Japanese word of the day: 食事する (Shokujisuru)

What does 食事する (Shokujisuru) mean?

食事する (Shokujisuru) (verb) — "to eat a meal" or "to dine." It's a compound verb formed by combining the noun 食事 (shokuji, meal) with する (suru, to do).

Kanji details for 食 and 事

Character:　食 — eat, food
Radical: eat, food 食 (飠)

Character:　事 — matter, thing, fact, business, reason, possibly
Radical: hook 亅

Example sentences with 食事する (Shokujisuru)

• 私は毎日家族と一緒に食事します。
  (Watashi wa mainichi kazoku to issho ni shokuji shimasu.)
  👪️ I eat meals together with my family every day.

• レストランで食事する前に、予約をしておきましょう。
  (Resutoran de shokuji suru mae ni, yoyaku o shite okimashou.)
  🍴 Let's make a reservation before dining at the restaurant.

• 昨日、田中さんと食事したときに、新しいプロジェクトについて話し合いました。
  (Kinou, Tanaka-san to shokuji shita toki ni, atarashii purojekuto ni tsuite hanashiaimashita.)
  💻️ When I had a meal with Mr. Tanaka yesterday, we discussed the new project.

Confused about how to conjugate this word? Our conjugation tables can help.

食事する (Shokujisuru) in context

Unlike the more casual 食べる (taberu), which simply means "to eat," 食事する carries a nuance of having a structured, sit-down meal rather than just snacking or eating something quickly. This distinction makes it particularly appropriate in formal or polite contexts, such as when discussing dining plans with colleagues, superiors, or people you don't know well. You'll often hear it in business settings when making lunch arrangements or in restaurants when staff ask if you're ready to order.

However, avoid using 食事する when referring to grabbing a quick bite, eating snacks, or consuming small amounts of food—in these cases, 食べる is more natural. Similarly, when talking about feeding pets or very casual eating situations among close friends, 食べる is typically preferred. The formality of 食事する makes it sound slightly stiff in very casual conversations among friends, where more colloquial expressions like "ご飯食べる" (gohan taberu) might feel more natural.