How to Say ‘I cook.’ in Japanese
りょうりをします。
ryouri o shi masu
[ryoh-ree oh shee mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: Japanese often says [りょうりをします] literally "do cooking" where English prefers just "cook." You can reuse this noun + [をします] pattern with many activities, like [スポーツをします] (play sports).
Phrase Breakdown
りょうり
ryouri
[ryoh-ree]
cooking; cuisine
Means “cooking.” With をします, it refers to the activity: “I cook.”
しゅうまつにりょうりをします。
I cook on weekends.
を
o
[oh]
(object marker)
Marks りょうり as the direct object of します.
りょうりをします。
I cook.
します
shi masu
do (polite)
Polite verb “do.” Used with many activity nouns.
スポーツをします。
I play sports.
Words in this phrase
し
shi
[shee]
do (stem of します)
Stem of します. Together with ます: します = “do” (polite).
りょうりをし ます。
I cook.
ます
masu
[mahs]
(polite verb ending)
Polite ending; standard for speaking politely.
りょうりをし ます。
I cook.
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