Gohan kudasai means "Rice, please" in Japanese.
This simple phrase is a common and polite way to ask for cooked rice, often when dining. The full phrase, as commonly used and reflected in the reference, is actually gohan o kudasai (ごはんをください), where 'o' is a particle connecting the object ("gohan") to the verb ("kudasai").
Breaking Down the Phrase
Understanding the individual components helps clarify the meaning:
| Component | Japanese (Hiragana/Kanji) | Romaji | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gohan | ご飯 / ごはん | gohan | Cooked rice; meal |
| O | を | o | (Object particle) |
| Kudasai | ください | kudasai | Please give me; please do |
Putting them together, gohan o kudasai literally translates closely to "rice, please give (it to me)."
Direct Reference Information
As provided in the reference:
ご飯をください。ごはんをください。( gohan o kudasai)- Equals Rice, please.
This confirms that the standard phrase gohan o kudasai directly corresponds to the English request "Rice, please."
Context and Usage
You would typically use this phrase in situations where you are asking specifically for a serving of cooked rice:
- At a restaurant, asking the waiter for more rice.
- At someone's home during a meal, asking your host for rice.
- Any situation where rice is being served, and you want some.
While gohan can broadly mean "meal," when paired with kudasai in this structure, it almost exclusively refers to requesting cooked rice. If you wanted to ask for a meal in a more general sense, you would likely use a different phrasing or context. The phrase "gohan o kudasai" is a focused request for the staple grain itself.
This phrase is polite and standard for making such a request in Japanese.
