How to Say ‘I ate sushi at lunch.’ in Japanese
お昼に、お寿司を食べました。
o hiru ni o sushi o tabe mashi ta
[oh HEE-roo nee oh soo-SHEE oh tah-BEH mah-shee tah]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Raw fish is one of the first things a Japanese doctor will suspect with stomach trouble, so mentioning sushi or sashimi is genuinely useful information.
Phrase Breakdown
お昼に、
o hiru ni
at lunchtime
お昼 (o-hiru) means 'noon / lunch'. The particle に marks the time. Say 'o-hi-ru-ni' with even, flat syllables.
お昼に会いましょう。
Let's meet at lunchtime.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
お adds politeness to certain words and expressions.
チケットを二枚お願いします。
Two tickets, please.
昼
hiru
[HEE-roo]
noon; daytime
Refers to midday or the daytime hours; also used for lunch (昼ご飯).
昼に友だちと会います。
I will meet a friend at noon.
に
ni
[nee]
at (time)
Particle marking the time when something happens.
七時に起きました。
I got up at seven.
お寿司を食べました。
o sushi o tabe mashi ta
(I) ate sushi
お寿司 (o-sushi) is a polite word for sushi. を marks the object. 食べました is the polite past form of 'to eat'. The 'su' in sushi is often whispered: 'o-s'shi'.
昨日、お寿司を食べました。
I ate sushi yesterday.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
お adds politeness to certain words and expressions.
チケットを二枚お願いします。
Two tickets, please.
寿司
sushi
[soo-SHEE]
sushi
Vinegared rice served with raw fish, seafood, or vegetables.
寿司を食べに行きましょう。
Let's go eat sushi.
を
o
[oh]
object marker
The particle を marks the direct object of a verb.
チケットを二枚ください。
Two tickets, please.
食べ
tabe
[tah-BEH]
eat (stem)
Stem of taberu 'to eat', used before polite endings.
一緒に食べましょう。
Let's eat together.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite past stem
Part of the polite past ending in a verb phrase.
昨日は多くのことを学びました。
I learned many things yesterday.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense ending
This ending completes the polite past tense form.
空席がございまし た。
There were vacant seats.
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