Niku is the Japanese word for ‘meat’, explained

What does “niku” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “niku” to mean ‘meat’ in Japanese. 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 this word in detail together with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “niku” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “niku”
  • Example #1: how to say “meat” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “niku”
• Summary

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.

Japanese native speakers use this noun often to refer to meat in general. This is a kind of general noun covering the meanings of beaf, pork, chicken, and the like. So, the usage is similar to that of “meat” in English, I think.

This kanji character originally came from the shapes of muscles. The strokes inside represent muscle fibers.

The definition and meaning of “niku” are simple and clear. Then, let me explain how to use this noun through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “meat” in Japanese

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 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 in the sentence.
• suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’ in Japanese. In the example, 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 phrase, “niku ga suki”, which means ‘to love meat’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “niku”

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 joining two words with adding the meaning of ‘and’. In the example, this works 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 mean ‘meat and vegetables’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘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” together with its kanji character. 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. Japanese native speakers use this noun often to refer to meat in general. This is a kind of general noun covering the meanings of beaf, pork, chicken, and the like. So, the usage is similar to that of “meat” in English, I think.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.