Meet 米 in the kitchen and in compounds. Learn each reading with the complete word.
The idea
米 has six strokes; follow the linked diagram. 米（こめ） means uncooked rice, 玄米（げんまい） brown rice, and 米粉（こめこ） rice flour. In 米国（べいこく）, 米 represents America and is read べい.
| Word | Reading |
|---|---|
| 米 | こめ |
| 玄米 | げんまい |
| 米粉 | こめこ |
| 米国 | べいこく |
Examples
- 米を三合洗います。I wash three gō of rice.
- 新しい米を買いました。I bought some new rice.
- 玄米を水に浸けます。I soak brown rice in water.
- 米粉でパンを作ります。I make bread with rice flour.
- 日本は米を輸入しています。Japan imports rice.
- 米国から友達が来ました。A friend came from the United States.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
米 usually refers to uncooked rice; cooked rice is commonly ご飯（ごはん）. Do not assume that 米 has the same reading in every compound. Compare its shape with 来.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 米 in hiragana.
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こめ
米 is こめ: the first sentence washes uncooked rice.
Write the reading of 玄米 in hiragana.
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げんまい
玄米 is げんまい; 米 is read まい in this compound.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿粉（こめこ）［米／来］.
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米
米 completes 米粉（こめこ）, rice flour; 来 is a different character.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 米 in hiragana.
Write the reading of 玄米 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿粉（こめこ）［米／来］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 米 using the stroke-order diagram. Cover the examples, read 玄米 and 米粉, and make a sentence about rice.