# Terms for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner



## AmaryllisBunny

There is:

朝御飯（あさごはん）　朝食（ちょうしょく）　朝飯（あさめし）
What I was told is (asagohan, is child language; choushoku is adult language; asameshi is old and was used during the times of the samurai.

Can anyone elaborate?

昼御飯　ｖｓ　昼食　ｖｓ　昼飯

晩御飯/夕御飯　ｖｓ　夕食　ｖｓ　晩飯/夕飯

To elaborate, I was told that everything in the first row (that ends with "gohan" is childish, and that adults use the middle with "shoku."

Thank you for your help!


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## karlalou

AmaryllisBunny said:


> everything in the first row (that ends with "gohan" is childish


I think I feel that way too, but I won't think he/she is childish when I hear some one says so. I would get a good impression about them. It sounds like a mother's word too. Maybe that explains that children tend to first learn to say so.

朝食（ちょうしょく）, 昼食, 夕食 are the most common used by male and female and young and elderly.

朝飯（あさめし）, 昼飯, 晩飯/夕飯 are man's word. I wonder nowadays guys don't say them.. If my memory is correct 25 years ago they were still in use.


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## AmaryllisBunny

karlalou said:


> 朝飯（あさめし）, 昼飯, 晩飯/夕飯 are man's word. I wonder nowadays guys don't say them.. If my memory is correct 25 years ago they were still in use.


 
So the "...飯(めし)" are they used at all in today's speech? Or have they completely phased out?

ありがとうございます！


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## Cowrie

Interesting. To me, those in the first column are the most common, and the middle ones are a little formal. According to what you were told, my dad is samurai....


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## spu001

I think Karlalou's explanations for 'asagohan' and 'choushoku' are exactly right, and if you replace 'asa' in 'asagohan' with 'hiru' or 'yoru' it sounds right too.
asagohan chougohan chouchoku asashoku asameshi choumeshi
hirugohan chuugohan chuushoku hirushoku hirumeshi chuumeshi
yorugohan bangohan  yuugohan yorushoku banshoku yuushoku yorumeshi banmeshi yuumeshi
Also, there's another word for eating munchies at night: yashoku, this is used only with -shoku, no yagohan, yameshi.

But -meshi is still in use and guys who like informal expressions tend to use this, it can be used singly, e.g. 'meshi kui ni ikouze!' or 'meshi ikuka!': 'Hey, let's go to a restaurant, bro!' and tomboyish girls use 'meshi' expressions, too. you can use it only when you're with close friends. yes, if it were phased out you would meet many samurai in town.

Spu


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## AmaryllisBunny

So in terms of dinner, all three are acceptable. 

However, back then when I was taught Japanese, we learned: 朝ご飯　昼ご飯　晩ご飯　and neither of : 夜ご飯　夕御飯 until college. Then I saw 夕御飯. 
Out of the three: 夜ご飯, 晩ご飯, and 夕ご飯, which one is the most common?

spu001さんの説明する事をありがとうございます！

日本語の「meal」の警護がありますか？


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## riverwest

Like other people commented 朝ごはん、昼ごはん、晩ごはん are not words for children.  In fact, I use them all the time.  I actually prefer using 昼ごはん over 昼食 because "ちゅうしょく” sounds similar to 朝食（ちょうしょく).  However, 朝食、昼食、夕食 are more polite.  If you go to a hotel in Japan, you will hear the hotel people use 朝食、昼食、夕食.  More polite way to say these words are : ご朝食、ご昼食、ご夕食; (although, some people might argue we should say お夕食 instead of ご夕食.  For 朝食、昼食, ご should come before these words).

At my house growing up, I think my family used 晩ご飯 and 夕飯 more often, but we also did use the words 夜ご飯 and 夕ご飯.  

I don't use ~めし since I am female and those are often used by male; but people do use these words just like Spu said; although this is extremely informal and you don't want to use them in business settings.  

Another way to say lunch is "お昼（おひる）”.  For example, people say "どこで、お昼を食べますか？”


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## spu001

> Out of the three: 夜ご飯, 晩ご飯, and 夕ご飯, which one is the most common?
> 
> spu001さんの説明する事をありがとうございます！
> 
> 日本語の「meal」の警護がありますか？


You're welcome, I don't know which one is the most common, it depends on how old you are and which region you live, let's think about what is the most acceptable, first, 夕ご飯 is the best thing since sliced bread since in the olden days people used to have dinner in the evening(夕方,) second, 晩ご飯 is a happy medium, third, 夜ご飯 could be considered a black sheep in the trio because some people say "I've never heard 'yoru-gohan' when I was young!" or "someone coined this word!?" while some people use it without a second thought, I got surprised when I heard it for first time, but as it is, I have to give  to 夜ご飯. so, from this point of view, '夕ごはん' and '晩ごはん' can be called the most common ones.

Keigo words for 'meal': if you mean 'occasions' : ご飯(ok,) 食事(polite,) and お食事 (excellent.)

Hope this helps
Spu


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## Shiratori99

There's 召し上がる（めしあがる）, meaning to eat, which is Keigo I believe. But the めし here is etymologically different from 飯（めし） I guess.


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## AmaryllisBunny

Shiratori99 said:


> There's 召し上がる（めしあがる）, meaning to eat, which is Keigo I believe. But the めし here is etymologically different from 飯（めし） I guess.



Thank you, but I was referring strictly to the nouns. In addition, since this has to do with the verb, it is *尊敬語* (そんけいご).


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## AmaryllisBunny

@spu001

For お食事 do they follow the same pattern as ご飯 in terms of use? Or are some more or less common than others? Especially in the example you gave with 夕、晩、＆夜。


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## spu001

No, you use お食事 24 hours a day.
In order of most common to least, first, ご飯 is a go-to girl since any one can use ご飯 to mean 'meal,' second, お食事 is a sophisticated woman, third, 食事 is a homely girl since it lacks 'お’ but a few people use '食事' even when they're in business(e.g. "ミーティングの後、食事に行きますか？).

Spu


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## AmaryllisBunny

Ah, thank you spu (once again)!


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## spu001

You're welcome, AmaryllisBunny.


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