ChiramiN4 kanji · 4 strokes
牛 means cow
牛
牛Real origin
It began as a cow's head with its horns.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meaning
- cow
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 4
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) うし ushi
うし (ushi) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) ギュウ gyuu
ギュウ (gyuu) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
牛肉 ぎゅうにく · gyuuniku
beef