Simplest language question

Would you say....

味噌汁を食べる？
　　Or
味噌汁を飲む？

Or are they both OK?

味噌汁を飲む

is correct.

There seem to be divided opinions about it - there are even forum threads in Japanese discussing which one is correct - I vote for "nomu" in general.

When talking about "misoshiru" with specific ingredient (like clams, onions, etc.) and you are more talking about that ingredient, people seem to use "taberu" more.

BTW, I googled the two phrases in Japanese, and "nomu" led to 154,000 hits, while "taberu" led to 677,000 hits.

This seems to be partly due to the fact that some shops are advertising "taberu misoshiru," meaning misoshiru with a lot of vegetables (not just
soup but a full "okazu" dish). Also, some regions seem to regard it as full dish, not just soup. Also the use of "taberu" when referring to "misoshiru" with specific ingredients seems to increase the hits as well.

My husband insists that it's taberu.

You could have the same argument over whether you eat or drink soup in English.

When I learned Japanese, in relation to miso soup, it is nomimasu/nomu (飲） (or whatever form you wish to use) but "to drink". Seems to be the standard found in Japanese language learning books. Now what it is actually in real life or what people think is debatable.

Hello. . A well asked question. .You eat soup. But, drink broth. Soup is served in a bowl.. not a beverage glass.. .http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=443388

"My husband insists that it's taberu.

You could have the same argument over whether you eat or drink soup in English."

If you are strictly speaking about the mechanics you drink the broth and eat the solid ingredients :)