食物

Chinese

Pronunciation

Noun

食物

1. food

Usage notes

There is no exact equivalent for English food in Chinese. The most generic term for food is 食物 (shíwù). Use 食品 (shípǐn) for food products, 菜餚／菜肴 (càiyáo) for dishes of food, 美食 (měishí) when the taste of the food is emphasised and 吃的 (chīde) in colloquial contexts. For food as in cuisine, consider 菜 (cài) or 料理 (liàolǐ).

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

• 食料 (shíliào)
• 食品 (shípǐn)

Japanese

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 食物 (zyik mjut, literally “eat + thing”). Possible alteration from strict goon reading jikimotsu, changing goon jiki for kan'on shoku.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しょく​もつ (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(しょく)物(もつ) • (shokumotsu) 

1. food, foodstuff
2. (more broadly) food and drink

Synonyms

• 食品(しょくひん) (shokuhin)
• 食(た)べ物(もの) (tabemono)

Derived terms

• 食物繊維(しょくもつせんい) (shokumotsu sen'i): dietary fiber
• 食物連鎖(しょくもつれんさ) (shokumotsu rensa): a food chain

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 食物 (zyik mjut, literally “eat + thing”). Possible original reading.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じき​もつ (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(じき)物(もつ) • (jikimotsu) 

1. (rare) food, foodstuff

Usage notes

The shokumotsu reading is more common.

Etymology 3

From Chinese 食物 (shíwù). Possible reborrowing, or change influenced by later contact with China after borrowing of earlier goon reading jikimotsu.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しょく​ぶつ (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(しょく)物(ぶつ) • (shokubutsu) 

1. (rare) food, foodstuff

Usage notes

The shokumotsu reading is more common. The shokubutsu reading is generally avoided, due to the potential for confusion with the more-common term 植物 (shokubutsu, “plant, plant life”).

Etymology 4

Compound of 食べ (tabe, “stem noun form of verb 食べる (taberu, “to eat”): eating”) +‎ 物 (mono, “thing”).

For disambiguation, this is more commonly written with the okurigana べ in the middle as 食べ物.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) たべも​の (Nakadaka – )
• (Tokyo) たべ​もの (Nakadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(たべ)物(もの) • (tabemono) 

1. 食べ物: food in general; a specific food; one's diet

   See 食べ物 for more detail.

Etymology 5

Compound of 食い (kui, “stem noun form of informal verb 食う (kuu, “to eat”): eating”) +‎ 物 (mono, “thing”).

For disambiguation, this is more commonly written with the okurigana い in the middle as 食い物.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) くいも​の (Nakadaka – )
• (Tokyo) くいもの​ (Odaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(くい)物(もの) • (kuimono) ^{←くひもの (kufimono)?}

1. 食い物: food; a sexual partner; a patsy, someone tricked into being used for someone else's gain

   See 食い物 for more detail.

Verb

食(くい)物(もの)する • (kuimono suru) ^{←くひもの (kufimono)?}suru (stem 食(くい)物(もの)し (kuimono shi), past 食(くい)物(もの)した (kuimono shita))

1. 食い物: to cook, to prepare food

   See 食い物 for more detail.

Etymology 6

Compound of 食らい (kurai, “stem noun form of informal verb 食らう (kurau, “to eat, to drink”): eating, drinking”) +‎ 物 (mono, “thing”).

For disambiguation, this is more commonly written with the okurigana らい in the middle as 食らい物.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(くらい)物(もの) • (kuraimono) ^{←くらひもの (kurafimono)?}

1. (rare, possibly obsolete) 食らい物: food and beverage

Etymology 7

Compound of 食み (hami, “stem noun form of verb 食む (hamu, “to chew; to eat; to suck down; to incur a loss”): eating”) +‎ 物 (mono, “thing”).

For disambiguation, this is written with the okurigana み in the middle as 食み物.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(はみ)物(もの) • (hamimono) 

1. (rare, possibly obsolete) 食み物: food; more specifically, fodder or feed for animals

Synonyms

• (fodder, animal food): 餌(えさ) (esa)

Etymology 8

Compound of 食し (oshi, “stem noun form of honorific verb 食す (osu, “to eat, to drink”, honorific): eating, drinking”) +‎ 物 (mono, “thing”).

For disambiguation, this is written with the okurigana し in the middle as 食し物.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

食(おし)物(もの) • (oshimono) ^{←をしもの (wosimono)?}

1. (rare, possibly obsolete, formal honorific) 食し物: (rare) food and beverage

References