Explore 腹 in everyday speech and more formal descriptions of the body.

The idea

腹 has 13 strokes; follow the linked diagram. Learn お腹（おなか）, 腹（はら） and 腹部（ふくぶ） as whole words: their readings depend on the word.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
お腹おなかMy stomach hurts.
腹部ふくぶThe doctor examined my abdomen.
腹はらShe held her belly and laughed.

Examples

  • お腹おなかが痛いたいです。My stomach hurts.
  • お腹おなかがすきました。I am hungry.
  • 昼ひるご飯はんを食たべて、お腹おなかがいっぱいです。I am full after eating lunch.
  • 医者いしゃが腹部ふくぶを調しらべました。The doctor examined my abdomen.
  • 彼女かのじょは腹はらを抱かかえて笑わらいました。She held her belly and laughed.
  • お腹おなかを温あたためてください。Please warm your stomach.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

お腹 is a common polite word for the belly; 腹 is more direct, while 腹部 is a formal anatomical term. お腹がすく means to get hungry, not that the belly is empty of objects.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of お腹 in hiragana.

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    おなか

    お腹 is おなか: お腹が痛いです means “My stomach hurts.”

  2. Write the reading of 腹部 in hiragana.

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    ふくぶ

    腹部 is ふくぶ, a formal word for the abdomen, as in a medical examination.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿部（ふくぶ）［腹／服］.

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    腹

    腹 completes 腹部（ふくぶ）. 服 is a different character, used in words such as 服（ふく）, clothes.

Use it today

Write 腹 using the stroke diagram. Cover the table, read お腹 and 腹部, and make a sentence with one.