noun
eating different foods at the same table
Describes a family meal where each person eats a different dish, often due to individual preferences or dietary needs. Contrasts with eating the same meal together.
最近、家族そろって食卓にいても、それぞれ違うものを食べる個食が増えている。
Lately, even when the whole family gathers at the table, individual eating—where everyone eats something different—is on the rise.
noun
eating alone
Refers to eating by oneself, especially when family members are present but eat separately, or when a person habitually eats without company. The kanji 孤食 strongly conveys loneliness.
孤食が続くと、食事の楽しみが減ってしまう。
If eating alone continues, the enjoyment of meals diminishes.
noun
single-serving food
Only when written 個食 / こ食
Refers to food items packaged or prepared for one person. Often used in contexts like convenience store meals or products designed for solo dining. Restricted to the kanji forms 個食 and こ食.
コンビニでは、一人暮らし向けの個食が充実している。
Convenience stores have a wide selection of single-serving foods for people living alone.
A modern compound of 個 (individual) or 孤 (alone) and 食 (eating). The term emerged in recent decades to describe changing family meal patterns in Japan.