What does “niku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “niku” to mean ‘meat’ in Japanese. Very simple. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain its definition, meaning, and kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “niku” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “niku”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “niku”.
- niku – 肉 (にく) : a noun meaning ‘meat’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Native speakers use this noun to refer to meat in general in Japanese. So, this is a kind of general noun covering the meanings of beaf, pork, chicken, and the like. The role of this noun is, therefore, similar to that of the English one, “meat”, I think.
This kanji character originally came from the shapes of muscles. The strokes inside seem to express muscle fibers.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use “niku” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “meat” in Japanese
mochiron boku wa niku ga suki desu – もちろん僕は肉が好きです (もちろんぼくはにくがすきです)
Of course, I love meat.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- mochiron – もちろん : an adverb meaning ‘of course’ in Japanese.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “niku” to make the object word in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as one individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, actually, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “niku”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used expression, “niku ga suki”, which means ‘to love meat’ in Japanese.
Example #2: another usage of “niku”
kanojo wa tokidoki niku to yasai wo tabe masu – 彼女は時々肉と野菜を食べます (かのじょはときどきにくとやさいをたべます)
She sometimes eats meat and vegetables.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- tokidoki – 時々 (ときどき) : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘sometimes’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle used to join two words to make a parallel expression. In the example, this is used to join “niku” and “yasai”.
- yasai – 野菜 (やさい) : a noun meaning ‘vegetable’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “niku to yasai ” to make the object in the sentence.
- tabe – 食べ (たべ) : one conjugation of the verb, “taberu“, which means ‘to eat’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “tabe” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “niku”. In this example, it works together with “to” and “yasai” to say “meat and vegetables” in Japanese. When we want to say “meat” in general in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “niku” and its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- niku – 肉 (にく) : a noun meaning ‘meat’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Native speakers use this noun to refer to meat in general in Japanese. So, this is a kind of general noun covering the meanings of beaf, pork, chicken, and the like. The role of this noun is, therefore, similar to that of the English one, “meat”, I think.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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