牛
Meaning in Englishcow, ox, cattle
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Related sentences
There are no published items in this section yet.
Word context
What it means
What does 牛 (ushi) mean? It is a basic Japanese kanji and noun referring to the bovine animal class—used to denote cows, oxen, or cattle in general as a common word in speech and writing.
Main meanings
- As an element in compounds it often indicates beef or cattle-related products (appears in words for meat and dairy).
- Represents one of the twelve zodiac animals in calendars and cultural contexts.
- Can form words distinguishing sex or role within cattle, such as terms for bull or dairy cow.
- Appears in idioms and set phrases where it conveys qualities associated with bovines (stubbornness, steadiness, slow pace) rather than the animal itself.
How to use it
Used across everyday, written, and technical contexts: spoken as the noun for the animal in casual speech, embedded in compound words on menus and product labels, found in place names and family names, and used in calendars and cultural references for the zodiac; tone and politeness follow normal noun usage, with the kanji common in formal writing and the kana ushi appearing in children’s materials or furigana.
Variants and close terms
- 雄牛 (おうし, oushi) — bull (male animal).
- 牝牛 (めうし, meushi) — cow (female animal).
- 乳牛 (にゅうぎゅう, nyuugyuu) — dairy cow.
- 牛肉 (ぎゅうにく, gyuuniku) — beef (meat).
- 家畜 (かちく, kachiku) — livestock (broader category).
Composition
The character 牛 (ushi) is originally a pictograph: its strokes stylize an ox's head and horns; in modern kanji usage the shape also serves as a radical (and a left-side variant 牜) to signal meanings related to cattle in compound characters, rather than being built from multiple independent kanji components.
Origin
Bovines became important in Japan during the agricultural transitions from the Yayoi through Kofun periods as draft animals and symbols of wealth; their social and ritual roles shifted over centuries, and attitudes toward eating beef changed notably after the Meiji Restoration when meat consumption was legalized and popularized.
Word class
noun (名詞)