肉: the kanji for meat and flesh
肉 is a JLPT N4 kanji that means meat, flesh. Below are its readings, 10 common words and example sentences, all with audio.
Stroke order
肉 is written in 6 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.
Words by reading
肉 has 1 reading in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 10 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).
ニク (niku)
On reading.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 肉にく · niku | meat |
| 牛肉ぎゅうにく · gyūniku | beef |
| 豚肉ぶたにく · butaniku | pork |
| 鶏肉とりにく · toriniku | chicken |
| 焼き肉やきにく · yakiniku | grilled meat |
| 筋肉きんにく · kinniku | muscle |
| 肉体にくたい · nikutai | body; physical |
| 皮肉ひにく · hiniku | irony; sarcasm |
| ひき肉ひきにく · hikiniku | ground meat |
| 肉料理にくりょうり · niku ryōri | meat dish |
Example sentences for work and daily life
- 歓迎会は焼き肉の店です。Kangeikai wa yakiniku no mise desu.The welcome party is at a yakiniku restaurant.
- 豚肉は食べられません。Butaniku wa taberaremasen.I can't eat pork.
- このカレーには牛肉が入っていますか。Kono karē ni wa gyūniku ga haitte imasu ka.Is there beef in this curry?
- 肉と魚、どちらにしますか。Niku to sakana, dochira ni shimasu ka.Meat or fish, which would you like?
- ジムで筋肉を鍛えています。Jimu de kinniku o kitaete imasu.I'm building muscle at the gym.
- スーパーで鶏肉とひき肉を買いました。Sūpā de toriniku to hikiniku o kaimashita.I bought chicken and ground meat at the supermarket.
Questions about 肉
How many strokes does 肉 have?
肉 is written in 6 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.
What are the readings of 肉?
The on readings are niku (ニク). 肉 has no kun reading in the Jōyō Kanji Table.
How do you say you don't eat certain foods in Japanese?
Use 〜は食べられません (... wa taberaremasen), "I can't eat ...." For example, 豚肉は食べられません (I can't eat pork). Many restaurants can tell you what is in a dish if you ask 何が入っていますか (nani ga haitte imasu ka).
What JLPT level is 肉?
N4. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.
About the JLPT level
The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N4 is designed to match the former Level 3.
More JLPT N4 kanji
Food, animals and nature
Executive Japanese by CCN is one-on-one online Japanese for managers and directors doing business in Japan.
Sources
- Jōyō Kanji Table (常用漢字表), Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan, 2010: readings and special readings of 肉
- JLPT Frequently Asked Questions, The Japan Foundation and Japan Educational Exchanges and Services: how current levels match the former levels
- Stroke order diagrams are based on KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. The diagrams on this page are shared under the same license.