Japanese with Manga

A day off from cooking with 料理を作る

Vocabulary Explanation: Collocations for cooking

Kiyo, in a striped coat and thick scarf, stands in a tiled kitchen with a bag over her shoulder and looks toward the window.
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Kiyo has the day off, so she goes to see the house’s former cook.

おばちゃん:
「せっかく料理(りょうり)作(つく)らんでええ日(ひ)なのに。」
“And on a day you finally don't have to cook, too.”
Literal: “Even though it's a precious day when you don't have to make food.”

Key Points

1料理(りょうり)を作(つく)る = to cook
  • 料理(りょうり)を作(つく)る means to make a dish or a meal. Kiyo’s job is making the house’s meals, so a day she doesn’t have to 料理(りょうり)作(つく)る is a day off work.
  • The former cook drops を, as casual speech often does: 料理(りょうり)作(つく)らん for 料理(りょうり)を作(つく)らない.
2作(つく)らんでええ = 作(つく)らなくてもいい
  • In Kansai speech, ん replaces the negative ない, and ええ means いい.
  • 〜んでええ works like standard 〜なくてもいい or 〜ないでいい: “don’t have to”.
  • The phrase modifies 日(ひ), giving “a day when you don’t have to cook”.
3せっかく〜のに sets a rare chance against what someone does with it
  • せっかく marks something as a precious opportunity. のに adds “even though”, and the noun 日(ひ) takes な before it.
  • The line leaves the second half unsaid. The former cook means Kiyo has a day free from cooking, yet she has come over to cook.

Vocabulary

(With much effort)

せっかく marks an effort or valuable opportunity that should not go to waste. Depending on the sentence, it can mean “after taking the trouble” or “since we have the chance”.

(Cuisine)

料理(りょうり) means cooking, cuisine, or a dish. It can refer to making food or to the food you make.

(To make)

作(つく)る means to create or prepare something.

(Day)

日(ひ) is a day. It also means the sun or sunlight.

See Also

舞妓さんちのまかないさん © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.