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食う. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
食う, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
食う in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
食う you have here. The definition of the word
食う will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
食う, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
Etymology
/kupu/ → */kuwu/ → /kuu/
From Old Japanese.[1]
The medial /w/ vanishes because Japanese does not have a /wu/ phoneme. It surfaces though in various conjugations, such as the negative form kuwanai or the passive form kuwareru.
Possibly cognate with 口 (kuchi, “mouth”).
Pronunciation
- Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「食う」
| Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
|
| Stem forms
|
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形)
|
食う
|
くう
|
|
| Imperative (命令形)
|
食え
|
くえ
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| Key constructions
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| Passive
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食われる
|
くわれる
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| Causative
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食わせる
|
くわせる
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| Potential
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食える
|
くえる
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| Volitional
|
食おう
|
くおー
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| Negative
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食わない
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くわない
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| Negative perfective
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食わなかった
|
くわなかった
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| Formal
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食います
|
くいます
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| Perfective
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食った
|
くった
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| Conjunctive
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食って
|
くって
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| Hypothetical conditional
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食えば
|
くえば
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|
Verb
食う • (kuu) ←くふ (kufu)?transitive godan (stem 食い (kui), past 食った (kutta))
- to put something in one's mouth
- (colloquial) to eat, to devour
- 誰でも昼には飯を食う。
- Dare de mo hiru ni wa meshi o kuu.
- Everyone eats food at noon.
- to make a living, to live; to survive
- to tease, to taunt, to make light of, to make fun of; to torment
- to bite, to sting (of an insect, usually used in the passive)
- 昨晩は、蚊に食われた。
- Sakuban wa, ka ni kuwareta.
- I got bitten by a mosquito last night.
Conjugation
| Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
|
| Mizenkei ("imperfective")
|
食わ
|
くわ
|
kuwa
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| Ren’yōkei ("continuative")
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食い
|
くい
|
kui
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| Shūshikei ("terminal")
|
食う
|
くう
|
kuu
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| Rentaikei ("attributive")
|
食う
|
くう
|
kuu
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| Kateikei ("hypothetical")
|
食え
|
くえ
|
kue
|
| Meireikei ("imperative")
|
食え
|
くえ
|
kue
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| Key constructions
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| Passive
|
食われる
|
くわれる
|
kuwareru
|
| Causative
|
食わせる
食わす
|
くわせる
くわす
|
kuwaseru
kuwasu
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| Potential
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食える
|
くえる
|
kueru
|
| Volitional
|
食おう
|
くおう
|
kuō
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| Negative
|
食わない
|
くわない
|
kuwanai
|
| Negative continuative
|
食わず
|
くわず
|
kuwazu
|
| Formal
|
食います
|
くいます
|
kuimasu
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| Perfective
|
食った
|
くった
|
kutta
|
| Conjunctive
|
食って
|
くって
|
kutte
|
| Hypothetical conditional
|
食えば
|
くえば
|
kueba
|
Synonyms
Derived terms
Derived terms
- 崩ゆ, 潰ゆ, 壊ゆ (kuyu): obsolete for 崩える, 潰える, 壊える
- 崩, 潰 (kue): erosion
- 崩える, 潰える, 壊える (kueru): to erode, to be eaten away, to fall apart, to break
- 桑 (kuwa): a mulberry
- 銜う, 啣える, 咥える (kuwau): obsolete for 銜える, 啣える, 咥える
- 加う (kuwau): obsolete for 加える
- 銜える, 啣える, 咥える (kuwaeru): to hold in one's mouth
- 加える (kuwaeru): to add something, to increase or develop something; to inflict
- 加わる (kuwawaru): to increase, to grow; to be added on to something else; to join in
- 蓼食う虫も好き好き (tade kuu mushi mo sukizuki): there's no accounting for taste
References
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN