生なま

な

ま

Meanings

noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun

raw; uncooked; fresh

Used especially for food and drink that has not been cooked, heated, dried, or otherwise treated; also appears in expressions such as 生で食べる.

Related words

新しん鮮せんN3sense 1

新鮮 describes food that is fresh and not spoiled, while 生 specifically describes food that has not been cooked or heated at all.

未み加か工こう sense 2

未加工 is a technical, explicit word for something unprocessed, while 生 is the everyday word used more broadly, as in 生のデータ or 生の声.

ライブN3sense 4

ライブ is a katakana loanword for a live broadcast or performance, while 生 is the native Japanese word used the same way, as in 生放送 or 生演奏.

生なま意い気きN3sense 6

生意気 is the full, standard word for impudent or cheeky, while 生 is only a rough colloquial abbreviation of it, as in なま言うな.

Don't confuse with

生せいN1

生 read せい means life or birth (as in 一生), while the same kanji read なま means raw, unprocessed, or live, so the reading and context determine which meaning is intended.

産うぶ

生 (うまれ) is a standalone noun meaning 'birth' or 'origin', whereas 産 (うぶ) is a bound prefix that only appears at the front of specific birth-related words like 産着.

半はん熟じゅく

生 means completely raw/uncooked, whereas 半熟 means partially cooked, like an egg with a runny yolk.

Written forms

生なまUsage95%

Standard kanji spelling for なま in these senses; context distinguishes it from other readings of 生.

なまUsage3%

Kana spelling is practical in informal writing, for clarity, or when the kanji reading might be ambiguous; many fixed compounds are still usually written with 生.

ナマUsage3%

生なま

Meanings

Usage patterns

Expressions