食う

くう

Also written 喰う, 啖う

Meanings

1. Godan verb, Transitive to eat
2. to live; to make a living; to survive
3. to bite; to sting (as insects do)
4. to tease; to torment; to taunt; to make light of; to make fun of
5. to encroach on; to eat into; to consume
6. to defeat a superior; to threaten a position
7. to consume time; to consume resources
8. to receive something (usu. an unfavourable event)
9. to have sexual relations with a woman, esp. for the first time

Kanji

• 食 eat. Read as くう.

Example sentences

• 帰り道で道草を食うんじゃないよ。
  Don't fool around on your way home.
• 河豚は食いたし命は惜しし。
  Every rose has its thorns.
• 何がそんなに気にくわないのですか。
  What makes you so dissatisfied?
• 嘘ばっかりついてるから、皆に総すかんを食うんだ。自業自得だよ。
  You're always lying- that's why people don't take you seriously. You get what you deserve.
• ロールプレイングのテレビゲームは時間を食う。
  Role-playing video games are time consuming.

Common phrases

• 飯を食う (めしをくう) to have a meal
• 気に食わない (きにくわない) unable to stomach
• 食い尽くす (くいつくす) to eat up
• 食ってかかる (くってかかる) to lash out at
• 一緒に食う
• 肉を食う
• 一人で食う
• 前に食う
• 朝から食う

Words containing 食う

• 食い込む (くいこむ) to bite into (e.g. rope into skin)
• 食いつく (くいつく) to bite at
• 食い物 (くいもの) food

And 81 more.

Word lists

• JLPT N3
• Core 500
• Core 1000
• Core 2000
• Core 5000
• Spoken
• Written
• Examples

Jinuma: Japanese Dictionary · Word lists