昼ご飯・昼ごはん・昼御飯|ひるごはんhirugohan
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Which spelling to use
昼ご飯昼ご飯 is the most common written form. Learners will see it frequently and may use it in general writing.
昼ごはん昼ごはん is a less common spelling than 昼ご飯. Beginners can use it as their default written form.
昼御飯昼御飯 is the least common of the three written forms and uses kanji only. Learners should recognize it but need not choose it first.
Definitions
- nounlunch; midday meal
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym昼飯ひるめしCasualSlangy, rough-edged word for lunch with a masculine, casual tone, as in 「昼飯食った？」. 「昼ご飯」 is politer and works for any speaker.
- Synonymお昼おひるCasualPolite everyday word that can mean either noon or lunch, as in 「お昼にしよう」; friendlier and shorter than 「昼ご飯」.
- SynonymランチNeutralLoanword for lunch or a lunch set/menu, as in 「ランチメニュー」; mostly heard at restaurants. For lunch at home, 「昼ご飯」 is the usual word.
- Synonym昼食ちゅうしょくNeutralSino-Japanese word for lunch, common in announcements and schools, as in 「昼食時間」; more formal than 「昼ご飯」.
- Synonym午餐ごさんWrittenWritten/formal word for lunch, seen at meetings and events in compounds like 「午餐会」; not used for everyday meals.
- Synonym昼餐ちゅうさんFormalFormal term for a luncheon, used for stately banquets in phrases like 「昼餐会」; rarely said about an ordinary lunch.
- Related昼餉ひるげWrittenLiterary, old-fashioned word for the midday meal, found mainly in fiction; for daily use just say 「昼ご飯」.
For everyday lunch, say 「昼ご飯」. Use 「お昼」 for friendly, polite talk, 「ランチ」 at restaurants, 「昼食」 in announcements, and 「昼飯」 for rough masculine banter. 「午餐」, 「昼餐」 and 「昼餉」 are written or formal and rare in conversation.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
