Japanese Decoded: Rice Cooker

Mastering Japanese Home Appliances

By The Savvy Team |
September 10, 2020 |
Lifestyle, Practical Information

No effort needed to decipher your rice cooker buttons with this Japanese cheat sheet. Cooking your rice has never been so easy!

Love it or hate it, you can’t avoid rice while living in Japan. It’s the prime meal on every Japanese dinner, the best company to all your washoku favorites, and the nutrient-rich meal that can keep you full throughout the day. But how often do you find yourself frustrated at all these Japanese buttons your rice cooker at home has? Or end up using only the largest button, ignoring the rest because you can’t fully understand them?

If you have at least once in your journey in Japan shifted to a regular pot because you couldn’t be bothered deciphering your rice cooker, here’s your one-stop guide—a list of the most commonly used rice cooker kanji characters.

Front picture of a Japanese rice cooker device

The main buttons: turning it on & off, cooking

Japanese	Rōmaji	English	Push it to:
炊飯	suihan	Cook (boil) rice	get the work done with a single push
保温	ho-on	Keep warm	keep the rice warm until you open the lid. Push it again if you want to continue warming up your rice even after opening
予約	yoyaku	Preset	get your rice ready when you come home or wake up. Keep pushing the button on your rice cooker until you see the correct hour, and enjoy the smell of freshly boiled rice as you return home
メニュー	menyuu	Menu	select any options
取り消し	torikeshi	Cancel	well, cancel
早炊き	hayadaki	Quick boil	get your rice cooked ASAP!
切	kiru	Turn off	stop cooking, warming up your rice

Set up your rice cooker

First thing first, if you want your rice ready at 6 pm sharp you need to tell your rice cooker what time is it!

Japanese	Rōmaji	English	Push it to:
コース	koosu	Course	specify what type of rice and how you want it cooked
選択	sentaku	Select	select the menu you prefer
時(間)	ji(kan)	Hour, time	presetting
分	fun	Minute	check how many minutes left to finally eat your deliciously warm rice

Different types of rice

If you’re lucky enough, your rice cooker will offer you plenty of options to cook and experiment with different types of rice.

Japanese	Rōmaji	English
お粥/おかゆ	okayu	Rice porridge
玄米	genmai	Brown rice
白米	hakumai	White rice
炊き込み	takikomi	Mixed rice (seasoned with soy sauce, dashi, mushrooms, etc)
無洗米	musenmai	Pre-washed rice
おこわ	okowa	Sticky rice
雑穀米	zakkokumai	Mixed grain rice

Cooking preferences

Japanese	Rōmaji	English
普通/ふつう	futsuu	Normal
硬め/かため	katame	Hard
柔らかめ/やわらかめ	yawarakame	Soft
標準	hojun	Standard

Here you go: with this quick guide, you should be fully equipped to finally tackle your Japanese rice cooker and prepare the best rice ever! Have trouble with other appliances in Japanese? Check out our other Japanese Decoded articles for general appliances, washers and dryers, microwave ovens, and air conditioners.