(めだまや)

めだまやき
noun
fried egg (sunny-side up)
1. fried egg; sunny-side up egg
An egg fried in a pan without flipping, so the yolk remains visible on top. The name literally means 'eyeball fry' because the round yolk resembles an eye.
(あさ)ごはんに目玉焼(めだまや)きを(つく)った。
I made a fried egg for breakfast.
目玉焼(めだまや)きには醤油(しょうゆ)をかける()ですか。
Are you the type to put soy sauce on your fried egg?
半熟(はんじゅく)目玉焼(めだまや)きを()せたハンバーグが人気(にんき)メニューだ。
A hamburger steak topped with a soft-fried egg is a popular menu item.

A staple of Japanese home cooking and cafe menus. The name comes from 目玉(めだま) (eyeball) + ()き (fried), describing the appearance of the round yolk.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 目玉焼(めだまや)きを()く (to fry an egg)
  • 半熟(はんじゅく)目玉焼(めだまや)き (soft-fried egg with runny yolk)
  • 目玉焼(めだまや)(どん) (fried egg rice bowl)

CULTURAL NOTE:
What to put on a 目玉焼(めだまや)き is a common topic of friendly debate in Japan. Some prefer 醤油(しょうゆ) (soy sauce), others (しお) (salt), ソース (Worcestershire sauce), or ケチャップ (ketchup).