食
eat · food
Details
Description
Eat - a person and something good. Food, the meal, and the culture built around both.
Stroke Order
Cultural Context
Etymology
Composed of '人' (person) and '良' (good). Person eating something good. Or covered dish.
Symbolism
Meal, survival, culture. Symbolizes Japanese food culture as 'food is life'.
Related Culture & Scenes
- — Enjoying a meal
Component Breakdown
top-bottom: 亼 + 良
Words & Expressions
Four-Character Compounds
弱肉強食
じゃくにくきょうしょく
the law of the jungle; the strong prey on the weak; the weak become the victim of the strong
暴飲暴食
ぼういんぼうしょく
excessive drinking and eating; overeating and overdrinking
無為徒食
むいとしょく
idling one's time away
鯨飲馬食
げいいんばしょく
drinking like a fish and eating like a horse; eating mountains of food and drinking oceans of liquor
牛飲馬食
ぎゅういんばしょく
heavy eating and drinking; gorging and swilling; drinking like a cow and eating like a horse
伴食大臣
ばんしょくだいじん
nominal (figurehead) minister; titular minister
無芸大食
むげいたいしょく
lacking the talent to do anything but eat
粗衣粗食
そいそしょく
simple life; frugal life
暖衣飽食
だんいほうしょく
well-fed and well-dressed
悪衣悪食
あくいあくしょく
shabby clothes and plain foods
医食同源
いしょくどうげん
a balanced diet leads to a healthy body; healthy food both prevents and cures sickness
骨肉相食
こつにくそうしょく
blood feud; domestic discord
肉食妻帯
にくじきさいたい
meat and matrimony (Buddhism); Buddhist priest eating meat dishes and being married
伴食宰相
ばんしょくさいしょう
incompetent cabinet minister; figurehead minister
飽食暖衣
ほうしょくだんい
being well fed and warmly clothed
箪食瓢飲
たんしひょういん
simple food and drink; being content with a frugal life; a bamboo dish of rice and a gourd of drink
箪食壺漿
たんしこしょう
receiving with food and drink (e.g. troops); baskets of rice and vessels of congee
錦衣玉食
きんいぎょくしょく
beautiful clothes and fine food; life of luxury
Proverbs & Idioms
腹八分目に医者いらず
はらはちぶんめにいしゃいらず
Eat until you are 80% full and you won't need a doctor
Moderation in eating keeps you healthy
Poetry
道のべの木槿は馬に食はれけり
The rose of Sharon by the road has been eaten by my horse.
Anime & Manga
食戟のソーマ
Food Wars!
'Food battle' in the title; a story of growth through cooking battles.
『食戟のソーマ 餐ノ皿』 遠月列車篇
Food Wars! The Third Plate: Totsuki Train Arc
A well-known work with 食 in its Japanese title.
暴食のベルセルク
Berserk of Gluttony
A well-known work with 食 in its Japanese title.
異世界食堂
Restaurant to Another World
A well-known work with 食 in its Japanese title.
死亡遊戯で飯を食う。
SHIBOYUGI: Playing Death Games to Put Food on the Table
A well-known work with 食 in its Japanese title.
Other kanji with the same meaning
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 食 mean in Japanese?
食 means eat, food. Eat - a person and something good. Food, the meal, and the culture built around both.
How do you read 食?
On'yomi: ショク、ジキ (SHOKU, JIKI). Kun'yomi: く.う、く.らう、た.べる、は.む (kuu, kurau, taberu, hamu).
How many strokes does 食 have?
食 has 9 strokes. Its radical is 食 (eat).
Is 食 a good kanji for a tattoo?
食 is one of the kanji most often chosen for tattoos. It means eat, food. Read the full meaning and cultural background on this page first — some popular choices are deliberately dark.