食う
くう · kuu (also spelled ku)
To eat
- to live, to make a living, to survive
- to bite, to sting (as insects do)
- to tease, to torment, to taunt, to make light of, to make fun of
Other ways to say “to eat” in Japanese →
high first, then falls · what is pitch accent?
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Conjugation
| Polite (ます形) | 食いますくいます |
| Polite negative (ません) | 食いませんくいません |
| Polite past (ました) | 食いましたくいました |
| Polite past negative (ませんでした) | 食いませんでしたくいませんでした |
| Let us ~ (ましょう) | 食いましょうくいましょう |
| Masu-stem (連用形) | 食いくい |
| Want to ~ (たい形) | 食いたいくいたい |
| While ~ing (ながら) | 食いながらくいながら |
| Te-form (て形) | 食ってくって |
| Plain past (た形) | 食ったくった |
| Tara-conditional (たら形) | 食ったらくったら |
| Progressive (ている形) | 食っているくっている |
| Plain negative (ない形) | 食わないくわない |
| Plain past negative (なかった形) | 食わなかったくわなかった |
| Negative te-form (なくて) | 食わなくてくわなくて |
| Potential (可能形) | 食えるくえる |
| Ba-conditional (条件形) | 食えばくえば |
| Imperative (命令形) | 食えくえ |
| Volitional (意向形) | 食おうくおう |
| Passive (受身形) | 食われるくわれる |
| Causative (使役形) | 食わせるくわせる |
| Causative-passive (使役受身形) | 食わされるくわされる |
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Words that share a kanji
Questions
What does 食う mean?
To eat. It can also mean: to live, to make a living, to survive; to bite, to sting (as insects do); to tease, to torment, to taunt, to make light of, to make fun of.
How do you pronounce 食う?
くう (kuu). Pitch accent: atamadaka — high first, then falls. Press Listen above to hear it.
What JLPT level is 食う?
JLPT N2 — upper intermediate. See the JLPT N2 guide.
How do I remember 食う?
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