Quick Reference

Meaning & Definition

Meshiagaru (召し上がる) is the honorific verb Japanese speakers use when referring to someone else eating or drinking — a word that signals deep respect for the person you are serving or speaking to. It is so embedded in Japan’s food service culture that you will hear it the moment you sit down at almost any restaurant.

召し上がる is the sonkeigo (尊敬語, respectful language) form of both 食べる (taberu, to eat) and 飲む (nomu, to drink). Because it is honorific, you use it only to describe the actions of someone you are showing respect to — a customer, a guest, a superior — never your own eating. The verb conjugates like a standard Group 1 (godan) verb: 召し上がります (polite present), 召し上がりました (polite past), 召し上がってください (polite request). In casual speech among friends, you would never use this word; it belongs firmly in service, hospitality, and formal business contexts.

How to Use It

The three verbs 食べる, いただく, and 召し上がる form a hierarchy you must keep straight. 食べる is plain and neutral — use it among friends or in your own inner thoughts. いただく is humble (謙譲語, kenjougo): you use it to describe your own eating when you want to be modest, most famously in the phrase いただきます before a meal. 召し上がる is the opposite — it elevates the other person’s action, so you use it for customers, guests, or anyone you are serving or deferring to. A common mistake for learners is using 召し上がる to describe their own eating, which sounds oddly self-aggrandizing to a native speaker.

Kanji Breakdown

The kanji 召 originally meant “to summon” or “to call upon” — as in being summoned by someone of high status. 上 means “above” or “upper,” reinforcing the idea of elevation and respect. The suffix がる (garu) attaches to create a verb of action. Together, 召し上がる literally evokes the image of graciously partaking in something — a fitting etymology for a word used exclusively to honor another person’s act of eating or drinking.

Example Sentences

Cultural Context

Japanese honorific language (敬語, keigo) is built on a three-tier system: 丁寧語 (teineigo, polite language), 尊敬語 (sonkeigo, respectful language that elevates others), and 謙譲語 (kenjougo, humble language that lowers oneself). 召し上がる sits squarely in the sonkeigo tier. Understanding this system explains why Japanese service staff never say 食べますか — doing so would treat the customer as an equal rather than as a honored guest. The choice of verb itself communicates social positioning in a way that has no direct English equivalent.

In Japan’s food and beverage industry, using 召し上がる correctly is considered a baseline professional skill. Izakayas, high-end restaurants, and even convenience store staff are trained to say お召し上がりですか (“will you be eating here?”) when a customer makes a purchase. This consistent use of honorific language throughout the dining experience is a reflection of omotenashi (おもてなし) — Japan’s philosophy of wholehearted hospitality — where the customer’s comfort and dignity are treated as paramount from the moment they enter to the moment they leave.

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