肉
meat
Readings
On'yomi
- ニク
Kun'yomi
- しし
Meaning
肉 centers on the physical substance of animals: meat, flesh, or muscle. It is the tangible, edible part of a body.
Most common words using 肉
23 of 355- 肉にくN5
flesh
- 筋肉きんにくN3
muscle
- 肉体にくたいN1
the body; the flesh; the outer man; one's physique
- 焼肉やきにくN1
yakiniku; Japanese dish of grilled meat similar to Korean barbecue
- 皮肉ひにくN2
irony; sarcasm; cynicism; satire
- 肉食にくしょくN1
meat eating; eating of meat; meat diet
- 牛肉ぎゅうにくN5
beef
- 豚肉ぶたにくN5
pork
- 鶏肉とりにくN5
chicken meat
- 肉屋にくや
butcher's shop; butcher; meat shop
- 食肉しょくにく
meat (for consumption)
- 肉眼にくがんN1
naked eye
- ひき肉ひきにくN1
minced meat; ground meat
- 肉親にくしんN1
blood relationship; blood relative
- 魚肉ぎょにく
fish meat
- 苦肉の策くにくのさく
last resort; desperate measure taken under the pressure of necessity
- 肉声にくせい
natural voice (without a microphone)
- 肉薄にくはく
closing in on (the enemy, first place, etc.); coming close to; pressing hard
- 肉筆にくひつ
one's own handwriting; autograph
- 肉体的にくたいてき
bodily; physical; corporeal
- 太り肉ふとりじし
corpulent; fat; chubby
- 鯨肉げいにく
whale meat
- 羊肉ようにく
mutton; lamb (meat)
Study
Etymology
肉 is a pictograph of a piece of meat or flesh, with the modern form showing a stylized cut of meat with internal texture lines.
Meaning mnemonic
The outer shape is like a container, and the inner strokes look like strips or fibers of meat. Picture a cut of meat with visible grain.
Reading mnemonic
For ニク, imagine a piece of meat being cooked until it's nice and tender: nice -> ニク, and the meat is ready to eat.