[JLPT N2] Freshly cooked rice: [炊きたて・炊きかけ・炊きおわり・炊きはじめ]？
こんにちは、ちか先生です。
Konnichiwa, it’s Chika Sensei.
Today, I’m sharing a practice question for JLPT prep.
This one’s for pre-advanced learners (JLPT N2)!
Can you choose the correct answer?
[Practice Question]
（＿＿）のごはんはおいしい。
1 炊(た)きたて
2 炊(た)きかけ
3 炊(た)きおわり
4 炊(た)きはじめ
▼
▼
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[Answer]
（1 炊きたて）のごはんはおいしい。
Freshly cooked rice is delicious.
〜たて
= “freshly ~” / “just ~”
It emphasizes that something is fresh, warm, or in its best state.
Structure:
Verb masu-stem ＋ たて
(ごはんを)炊きます
→炊き＋たて
= just cooked / freshly cooked
e.g.
焼(や)く
→ 焼きたて（freshly baked）
作(つく)る
→ 作りたて (freshly made)
とる
→ とれたて (freshly caught / freshly picked)
So, 炊きたて is the best choice.
✖ Other Choices:
2 炊きかけ
= “in the middle of cooking” (not finished yet)
3 炊きおわり
= “the end of cooking” (it doesn’t sound like “fresh and tasty”)
4 炊きはじめ
= “the start of cooking” (still not ready to eat)
I hope this explanation helps! 😊