食 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

食: eat; food; meal. JLPT N5; 9 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ショク、ジキ

Kun readings

く.う、く.らう、た.べる

Romaji

shoku, jiki, kuu, kurau, taberu

Study notes

食 concerns eating and food.

On readings: ショク in 食事 (しょくじ, meal), 食堂 (しょくどう, dining hall), 朝食 (ちょうしょく, breakfast), 夕食 (ゆうしょく, dinner), 和食 (わしょく, Japanese cuisine), 食品 (しょくひん, food). Before k becomes しょっ: 食器 (しょっき, dishes), 食券 (しょっけん, meal ticket). ジキ is rare: 断食 (だんじき, fasting), 乞食 (こじき, beggar, term today considered offensive).

Kun readings: たべる (食べる, to eat) is the neutral verb: 食べ物 (たべもの, food). くう (食う, to eat) is colloquial and more blunt. くらう (食らう, to gulp down; to suffer a blow) is even more colloquial.

Remember: the respectful form of 食べる is 召し上がる (めしあがる), the humble one いただく.

Example words

• 食事 (しょくじ) — meal; eating
• 断食 (だんじき) — fasting
• 食べる (たべる) — to eat
• 食う (くう) — to eat (colloquial)
• 食む (はむ) — to graze; to eat

Example sentences

朝ごはんを食べました。

asagohan wo tabemashita.

I ate breakfast.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.