With many Japanese foods achieving worldwide popularity, it is common to want to delve deeper into the cuisine and flavors that can be found in Japan. To help you on your culinary adventure, we’ve put together a list of the most common Japanese vocabulary for meat.

How to Say Meat in Japanese

Whether dining at a restaurant in Japan, shopping at a Japanese supermarket, or trying out a new Japanese recipe, you are likely to come across a variety of meat-related ingredients. Below is the most common vocabulary for different types of meat along with their pronunciations.

General Meat Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Japanese	Pronunciation
Meat	肉	niku
Beef	牛肉	gyuniku
Chicken	鶏肉	toriniku
Pork	豚肉	butaniku
Veal	子牛	koushi
Duck	アヒル	ahiru
Lamb	子羊	kohitsuji
Foie gras	フォアグラ	foagura
Rabbit	ウサギ	usagi
Turkey	七面鳥	shichimencho
Venison	鹿	shika
Squab	ひな鳥	hinadori

 

Beef Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Japanese	Pronunciation
Top round, cap off steak	うちもも（内もも/内腿)	uchimomo
Beef clod / shoulder clod	うで（腕）	ude
Flat iron steak	肩肉	kata niku
Brisket	肩バラ	kata bara
Chuck roll	肩ロース	kata rosu
Chuck flap	ザブトン	zabuton
Chuck rib	三角バラ	sankaku bara
Tongue	牛タン	gyutan
Sirloin	サーロイン	saroin
Short loin	ショートローイン	shoto roin
Boneless short rib	上カルビ	jo karubi
Shank	すね肉	sune niku
Bottom round	外もも肉	sotomomo niku
Chuck tail flap	タチバラ	tachibara
Tail	テール	teru
Chuck tender	トウガラシ	tougarashi
Short plate	トモバラ	tomobara
Tenderloin	ヒレ	hire
Flank steak	フランク	furanku
Cheek	ほほ肉	hohoniku
Bonep-in strip loin	骨付きサーロイン	honetsuki saroin
Bone-in ribeye	骨付きリブアイ	honetsuki ribuai
Round	もも肉	momoniku
Top blade	ミスジ	misuji
Spencer roll	リブロース	riburosu
Lip-on ribeye roll	リブロースカブリなし	riburosu kaburi nashi
Lifter meat	リブロースカブリ	riburosu kaburi
Rib finger meat	肋間筋	rokkankin

 

Chicken Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Japanese	Pronunciation
Breast	鶏肉	mune niku
Breast tender / tender	ささみ	sasami
Drumstick	骨付きすね肉	honetsuki sune niku
Gizzard	砂肝	sunagimo
Thigh	もも肉	koushi
Wing	手羽先	tebasaki

 

Pork Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Japanese	Pronunciation
Pork belly	バラ肉	bara niku
Back rib	バックリブ	bakku ribu
Bone-in loin	骨付きロース	honetsuki rosu
Ham	もも肉	momo niku
Loin	ロース	rosu
Jowls	豚トロ	tontoro
Picnic shoulder	ピクニック・ウデ	pikunikku ude
Spare rib	スペアリブ	supea ribu
Tenderloin	ヒレ	hire

Supermarket Meat Labels

While many of the words above are used on meat labels to explain the cut of meat, there are some additional words you may come across.

Free Range Chicken

When shopping for chicken, you may want to look for free range, or jidori (地鶏) chicken as opposed to broiler chicken (which isn’t labeled). These are the two main options at most supermarkets.

Domestically Produced Meat

If you are concerned about the origin of your meat, you might also want to check if it is domestic or imported. Domestically produced meat will be labeled 国産 (kokusan) while imported meat will be labeled 輸入 (yunyu). If the meat is imported, the country of origin will also be listed. The most common countries that Japan imports meat from are:

・Australia (オーストラリア)

・United States (アメリカ)

・Canada (カナダ)

・Brazil (ブラジル)

Ground Meat

Ground meat can be readily found in Japanese supermarkets and is used for a wide range of dishes. This can include anything from Japanese hamburg steak, to gyoza and curry. The various types of ground meat are labeled as follows.

Vocabulary	Japanese	Pronunciation
Ground beef	牛ひき肉	gyu hiki niku
Ground pork	豚ひき肉	buta hiki niku
Mixed ground beef and pork	合いびき肉	aibiki niku
Ground chicken	鶏ひき肉	tori hiki niku

 

Horumon

Another common, yet often overlooked part of food culture in Japan, is horumon, which refers to organ meat and other offal meats. It sometimes goes by the name “motsu” as well.

Historically, horumon was eaten at times when meat was scarce and it was considered wasteful to throw away parts of the animal. However, it has developed into a standalone cuisine and is often celebrated in Japanese culture as being rich in nutrients and good for energy and stamina.

One of the most common types of horumon is liver (レバー or “leba”), which shouldn’t be too foreign to Western palates. However, esophagus, beef heart, diaphragm, and pancreas may be considered a little more adventurous.

Common Ways to Eat Horumon

One of the most common ways to eat horumon is by barbequing it, also known as yakiniku. Cooked over a small grill, horumon develops a unique and delicious flavor. The different types of horumon are often cheaper cuts of meat and so are a great way to experience yakiniku on a budget, or to mix in with more expensive cuts of meat. Yakiniku often comes with dipping sauces and vegetables to grill in accompaniment with the meat to make it a well-rounded and varied meal.

Another common way to eat horumon, along with other meats is through yakitori. Yakitori, or grilled skewers, is a popular style of food which can be enjoyed as a street food, in restaurants, or at festivals. Yakitori usually centers around chicken meat, but often includes chicken offal as options. It can be grilled with a simple salt seasoning or marinated with various sauces, and is a great way to experience horumon in a comfortable setting with a familiar style of food.

For something a bit different, there is also motsunabe. Motsunabe differs from yakiniku and yakitori in that it isn’t grilled meat, rather, it is more similar to a stew or hotpot. This dish comes from Fukuoka prefecture and consists of stewed meat, tofu, and sometimes vegetables in miso- or soy-based soup. It’s considered a very healthy dish as it is generally low in calories and high in protein, with the nutrient-rich horumon included. However, it isn’t just a “diet food,” as it is also hearty and great in winter.

Explore More about Japanese Food and Etiquette

Japan is home to a wide variety of top-quality cuisine and many of the most popular dishes include meat as a key ingredient. When exploring Japanese food, knowing the role of meat, as well as the different cuts and types used, can be very useful in further understanding Japan’s culinary culture. The vocabulary and tips above should help you on your journey to not only order different meat-based dishes, but also buy it at your local Japanese supermarket.

For more information about food in Japan, check out our comprehensive guides that cover everything from traditional ingredients like rice, and natto, to dietary restrictions (gluten free, food additives, and food allergies), nutrition labels, the best BBQ spots in Tokyo, and more!

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