Word Detail

The Japanese word 軽食 (けいしょく) means a light meal, snack, or refreshment. It refers to a small amount of food eaten between main meals, or a quick and simple meal. It is not meant to be a full, substantial meal.

⚫︎お昼に軽食を食べました。 Translation: I had a snack for lunch. ⚫︎ちょっと軽食でも食べに行こうか？ Translation: Shall we go grab a light bite? ⚫︎旅行の途中で軽食を買いました。 Translation: I bought a snack during the trip.

You can use 軽食 in various situations: ⚫︎When you want to describe a light meal or snack you ate. ⚫︎When suggesting having a snack or light meal with someone. ⚫︎When talking about buying or having a snack while traveling or during a break. ⚫︎It's suitable for describing things like sandwiches, small pastries, fruits, or any food that isn't a complete meal.

⚫︎The word 軽食 is written using kanji and hiragana. ⚫︎The kanji is 軽 (kei, meaning light or slight) and 食 (shoku, meaning food or meal). ⚫︎The reading in hiragana is けいしょく. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎おやつ (oyatsu) - snack (typically eaten between meals) ⚫︎スナック (sunakku) - snack (borrowed word from English) ⚫︎軽食店 (keishokuten) - snack shop, a restaurant that specializes in light meals. ⚫︎間食 (kanshoku) - snack, also means eating between meals.

⚫︎食事 (shokuji) - meal, regular meal. ⚫︎夕食 (yuushoku) - dinner. ⚫︎朝食 (choushoku) - breakfast. ⚫︎晩ご飯 (bangohan) - dinner. (informal)

試験勉強の合間に、コンビニで軽食を買った。 ・Translation: I bought a snack at the convenience store during my study break for the exam. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates using 軽食 to describe a quick bite to eat while studying.

今日のランチは時間がなかったので、軽食で済ませた。 ・Translation: I didn't have much time for lunch today, so I just had a snack. ・Explanation: This shows using 軽食 when you had limited time for a meal.

The word 軽食 is a combination of two kanji: 軽 (kei, meaning light) and 食 (shoku, meaning food or meal). The meaning directly reflects this, describing a "light" or "small" meal or type of food.