馬ま草ぐさ

ま

ぐ

さ

Meanings

noun

fodder; hay; feed

Specifically feed for horses or cows; often dried grass or hay.

馬うまにまぐさをやる。
I give hay to the horse.
冬ふゆに備そなえてまぐさを蓄たくわえる。
We store up fodder for the winter.

Kanji

馬horse
草grass, weeds, herbs
秣fodder

Related words

飼し料りょう
飼料 is a broader term for animal feed in general, including processed feeds, while まぐさ typically refers to grass or hay for horses and cows.
干ほし草くさ
干し草 specifically means dried grass or hay, whereas まぐさ can include fresh grass or other fodder.

Written forms

馬草Usage9%
- まぐさ
  Standard kanji spelling; literally 'horse grass'.
- うまくさ
秣Usage73%
- まぐさ
  Rare single-character form; may not be widely recognized.
- うまくさ
まぐさUsage18%
Kana spelling is common when the kanji are not needed.
うまくさ

Etymology

Compound of 馬 (uma, 'horse') and 草 (kusa, 'grass'), with the reading まぐさ likely from a contraction of うまくさ. The single-character form 秣 is a kokuji or specialized kanji for horse feed.