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ばい菌 (ばいきん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
germ ; bacteria ; bug
Everyday word for germs or bacteria, especially in contexts of hygiene, sickness, wounds, and dirtiness. Less scientific than 細菌.
て
を
洗あら
っ
て
ばい
菌きん
を
落お
とそう
。
Let's wash our hands and get rid of the germs.
2
noun
filthy or harmful thing ; vermin
Figurative and negative use for something, or sometimes someone, treated as dirty, harmful, or contemptible. Often appears in expressions such as ばい菌扱い and can sound insulting or bullying.
Written forms ばい 菌きん Usage 33%
Common mixed-kana spelling and the high-priority form.
バイキン Usage 33%
search-only kana form
Search-only katakana form; can appear in emphatic or child-facing contexts but is not the main dictionary spelling.
バイ 菌きん Usage 19%
search-only kanji form
Search-only mixed katakana form; may be useful for lookup but is not the standard spelling.
黴ばい 菌きん Usage 7%
Full-kanji spelling; understandable but less common and visually heavier than ばい菌.
ばいきん Usage 7%
Similar words 細さい 菌きん More scientific and neutral for bacteria; ばい菌 is more everyday and often connected with dirtiness or infection.
病びょう 原げん 菌きん Specifically a disease-causing microorganism; ばい菌 is broader and more colloquial.
雑ざっ 菌きん Often refers to miscellaneous unwanted bacteria or contaminants; ばい菌 is the simpler everyday word, common with children and hygiene talk.
Etymology The full kanji spelling 黴菌 combines 黴, associated with mold, and 菌, associated with fungi, bacteria, or germs. The common written form ばい菌 replaces the difficult first kanji with kana.
