するために、地元の人々がよく利用する食堂で食事をしました」とあります。
文章に「現地の文化を体験するために、地元の人々がよく利用する食堂で食事をしました」とあります。
This sentence means 'They decided to have a meal at this restaurant.' The particles 'は', 'で', and 'に' indicate the subject, location, and purpose respectively.
This sentence translates to 'Every morning, she tries to have a healthy breakfast.' '摂るよう心がけている' means 'tries to take/have'.
This means 'Because he was busy, he quickly finished his lunch.' '済ませた' here means 'finished/got through (a meal)'.
/ 48 correct
Perfect score!
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Mehr food Wörter
少々
B1A little; a few.
〜ほど
B1About; approximately; degree.
~ほど
B1About, approximately; to the extent of ~.
豊富な
B1Abundant, rich in.
ふんだんに
B1Lavishly; abundantly; generously (e.g., using ingredients).
足す
B1To add (e.g., to a sum, to ingredients).
添加物
B1Additive.
〜てから
B1After doing ~.
~てから
B1After doing (an action).
熟成させる
B1To age; to mature (food).
