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お腹 (おなか) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

お腹なか

お

な

か

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

noun

stomach; belly; abdomen

polite (teineigo)

Polite word for the stomach or belly area. Used in everyday conversation, especially when referring to one's own or someone else's stomach in a polite manner. Can refer to the digestive organ or the external abdominal area.

お腹なかがすいた。
I'm hungry.

お

腹なか

が

痛いた

い

です

。

My stomach hurts.

赤あかちゃんのお腹なかに触ふれる。

Touch the baby's belly.

Written forms

お腹なかUsage65%
Standard polite spelling for 'stomach' or 'belly'.
おなかUsage35%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially when avoiding kanji.
御腹おなかUsage<1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form using the honorific 御; not used in modern writing.
お中なか
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; お腹 is overwhelmingly preferred.

Kanji

腹abdomen, belly, stomach
御honorable, manipulate, govern
中in, inside, middle

Similar words

腹はら
More direct and sometimes rough; used in compounds and idiomatic expressions. お腹 is the polite everyday equivalent.
胃い
Refers specifically to the stomach organ, not the general belly area. お腹 can refer to the whole abdominal region.

Etymology

Polite prefix お (御) + 腹 (はら, 'belly'), with the reading はら changing to なか due to rendaku-like voicing and vowel shift. The exact historical derivation of なか is uncertain, but it is a common polite form.