Japanese word

餌

Pronunciation

Romajiesa

Meaning

  • nounfood

Example

これは犬の餌です。ko re wa inu no esa de su

This is the dog's food.

Illustration for 餌 (food)

More examples

池の鯉に餌をあげます。ike no koi ni esa o a ge ma su

I give food to the carp in the pond.

毎朝、魚に餌をあげます。mai asa sakana ni esa o a ge ma su

I feed the fish every morning.

Core concept

Centers on something provided for an animal to eat, especially as regular feed or pet food.

Common phrases

  • 餌をやるesa o ya ru

    feed an animal

  • 餌を食べるesa o ta be ru

    eat food

Similar words

飼料shiryō: Food prepared or supplied for animals, often in a planned or commercial way.

Definition in Japanese

動物に食べさせるための食べ物。dō butsu ni ta be sa se ru ta me no ta be mono

Word origin

餌 (esa, "food for animals") is a native Japanese noun written with the kanji 餌, whose character meaning is "food used to feed animals or bait"; its older word origin is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 餌 (esa) is used for animals, while 食べ物 (tabemono) or 食事 (shokuji) is used for people's food.

Other meanings

  • feednoun
  • pet foodnoun

Word lists with this word