Mei: Tanaka-san, shumi wa nan desu ka?
田中さん、趣味は何ですか。Tanaka: Boku no shumi wa shashin o toru koto desu. Mei-san wa?
僕の趣味は写真を撮ることです。メイさんは?Mei: Watashi wa ryouri o suru no ga suki desu.
私は料理をするのが好きです。Tanaka: Hontou? Donna ryouri o tsukurimasu ka?
本当?どんな料理を作りますか。Mei: Iroiro na ryouri o tsukurimasu ga, ichiban sukina no wa itariaryouri desu.
いろいろな料理を作りますが、一番好きなのはイタリア料理です。Tanaka: Sugoi desu ne. Itsu ka mei-san no ryouri o tabete mitai desu.
すごいですね。いつかメイさんの料理を食べてみたいです。
Mei: Tanaka-san, what are your hobbies?
Tanaka: My hobby is taking photographs. How about you, Mei-san?
Mei: I like cooking.
Tanaka: Really? What kind of food do you cook?
Mei: I cook various kinds of food, but my favorite is Italian cuisine.
Tanaka: That's amazing. I'd like to try your cooking sometime.
To express your hobby in Japanese, use the pattern:
[Noun] + ga shumi desu が趣味です
Example: Shashin ga shumi desu 写真が趣味です (Photography is my hobby)
To turn a verb into a noun (gerund), add koto こと after the dictionary form of the verb.
Pattern: [Verb (dictionary form)] + koto
Example: Shashin o toru koto 写真を撮ること (taking photographs)
To express that you like doing something, use the pattern:
[Verb (dictionary form)] + no ga suki desu のが好きです
Example: Ryouri o suru no ga suki desu 料理をするのが好きです (I like cooking)
Use donna どんな to ask "What kind of...?"
Example: Donna ryouri o tsukurimasu ka? どんな料理を作りますか。(What kind of food do you cook?)
Use ichiban 一番 before an adjective to express the superlative (most/best).
Example: Ichiban sukina 一番好きな (the most favorite)
To express a desire to do something, add ~tai たい to the stem of the verb.
Pattern: [Verb stem] + tai
Example: Tabete mitai 食べてみたい (would like to try eating)
Note: Tabete miru 食べてみる means "to try eating", and mitai みたい is the tai-form of miru 見る (to see/try).
The particle ga が is often used to connect two clauses with a slight contrast or to add information.
Example: Iroiro na ryouri o tsukurimasu ga, ... いろいろな料理を作りますが、... (I cook various kinds of food, but ...)
Remember to practice these expressions to become more comfortable talking about hobbies and preferences in Japanese!