タバコ

also: たばこ

タ

バ

コ

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

usually written using kana alone

Refers to tobacco products in general, including cigarettes and cigars. Often used for a single cigarette.

from Portuguese tabaco

タバコを吸すいますか？

Do you smoke?

コンビニでタバコを買かった。

I bought cigarettes at the convenience store.

2

tobacco plant

usually written using kana alone

Specifically the plant Nicotiana tabacum. Less common in everyday conversation.

タバコを吸すうto smoke a cigarette
彼かれは毎まい日にちタバコを吸すう。
He smokes a cigarette every day.
タバコをやめるto quit smoking
健けん康こうのためにタバコをやめた。
I quit smoking for my health.
タバコに火ひをつけるto light a cigarette
彼かれはライターでタバコに火ひをつけた。
He lit his cigarette with a lighter.
タバコを吸すってもいいですかasking permission to smoke
ここでタバコを吸すってもいいですか。
Is it okay to smoke here?

三遍回さんべんまわって煙草たばこにしょmeasure twice and cut once; don't slack off until the job's done properly

シガレット sense 1
シガレット is a Western-style loanword for a cigarette, used mainly in formal or brand contexts, while タバコ is the everyday word for tobacco or a cigarette in general.
葉は巻まき
タバコ is the general word for tobacco or cigarettes, while 葉巻 refers specifically to a cigar made of rolled tobacco leaves.

煙けむりN3sense 1
タバコ (tobacco/cigarette) shares the kanji 煙 with 煙 (けむり, smoke), but they are read differently and mean different things—one is the product, the other the smoke it produces.
ニコチン
タバコ is the tobacco product or cigarette itself, while ニコチン is specifically the addictive chemical it contains, so learners often use the two interchangeably by mistake.
吸すい殻がらN1
タバコ refers to a cigarette itself (unsmoked or being smoked), while 吸い殻 is specifically the leftover butt after it has been smoked.

本ほんN5
Used for cigarettes or cigars, which are long thin objects, e.g. タバコ一本 (one cigarette).
箱はこN5
Used for cigarettes packaged in boxes/packs, e.g. a pack of cigarettes.

タバコUsage42%
Most common spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
煙草たばこUsage32%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Kanji spelling; less common than kana but still encountered.
たばこUsage26%
gikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun
Hiragana spelling, also common.
莨

Borrowed from Portuguese 'tabaco'.

たばこ

Usage<1%

rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

Rarely used kanji form.

烟草たばこUsage<1%

rarely-used kanji formgikun (meaning-based reading) or jukujikun

Rarely used kanji form.