Trade a recipe you could actually try
Pick something with three ingredients and one step you can explain. A sandwich or rice bowl works just as well as a family recipe. Take turns describing the dish before showing the photo so the other person can guess what’s in it.
Ask how it tastes and what goes in first. For flavour, try 甘い (amai, sweet), しょっぱい (shoppai, salty) or さっぱりしている (sappari shite iru, light or refreshing). If the description is new, repeat one word back and ask for an example.
An example with a surprising ingredient
| Speaker | Japanese to try | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A · Ask about omurice | オムライスには何を入れますか？ (Omuraisu ni wa nani o iremasu ka?) | What do you put in omurice? |
| B · Name one thing | うちは玉ねぎを入れます。 (Uchi wa tamanegi o iremasu.) | In our house, we put in onion. |
| A · Follow up on technique | 玉ねぎは先に炒めますか？ (Tamanegi wa saki ni itamemasu ka?) | Do you fry the onion first? |
| B · Compare versions | はい。そちらでは何を入れますか？ (Hai. Sochira de wa nani o iremasu ka?) | Yes. What do you put in yours? |
Why choose Hanashi?
If a Japanese host’s interests include cooking, you already have two versions of a dish to talk about. The person brings a way of making and describing it from their own experience. Hanashi is designed to let you choose that conversation by interests and personality.
Use captions and translation to recover a word such as 玉ねぎ, then ask what they do with it. Learner signup is open in early access. Check current availability before planning the call.
Leave the call with one thing to make
Try describing their first step back to them. If you heard “fry onion before adding rice,” say 先に玉ねぎですね (Saki ni tamanegi desu ne, Onion first, right?). Ask them to type an unfamiliar ingredient. If your partner doesn’t cook, ask them to describe a takeaway dish they would order again and describe yours.
Open a food conversation plan at Developing level for more taste and recipe prompts. The Japan Foundation’s Irodori Starter includes food preferences and ordering, with audio you can use to rehearse.