Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Words Kanji Guides About

食 (しょく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

食しょく

also: じき · し

しょ

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

noun

food; foodstuff

General term for food or something to eat. Often used in compounds like 食品 (food products) or 食料 (food supplies).

食しょくは人にん間げんの基き本ほん的てきな欲よっ求きゅうの一ひとつだ。
Food is one of the basic human needs.

2

noun

Written forms

食Usage99%
- しょく
  Standard kanji form; the reading しょく is the most common modern reading.
- じき
  out-dated reading

Only with reading しょく

Refers to the act of eating or one's appetite. Common in expressions like 食が進む (appetite increases) or 食が細い (have a small appetite).

最さい近きん、食しょくが細ほそくなった。
Recently, my appetite has decreased.

3

noun, counter

Only with reading しょく

Used as a counter for meals or portions of food. Often in set phrases like 一食 (one meal) or 三食 (three meals).

一いち日にちに三さん食しょく食たべる。
I eat three meals a day.

Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.

し

out-dated reading

Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.

しょくUsage1%

し

out-dated reading

じき

out-dated reading

Kanji

食eat, food

Similar words

食しょく事じ
食事 is the common word for a meal or dining, while 食 is more abstract and often used in compounds or as a counter.
食たべ物もの
食べ物 is the everyday word for food, whereas 食 is more formal or technical, often appearing in written language or compounds.

Etymology

The kanji 食 depicts a mouth (口) and a food container, representing eating or food. The reading しょく is the on'yomi, while じき and し are older, now obsolete readings.