生
Meanings
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
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.
This egg can be eaten raw.
I don't like raw fish.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
unprocessed; unedited; as-is
Describes information, material, sound, reactions, and similar things in their unprocessed or unfiltered state, not necessarily food.
It is risky to publish the raw data as it is.
I want to hear users' unfiltered opinions.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
unprotected sex; bareback
Colloquial sexual slang for doing sex without a condom or other protection; often written in kana or katakana in casual contexts.
Don't do it unprotected; always use contraception.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
inexperienced; unpolished; crude
Used figuratively for work, ideas, skill, or a person that is still rough, immature, or not fully developed.
That project proposal is still too rough to bring to the meeting.
Abbreviation of 生ビール; very common in restaurants and bars when ordering draft beer.
See also: 生ビール
We'll start with two draft beers, please.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
Used for unused recording media, especially in compounds such as 生テープ; this can sound dated with older media like cassette tapes.
See also: 生テープ
In the old days, people bought blank tapes and recorded radio programs.
Prefix used before adjectives to mean partly, faintly, or not fully so; often lexicalized in compounds such as 生暖かい.
A lukewarm wind is blowing.
incomplete; half-hearted; half-baked
Prefix indicating that something is insufficient, perfunctory, or not properly finished; common in fixed compounds such as 生返事 and 生半可.
Don't just give half-hearted replies; listen properly.
Archaic noun sense meaning cash or ready money; not used in ordinary modern Japanese with this meaning.
In old writing, 生 can refer to cash.
tipsiness
Rare abbreviation of 生酔い; in modern Japanese the full form 生酔い or a word such as ほろ酔い is clearer.
See also: 生酔い
生 can be used as an abbreviation of 生酔い to mean slight drunkenness.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉を生のまま〈動詞〉to do something (e.g. store, eat) with a food left raw/unaltered
This vegetable can be frozen while still raw.
- 生の〈物〉raw, unedited, or unprocessed information/material (data, audio, etc.)
We decided to stream the raw, unedited audio as it was.
- 生で〈動詞〉to watch/listen to/experience something live rather than recorded
I watched my favorite band's concert live.
- 生を〈動詞〉to order/have a draft beer
Excuse me, could I have another draft beer?