食
食 means to eat, food, or a meal. It appears in many everyday words related to eating, dining, and food culture.
Reading
On’yomi: ショク (shoku), ジキ (jiki)
Kun’yomi: た-べる (ta-beru), く-う (ku-u)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 食 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | eat, food, meal |
| Stroke Count | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
食 focuses on the act of consuming food or on food itself as a substance or event. 食べる is the standard polite verb for eating. In compounds, ショク is common in formal and academic words such as 食事 and 食堂. The reading ジキ appears in a small number of set phrases. Learners should note that 食 can refer to both the action and the content.
Common Words
- 食べる（たべる / taberu） — to eat
- 食事（しょくじ / shokuji） — meal, dining
- 食べ物（たべもの / tabemono） — food
- 朝食（ちょうしょく / choushoku） — breakfast
- 食堂（しょくどう / shokudou） — cafeteria, dining hall
- 外食（がいしょく / gaishoku） — eating out, dining out
Example Sentences
-
毎朝、朝食を食べます。
まいあさ、ちょうしょくをたべます。 / Maiasa, choushoku o tabemasu.
I eat breakfast every morning.
-
学校の食堂で食事をしました。
がっこうのしょくどうでしょくじをしました。 / Gakkou no shokudou de shokuji o shimashita.
I had a meal at the school cafeteria.
-
今日は家族と外食します。
きょうはかぞくとがいしょくします。 / Kyou wa kazoku to gaishoku shimasu.
Today I will eat out with my family.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
The most important word is 食べる, meaning ‘to eat.’ 食事 means a meal as an event or activity, and 食堂 means a cafeteria or dining hall. A high-frequency compound is 外食, meaning eating out. Note that 食べ物 (food) is also very common and useful for beginners. The on’yomi ショク appears in many formal compounds.
Summary
食 is a core kanji for eating, meals, and food in everyday Japanese.