Japanese kanji 食: to eat

The idea

食 has 9 strokes. Follow the order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Compare 食べる（たべる）, “to eat”, with 食事（しょくじ）, “meal; eating”. A character may be read differently from word to word; learn each word as a unit.

Examples

• どうぞ、りんごを食たべてください。Please have an apple.
• 朝あさ、パンを食たべました。I ate bread this morning.
• 好すきな食たべ物ものは何なんですか。What food do you like?
• 家族かぞくと食事しょくじをします。I have a meal with my family.
• 朝食ちょうしょくはパンと卵たまごです。Breakfast is bread and eggs.
• 学校がっこうの食堂しょくどうで食たべます。I eat in the school cafeteria.

Watch out

食べる is the verb “eat”; 食事をする means “have a meal”. Compare the shape of 食 with 良; notice how their components differ.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 食べる (to eat) in hiragana.

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   たべる

   食べる is read たべる and means “to eat”. Remember the reading as part of the whole word.

2. Write the reading of 食事 (meal; eating) in hiragana.

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   しょくじ

   食事 is read しょくじ and means “meal; eating”. Remember the reading as part of the whole word.

3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿べ物（たべもの）.

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   食

   食 completes 食べ物（たべもの）, meaning “food”.

4. Which word means “dining hall; cafeteria”? Write the whole word using kanji: 食堂 or 朝食.

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   食堂

   食堂 is read しょくどう and means “dining hall; cafeteria”. Remember the reading as part of the whole word. 朝食 instead means “breakfast”.

Use it today

Write 食 three times following the linked stroke diagram. Cover the table, read 食べる and 食事 aloud, and then check their readings and meanings.