Japanese with Manga

A lunch for the night shift with 弁当を作る

Vocabulary Explanation: Collocations for cooking

Miyu, in a patterned zip-up sweater, smiles with her eyes closed and holds out a lunch box wrapped in a knotted cloth. Yamato, in his police uniform, beams down at it. Flowers and small hearts float between them.
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Ran has been hauled into the Shibuya police box, where her older brother Yamato works as an officer, and he has just finished lecturing her. Then Ran’s friend Miyu bursts in with a cheerful greeting.

美由(みゆ):
「大和(やまと)クン　今日(きょう)深夜(しんや)勤務(きんむ)でしょ？　お弁当(べんとう)作(つく)ってきちゃったー」
“Yamato, you're on the late-night shift today, right? I made you a lunch and brought it over!”
Literal: “Yamato, today is late-night duty, right? I've gone and made a boxed lunch and come.”
大和(やまと):
「おーっ」
“Ohh!”

Key Points

1お弁当(べんとう)を作(つく)る = to make a packed lunch
  • 作(つく)る is the usual verb for making a lunch, the same verb used for making a meal or a dish. お in お弁当(べんとう) is the polite prefix that this word nearly always takes.
  • Miyu drops を, as casual speech often does: お弁当(べんとう)作(つく)って for お弁当(べんとう)を作(つく)って.
  • Making someone a lunch is a classic way to show affection in manga, and Yamato’s delighted おーっ shows he takes it that way.
2作(つく)ってくる = make something, then come
  • 〜てくる after an action means doing it somewhere else and then coming here. Miyu made the lunch before she came to the police box.
  • English says “I made you a lunch” and leaves the trip implied. Japanese usually adds くる to say the food came with her.
3作(つく)ってきちゃった = 作(つく)ってきてしまった
  • 〜ちゃった is the casual contraction of 〜てしまった. It attaches to きて, so きてしまった becomes きちゃった.
  • Miyu made the lunch on purpose, so ちゃった doesn’t mean an accident here. It gives the announcement a playful, “I went ahead and did it” tone, and the stretched ー makes it sound even sweeter.
4でしょ？ = “right?”
  • With rising intonation, casual でしょ checks something the speaker already believes. Miyu knows Yamato has the late-night shift and asks him to confirm it.
  • 深夜(しんや)勤務(きんむ) is a late-night shift: 深夜(しんや), “the middle of the night”, plus 勤務(きんむ), “work duty”.

Vocabulary

(Today)

今日(きょう) means today. In formal writing, it can also mean the present day or current era.

(Late night)

深夜(しんや) means late at night, usually after midnight.

(Service)

勤務(きんむ) is being at work in your job. 勤務中(きんむちゅう) means on duty.

(Boxed lunch)

お弁当(べんとう) is the polite, everyday way to say 弁当(べんとう), a meal packed in a box to eat away from home.

(To make)

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

(To come)

くる is to move toward the speaker or the place being talked about. After a て-form verb, it shows a change coming about, or going and coming back. It is the kana spelling of 来(く)る.

See Also

GALS! © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.