How to know which names of food items can be prefixed with "o"?


I realize that we can prefix the names of some food items such as "sushi",
"sashimi", "mizu", and others with "o".

However, there are other food items, such as "tamago", for example, whose
names cannot be prefixed with "o".

How can we foreigners decide when it's proper and when it's not proper to
prefix the name of a food item with "o"?

Also, when prefixing food item names, is it お or を ?

Actually, I think it's probably the honorific お , but I just want to make
sure.

ありがとうございます




Basically only _some traditional Japanese foods_ are prefixed with お, but
there are a few minor exceptions. Western dishes (including
[yōshoku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dshoku)) or other Asian dishes
don't have お.

Which traditional Japanese foods can have お is arbitrary and unpredictable, so
you'll have to remember individually. I think the list is not very large, so
it's possible to just remember them all.

The following list is not exhaustive but I think I have covered most common
ones.

  * お水、お湯、お茶 (お茶漬け)、お紅茶
  * お味噌汁、お雑煮
  * お菓子、お餅、お団子、おせんべい、おまんじゅう、おかき★
  * お寿司、お刺身、お蕎麦、おうどん、お粥、お漬物、お豆腐
  * お握り★/おむすび★、お好み焼き★、お焼き★、お揚げ★
  * お酒、おビール
  * (お米、お野菜、お肉、お魚、お箸、お夜食、お食事、おつまみ★、おやつ★…)

★: Lexicalized; removing お will lose the original meaning

Lastly, these are technically not "honorific words" but "beautified words" (
**美化語** ) because they can be safely used to refer to something _the speaker_
eats or drinks. No one would say you're arrogant if you say お茶を飲みました. See this
for the difference: [Terminology: Does the term 美化語 include all ご・お・etc.
prefixes, or only ones outside of a 敬語
context?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/86215/5010)




Basically only _some traditional Japanese foods_ are prefixed with お, but
there are a few minor exceptions. Western dishes (including
[yōshoku](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%C5%8Dshoku)) or other Asian dishes
don't have お.

Which traditional Japanese foods can have お is arbitrary and unpredictable, so
you'll have to remember individually. I think the list is not very large, so
it's possible to just remember them all.

The following list is not exhaustive but I think I have covered most common
ones.

  * お水、お湯、お茶 (お茶漬け)、お紅茶
  * お味噌汁、お雑煮
  * お菓子、お餅、お団子、おせんべい、おまんじゅう、おかき★
  * お寿司、お刺身、お蕎麦、おうどん、お粥、お漬物、お豆腐
  * お握り★/おむすび★、お好み焼き★、お焼き★、お揚げ★
  * お酒、おビール
  * (お米、お野菜、お肉、お魚、お箸、お夜食、お食事、おつまみ★、おやつ★…)

★: Lexicalized; removing お will lose the original meaning

Lastly, these are technically not "honorific words" but "beautified words" (
**美化語** ) because they can be safely used to refer to something _the speaker_
eats or drinks. No one would say you're arrogant if you say お茶を飲みました. See this
for the difference: [Terminology: Does the term 美化語 include all ご・お・etc.
prefixes, or only ones outside of a 敬語
context?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/86215/5010)

