牛
cow
Readings
On'yomi
- ギュウ
Kun'yomi
- うし
Nanori
- うじ
- ご
Meaning
牛 centers on the animal cow, including cattle in general.
Most common words using 牛
20 of 215- 牛うしN3
cattle (Bos taurus); cow; bull; ox; calf
- 牛乳ぎゅうにゅうN5
(cow's) milk
- 牛肉ぎゅうにくN5
beef
- 和牛わぎゅう
Wagyu (any of four breeds of Japanese cattle); Wagyu beef
- 牛蒡ごぼう
great burdock (Arctium lappa); gobo
- 牛耳るぎゅうじる
to control; to take the lead in; to have under one's thumb
- 蝸牛かたつむり
snail
- 水牛すいぎゅう
water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis); domestic Asian water buffalo
- 闘牛とうぎゅう
bullfighting; bullfight
- 海牛うみうし
sea slug (various orthogastropod species, esp. of order Nudibranchia); nudibranch
- 乳牛にゅうぎゅう
dairy cow; dairy cattle; milk cow; milch cow
- 牛革ぎゅうかわ
cowhide; oxhide
- 牛舎ぎゅうしゃ
cow shed; cattle barn
- 子牛こうしN2
calf
- 牛歩ぎゅうほ
snail's pace; slow progress
- 牛糞ぎゅうふん
cattle manure; cow dung; cowpat; bullshit
- 牛脂ぎゅうし
beef tallow
- 雌牛めうし
cow; heifer
- 狂牛病きょうぎゅうびょう
mad cow disease; bovine spongiform encephalopathy; BSE
- 牛蛙うしがえる
American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus)
Study
Etymology
牛 is a pictograph of a cow's head with horns, simplified to the modern four-stroke form.
Meaning mnemonic
The two upward strokes are horns, and the horizontal and vertical strokes form the head and face: 牛 is a cow.
Reading mnemonic
For ギュウ, imagine a cow mooing with a deep 'gyuuu' sound: gyuu -> ギュウ.