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Kotomora

牧

breed, care for, shepherd, feed, pasture

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · grade 4FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

  • ボク

Kun'yomi

  • まき

Nanori

  • ま
  • まい
  • もく

Meaning

牧 centers on tending and raising animals: breeding, feeding, shepherding, and caring for livestock on pasture.

Most common words using 牧

20 of 58
  • 牧場ぼくじょう
    N2

    farm (livestock); stock farm; ranch; station

  • 牧師ぼくし
    N1

    pastor; minister; clergyman; reverend

  • 牧ぼく

    regional governor in ancient China

  • 牧まき

    pasture; grazing land

  • 牧野ぼくや

    pasture land; ranch

  • 放牧ほうぼく

    pasturage; grazing

  • 牧草ぼくそう

    pasture; grass

  • 牧歌ぼっか

    shepherd's song

  • 遊牧民ゆうぼくみん

    nomad

  • 牧羊ぼくよう

    sheep farming

  • 牧畜ぼくちく
    N2

    stock-farming; livestock farming; cattle breeding

  • 遊牧ゆうぼく
    N1

    nomadism

  • 牧者ぼくしゃ

    herder; herdsman; shepherd

  • 牧舎ぼくしゃ

    barn; stable

  • 牧歌的ぼっかてき

    pastoral; idyllic

  • 遊牧民族ゆうぼくみんぞく
    N1

    nomadic tribe; nomadic people; nomadic race

  • OK牧場オッケーぼくじょう

    OK; sure; certainly; no problem

  • ゆかいな牧場ゆかいなぼくじょう

    Old MacDonald Had a Farm (children's song)

  • クマ牧場くまぼくじょう

    bear farm; bear ranch

  • 代理牧師だいりぼくし

    vicar

Explore all words using 牧 →

Study

Etymology

牧 combines 牜 (cow) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick), suggesting a hand herding cattle. This is a standard phono-semantic compound where 攵 may also hint at the sound.

Meaning mnemonic

A cow (牜) on the left and a hand with a stick (攵) on the right: picture a shepherd using a staff to guide cattle across a pasture.

Reading mnemonic

For ボク, imagine a shepherd herding cattle while wearing a pair of boxy boots: box -> ボク, and the boots help him walk the pasture.