召し上がる

To Eat/drink (Hon.)

Level 3Sounds Like meshiagaru

召し上がる（めしあがる） is the polite, respectful way to say someone else is eating or drinking. It replaces both 食べる（たべる） and 飲む（のむ） when talking about a superior, a customer, or someone you respect.

How It Works

召し上がる is a cornerstone of honorific language. It is used exclusively for others, never for yourself.

1. Usage for Food and Drink
While non-honorific Japanese uses separate verbs for eating（食べる）and drinking（飲む）, 召し上がる covers both. The context tells you which one is meant. For example, if the object is 'coffee,' it means 'to drink'; if it is 'sushi,' it means 'to eat.' This is similar to how 'have' is used in English for both food and beverages.

2. Conjugation and the Imperative
It is a Godan verb (Type I). Even though it ends in 〜る, it conjugates like regular verbs such as 入る（はいる）or 走る（はしる）:

  • Polite: 召し上がります
  • Te-form: 召し上がって
  • Negative: 召し上がらない
  • Imperative: 召し上がれ (Used only by a host in casual or family settings. It is a command form and is impolite to use with superiors or customers. In formal settings, use 召し上がりください instead.)

3. The 'Double Honorific' Exception
Strictly speaking, adding お〜になる to 召し上がる creates a 'double honorific'（お召し上がりになる）, which is technically redundant. However, this specific phrase is so common in modern Japanese that the Agency for Cultural Affairs recognizes it as 'accepted by custom,' though some purists still avoid it.

4. Responding with Humility
When someone offers you food using 召し上がる, you should never use it to describe your own actions. Instead, you must use the humble counterpart いただく to show respect to the person providing the food or the food itself.

5. Origins and Other Uses
召し上がる comes from the root verb 召す（めす）, which historically meant 'to call,' 'to wear,' or 'to do.' While 召し上がる is now strictly for food and drink, you will see the same root in お召しになる, which is the honorific way to say 'to wear' clothing. You may also see 召す used in very formal contexts for smoking（タバコを召す）or catching a cold（風邪を召す）.

Examples (4)

  1. どうぞ、温かいうちに召し上がってください。

    Please eat while it is still warm.

    Word by Word: Please / warm / while / eat (hon.) / please do.

    This is a very common phrase used by a host to a guest. It uses the te-form + kudasai for a polite request.

  2. お飲み物は何を召し上がりますか。

    What would you like to drink?

    Word by Word: Drink (hon.) / as for / what / drink (hon.) / [?]

    In this context, 召し上がる refers to drinking because the object is 'drink' (お飲み物).

  3. 部長はもうお昼を召し上がりました。

    The department manager has already eaten lunch.

    Word by Word: Department manager / as for / already / lunch / ate (hon.).

    Used to describe the action of a superior (the manager) in the polite past tense.

  4. 納豆は召し上がれますか。

    Can you eat natto?

    Word by Word: Natto / as for / can eat (hon.) / [?]

    This uses the potential form (召し上がれる) to ask if someone is able to eat something, showing respect to the listener.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 召し上がる for your own actions.

    私がこれを召し上がります。
    私がこれをいただきます。

    召し上がる is respectful (sonkeigo) and only used for others. When talking about yourself, you must use the humble verb いただく.

  • Confusing 召し上がる with the potential form of 食べる.

    お寿司が召し上がりますか。
    お寿司を召し上がりますか。

    While the honorific form 食べられる can be used to show respect, it is identical to the potential form ('can eat'). Using 召し上がる is preferred in professional settings because it is unambiguous and shows a higher level of respect.

How It Connects

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召し上がるLevel 3To Eat/drink (Hon.)

Learn This First

召し上がる is the special honorific (Sonkeigo) version of the verbs 'to eat' (食べる) and 'to drink' (飲む). To use it correctly, you need to understand the basics of Japanese honorifics, how to conjugate verbs into their polite forms, and how to identify verb groups for proper conjugation.

Words in This Pattern