食事します（しょくじします、shokujishimasu）
- to have a meal

The Japanese verb 食事します means "to eat a meal" or "to have a meal." It implies the act of consuming food, often referring to a more formal or complete meal rather than a quick snack. The word emphasizes the action of eating as a part of a meal.

⚫︎ 朝食を食事します。 Translation: I will eat breakfast. ⚫︎ 夕食はレストランで食事します。 Translation: I will have dinner at a restaurant. ⚫︎ 今日は何時に食事しますか？ Translation: What time will you eat a meal today?

⚫︎ 食事します is a polite and common way to express the act of eating a meal. ⚫︎ It is suitable for various situations, from casual conversations to more formal settings. ⚫︎ You can use it when talking about eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner. ⚫︎ It is frequently used to discuss planned meals, or to ask about when someone intends to eat. ⚫︎ It is not typically used for a light snack. ⚫︎ The word is fairly flexible and can be used in many situations where a more general verb like 食べる ("to eat") is appropriate, but has a slight connotation of a proper meal.

⚫︎ 食事します is written using the kanji 食事 (しょくじ - meal, eating) and the polite verb suffix します (shimasu - to do). ⚫︎ The kanji 食事 can also be written in hiragana しょくじ. ⚫︎ The verb します conjugates like any other -masu verb. Some examples of conjugation include: ⚫︎ 食事します (shokuji shimasu) - to eat a meal (present affirmative) ⚫︎ 食事しません (shokuji shimasen) - will not eat a meal (present negative) ⚫︎ 食事しました (shokuji shimashita) - ate a meal (past affirmative) ⚫︎ 食事しませんでした (shokuji shimasen deshita) - did not eat a meal (past negative) ⚫︎ The okurigana for 食事 is not variable; the only valid form is 食事.

⚫︎ 食べる (taberu) - to eat (general and less formal) ⚫︎ ご飯を食べる (gohan o taberu) - to eat a meal/rice ⚫︎ 食事をとる (shokuji o toru) - to have a meal (more formal)

⚫︎ There is no direct antonym, as it represents an action, but the opposite action is "not eating," which can be expressed with various negations of synonyms, or general phrases.

毎朝、家族と一緒に朝食を食事します。 ・Translation: I eat breakfast with my family every morning. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the daily routine of eating breakfast (a meal) with one's family.

パーティーで美味しい料理を食事しますのが楽しみです。 ・Translation: I'm looking forward to eating delicious food at the party. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses anticipation for enjoying a meal (delicious food) at a party.

⚫︎ 食事 is a compound word: ⚫︎ 食 (shoku) - food, eating ⚫︎ 事 (ji) - matter, thing, act ⚫︎ します (shimasu) - the polite verb "to do" ⚫︎ The word therefore originates from the combining of these elements to create a formal phrase that focuses on the act of partaking of food for a meal. The act is considered a "thing" (事) that is focused upon in the context of food (食).