The Food We Like

Food & Likes — 食べ物と好き嫌い

This lesson focuses on the kanji 魚 (fish), 肉 (meat), and 好 (like/love) — three characters at the heart of every food conversation. The dialogues follow Naruto and Hinata from the Hidden Leaf Village as they talk about their favourite foods. Naruto is obsessed with ramen and onigiri; Hinata quietly prefers fresh fish — sushi and sashimi. Watch out for Naruto's signature catchphrase: だってばよ！

魚

Fish / Seafood

さかな (sakana) · ぎょ (gyo)

肉

Meat / Flesh

にく (niku)

好

Like / Fond of

す(き) (suki) · こう (kō)

Key Pattern — 〜が好きです (to like something)

In Japanese, liking something uses が — not を. Think of it as "As for me, [X] is liked." The thing you like is the subject marked with が, not the object marked with を.

ラーメンが好きです。

I like ramen. (lit. Ramen is liked.)

魚が大好きです。

I love fish. (daisuki = love/adore)

肉より魚の方が好きです。

I prefer fish over meat.

Dialogues — 会話 (かいわ)

1 · What's your favourite food?

Hinata ナルトくん、一番好きな食べ物は何ですか？ Naruto-kun, ichiban sukina tabemono wa nan desu ka? Naruto-kun, what's your favourite food?

Naruto 決まってるだろ！ラーメンだ、だってばよ！ Kimatte ru daro! Rāmen da, dattebayo! Isn't it obvious! It's ramen, believe it!

Hinata あの…ラーメンもおいしいですね。私は寿司が一番好きです。 Ano… rāmen mo oishii desu ne. Watashi wa sushi ga ichiban suki desu. Um… ramen is delicious too. I like sushi the best.

Naruto 寿司か。魚が好きなんだな、ヒナタは！ Sushi ka. Sakana ga suki nan da na, Hinata wa! Sushi, huh. So you're into fish, Hinata!

2 · Meat or fish?

Naruto 肉と魚、どっちが好き？ Niku to sakana, docchi ga suki? Do you prefer meat or fish?

Hinata 肉より魚の方が好きです。特に刺身が大好きです。 Niku yori sakana no hō ga suki desu. Toku ni sashimi ga daisuki desu. I prefer fish over meat. I especially love sashimi.

Naruto オレは肉も魚も好きだけど、チャーシューが一番うまいんだ！ Ore wa niku mo sakana mo suki da kedo, chāshū ga ichiban umai n da! I like both meat and fish, but braised pork is the tastiest!

Hinata チャーシュー…それはラーメンのトッピングですよね？ Chāshū… sore wa rāmen no toppingu desu yo ne? Chāshū… that's a ramen topping, isn't it?

3 · At Ichiraku Ramen

Naruto ヒナタ、今日は一楽でラーメン食べよう、だってばよ！ Hinata, kyō wa Ichiraku de rāmen tabeyō, dattebayo! Hinata, let's eat ramen at Ichiraku today, believe it!

Hinata はい！えっと…どんなスープが好きですか？ Hai! Etto… donna sūpu ga suki desu ka? Yes! Um… what kind of soup do you like?

Naruto 豚骨醤油が最高！チャーシューと味玉のトッピングも！ Tonkotsu shōyu ga saikō! Chāshū to ajitama no toppingu mo! Tonkotsu soy sauce is the best! With braised pork and seasoned egg toppings too!

Hinata 私は味噌ラーメンにします。魚の出汁が入っているのが好きです。 Watashi wa miso rāmen ni shimasu. Sakana no dashi ga haitte iru no ga suki desu. I'll have miso ramen. I like the ones that have fish stock in them.

4 · Onigiri talk

Hinata ナルトくんはおにぎりも好きですよね？ Naruto-kun wa onigiri mo suki desu yo ne? You like onigiri too, don't you Naruto-kun?

Naruto もちろん！特に鮭のおにぎりが大好きだ、だってばよ！ Mochiron! Toku ni sake no onigiri ga daisuki da, dattebayo! Of course! I especially love salmon onigiri, believe it!

Hinata 鮭は魚だから、ナルトくんも魚が好きじゃないですか？ Sake wa sakana dakara, Naruto-kun mo sakana ga suki ja nai desu ka? Salmon is a fish, so don't you like fish too, Naruto-kun?

Naruto …確かに！おにぎりの魚は好きだな！ …Tashika ni! Onigiri no sakana wa suki da na! …You're right! I do like fish in onigiri!

5 · Sushi shop

Naruto ヒナタの好きな寿司のネタは何？ Hinata no sukina sushi no neta wa nani? What's your favourite sushi topping, Hinata?

Hinata マグロの刺身と、いくらが大好きです。魚の旨味が最高です。 Maguro no sashimi to, ikura ga daisuki desu. Sakana no umami ga saikō desu. I love tuna sashimi and salmon roe. The umami of the fish is wonderful.

Naruto オレはなると巻きが好きだ！名前が一緒だから、だってばよ！ Ore wa naruto maki ga suki da! Namae ga issho dakara, dattebayo! I like naruto maki! The name's the same as mine, believe it!

Hinata なるほど…なると巻きは魚のすり身ですよ。魚が好きですね、やっぱり。 Naruhodo… naruto-maki wa sakana no surimi desu yo. Sakana ga suki desu ne, yappari. I see… naruto maki is made from fish paste, you know. You do like fish, after all.

6 · A meal together

Naruto じゃあ今度、二人でラーメンと寿司、両方食べに行こう！ Jā kondo, futari de rāmen to sushi, ryōhō tabe ni ikō! Well then, let's go eat both ramen and sushi together next time!

Hinata え…！二人で…ですか？ E…! Futari de… desu ka? Eh…! Just the two of us…?

Naruto ああ！肉も魚も好きだから、全部食べよう、だってばよ！ Ā! Niku mo sakana mo suki dakara, zenbu tabeyō, dattebayo! Yeah! We like both meat and fish, so let's eat everything, believe it!

Hinata （顔を赤くして）は、はい…！ぜひ！ (Kao o akaku shite) H-hai…! Zehi! (turning red) Y-yes…! Definitely!

Vocabulary — 語彙 (ごい)

#	Japanese	Reading	Romaji	English	Type
Today's kanji in food context
1	魚	さかな	sakana	Fish / seafood	Noun
2	肉	にく	niku	Meat	Noun
3	好き	すき	suki	Like / fond of (+ が)	Adj
4	大好き	だいすき	daisuki	Love / adore (+ が)	Adj
5	嫌い	きらい	kirai	Dislike (+ が)	Adj
Naruto's favourites
6	ラーメン	らーめん	rāmen	Ramen (noodle soup)	Noun
7	おにぎり	おにぎり	onigiri	Rice ball	Noun
8	チャーシュー	ちゃーしゅー	chāshū	Braised pork belly (ramen topping)	Noun
9	豚骨醤油	とんこつしょうゆ	tonkotsu shōyu	Pork bone & soy sauce (ramen style)	Noun
10	味玉	あじたま	ajitama	Seasoned soft-boiled egg	Noun
11	なると巻き	なるとまき	naruto-maki	Fish cake swirl (ramen topping)	Noun
12	鮭	さけ	sake	Salmon	Noun
Hinata's favourites
13	寿司	すし	sushi	Sushi	Noun
14	刺身	さしみ	sashimi	Sashimi (raw sliced fish)	Noun
15	マグロ	まぐろ	maguro	Tuna	Noun
16	いくら	いくら	ikura	Salmon roe	Noun
17	味噌ラーメン	みそらーめん	miso rāmen	Miso ramen	Noun
More foods & ingredients
18	牛肉	ぎゅうにく	gyūniku	Beef	Noun
19	豚肉	ぶたにく	butaniku	Pork	Noun
20	鶏肉	とりにく	toriniku	Chicken	Noun
21	焼き魚	やきざかな	yakizakana	Grilled fish	Noun
22	天ぷら	てんぷら	tempura	Tempura (battered & fried)	Noun
23	海苔	のり	nori	Dried seaweed	Noun
24	出汁	だし	dashi	Stock / broth (fish or kombu base)	Noun
25	旨味	うまみ	umami	Savoury depth (the fifth taste)	Noun
Useful verbs & expressions
26	食べる	たべる	taberu	To eat	Verb
27	飲む	のむ	nomu	To drink	Verb
28	おいしい	おいしい	oishii	Delicious (polite)	Adj
29	うまい	うまい	umai	Delicious (casual / masculine)	Adj
30	〜より〜の方が好き		~ yori ~ no hō ga suki	Prefer ~ over ~	Expr
31	だってばよ	だってばよ	dattebayo	Believe it! (Naruto's catchphrase)	Expr

Real Japanese Tip — Naruto's Name & the Fish Cake Connection

Naruto's name comes from なると巻き (naruto-maki) — the white fish cake with a pink spiral swirl that floats on top of ramen. The spiral pattern is named after the 鳴門海峡 (Naruto Strait) between Awaji Island and Shikoku, famous for its dramatic tidal whirlpools. So every time Naruto eats ramen, he's technically eating his own namesake topping — which is itself made from 魚 (fish).

好き as a な-adjective: 好き (suki) behaves like a な-adjective, not a verb. You say 魚が好きだ — never 魚を好きだ. To say "my favourite," use 一番好きな + noun: 一番好きな食べ物 (my favourite food), 一番好きな魚 (my favourite fish). The kanji 好 combines 女 (woman) and 子 (child) — two kanji from today's session — and was traditionally read as a picture of a mother with her child, meaning something cherished or dear. That mnemonic makes the "like/love" meaning easy to remember.

肉 compounds to know: Once you know 肉 (niku), you can build a whole butcher's vocabulary — 牛肉 (beef), 豚肉 (pork), 鶏肉 (chicken). The first kanji in each tells you the animal: 牛 (cow), 豚 (pig), 鶏 (chicken/rooster).