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46. Meat & Fish

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Vocabulary

肉 (にく) niku

meat

Noun

A word for a person, place, thing, or idea.

肉が好きです。
Niku ga suki desu. — I like meat.
この肉はおいしいです。
Kono niku wa oishii desu. — This meat is delicious.
肉を食べますか。
Niku o tabemasu ka. — Do you eat meat?
牛肉 (ぎゅうにく) gyuuniku

beef

Noun

A word for a person, place, thing, or idea.

牛肉が一番好きです。
Gyuuniku ga ichiban suki desu. — I like beef the best.
この牛肉は高いです。
Kono gyuuniku wa takai desu. — This beef is expensive.
牛肉を買いました。
Gyuuniku o kaimashita. — I bought beef.
豚肉 (ぶたにく) butaniku

pork

Noun

A word for a person, place, thing, or idea.

豚肉は安いです。
Butaniku wa yasui desu. — Pork is cheap.
豚肉を使いますか。
Butaniku o tsukaimasu ka. — Do you use pork?
この豚肉はおいしいです。
Kono butaniku wa oishii desu. — This pork is delicious.

Cultural Notes

Why Japanese meat names include 肉

Japanese builds meat words by putting the animal name before 肉 (meat): 牛 (cow) + 肉 = 牛肉 (beef), 豚 (pig) + 肉 = 豚肉 (pork), 鶏 (chicken) + 肉 = 鶏肉 (chicken meat). Once you know the pattern, you can guess new meat words right away.

上手 and 下手 - be careful who you say it about

Calling yourself 上手 sounds like bragging, so Japanese speakers usually avoid it. Instead, people downplay their skills and say something like "I am so-so." On the other hand, calling someone else 下手 can feel rude - it is safer to say they are "not very good" instead.

Fish and eggs in everyday Japanese meals

Fish and eggs are staples of Japanese home cooking. A typical breakfast might include たまご as a raw egg mixed into hot rice or as a side dish. 魚, especially grilled salmon, is a classic breakfast and bento item.