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牛 (うし) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

牛うし

also: ぎゅう

う

し

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

cattle; cow; bull; ox

Only with reading うし

General word for cattle, regardless of sex or age unless context specifies; can refer to a cow, bull, ox, or calf in English depending on the situation.

牧ぼく場じょうで牛うしが草くさを食たべている。

Cows are eating grass on the ranch.

この農のう家かは牛うしを百ひゃく頭とう飼かっている。

This farmer keeps one hundred head of cattle.

2

food / cooking›

Only with reading ぎゅう

Food and cooking use; usually read ぎゅう, especially when contrasted with pork or chicken. 牛肉 is the more explicit full word for beef.

See also: 牛肉

肉にくは牛ぎゅうにしますか、豚ぶたにしますか。
Would you like beef or pork for the meat?
この店みせは牛ぎゅうのたたきが人にん気きだ。
Seared beef is popular at this restaurant.

3

Ox constellation; one of the 28 lunar mansions

Only with reading ぎゅう

Astronomical and traditional East Asian calendrical term; read ぎゅう and used as the name of one of the 二十八宿.

See also: 二十八宿 · 玄武 (げんぶ)

二に十じゅう八はっ宿しゅくの一ひとつに牛ぎゅうがある。
One of the twenty-eight lunar mansions is 牛, read gyū.

Usage patterns

牛うしを飼かうto raise/keep cattle
祖そ父ふの家いえでは牛うしを飼かっている。
My grandfather's family raises cattle.
牛ぎゅうにするto choose beef (over other meats, e.g. when ordering)
焼やき肉にく屋やで牛ぎゅうにした。
I went with beef at the yakiniku restaurant.
牛うしの乳ちちを搾しぼるto milk a cow
毎まい朝あさ牛うしの乳ちちを搾しぼる仕し事ごとをしている。
I have a job milking cows every morning.

Expressions· 13

牛うしの舌したcow's tongue · sole (fish)
牛うしの歩あゆみsnail's pace; very slow progress
商あきないは牛うしのよだれone should not rush to make a profit; business is best run when sales flow like a cow's drool
早はや牛うしも淀よど、遅おそ牛うしも淀よどthere is no point in hurrying; haste makes waste
牛うしを馬うまに乗のり換かえるswitch from something bad to something good; trade up

Show 3 more

角つのを矯ためて牛うしを殺ころすto throw the baby out with the bath water; to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel; to obsess over insignificant details and miss the larger point
遅おそ牛うしも淀よど、早はや牛うしも淀よどthere is no point in hurrying; slow and steady wins the race
牛うしは牛うし連づれ馬うまは馬

See all 13 in Explore →

Kanji

牛cow

Related words

牛ぎゅう肉にくN5sense 2
牛 read ぎゅう can mean beef in food contexts, but 牛肉 is the explicit, unambiguous word for beef.
雌め牛うし sense 1
牛 is the general word for cattle of any sex, while 雌牛 specifies a female cow.
子こ牛うしN2
牛 is the general word for cattle of any age, while 子牛 specifically means a young calf.
水すい牛ぎゅう
牛 is the general word for cattle/cow, while 水牛 specifically denotes the water buffalo species.
カウ
牛 is the standard Japanese word for a cow, while カウ is a rare English loanword used mainly in branding or stylistic contexts.

Don't confuse with

丑うし
牛 (うし) is the ordinary word for the animal cattle, while 丑 (うし) refers only to the Ox sign of the Chinese zodiac despite sharing the same reading.
牛ぎゅう肉にくN5
牛 refers to the live animal (cow/cattle), while 牛肉 refers specifically to its meat as food.

Counted with

頭とうN3
counter for large animals; head of livestock; counter for collected insects or certain headgear

Word family· 46

ウミウシ
sea slug; nudibranch
子こ牛うしN2
calf; young cow · small cow
雌め牛うし
cow; heifer
ウシガエル
American bullfrog

Written forms

牛Usage94%
- うし
  Standard high-priority spelling and reading for the animal.
- ぎゅう
  On-yomi reading used especially for beef as a food category and for the traditional constellation name; it is also common inside compounds.

Etymology

牛 is the standard kanji associated with cattle. うし is the native Japanese reading, while ぎゅう is the Sino-Japanese on-yomi used in compounds, food terms, and traditional names.

うま

連づ

れ

birds of a feather flock together; like attracts like

牛うし追おい

cattle droving; driving cattle · drover; cowboy; cowhand · running of the bulls; encierro

Show 11 more

種たね牛うし
breeding bull; stud bull
斑まだら牛うし
brindled ox; spotted cow
早はや牛うし
fast cow; fast ox
母はは牛うし
cow; mother cow
牛うし偏へん
kanji 'cow' radical at left (radical 93)
牛うし屋や
cowshed; cow barn · cow farmer; cattle farmer · beef restaurant; restaurant specializing in beef · beef store; butcher shop selling beef
牛うし柄がら
cow-spot pattern; cow-skin pattern
ウシツツキ
oxpecker
ウシアブ
Tabanus trigonus (a species of horsefly)
ウシバエ
ox warble fly
牛うし鬼おに
ushi-oni; ox-headed monster

See all 46 in Explore →

ウシ

Usage6%

kana-only spelling

Katakana spelling; useful in zoological, scientific, or species-label contexts.

ぎゅう