An everyday meal consists of a bowl of boiled rice (or other boiled grain), a shiru-mono dish (soup dish) and three side dishes (one main side dish and two sub-side dishes), and is called "ichi-ju san-sai" (literally, one soup dish and three side dishes).
日常的な食事の構成としては、ご飯（白米やその他の穀物を炊いたもの）、汁物、おかず3品（主菜1品と副菜2品）という組み合わせを取り、一汁三菜と言う。