食 — Food
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Start 7-Day Free Trial →Visual Radical Families for 食 (Food)
These kanjis share the same recurring visual building block in Shibashi's Japanese kanji mnemonics. Tap any small tile to compare its story:
Visually Similar Lookalike Kanji
Learners often mix up 食 (Food) with these lookalike characters. Tap a tile to see how their visual mnemonics differ:
Common Japanese Words with 食 (Food)
Tap any word below to hear native Japanese pronunciation and see how the constituent kanjis combine:
A thing (物) that is meant for food (食) (eating) is simply food.
A hall (堂) dedicated to serving food (食) is a dining hall.
The verb form of food (食) is naturally, to eat.
A product (品) that is made of food (食) is a foodstuff.
A thing (物) that is food (食) is exactly that: food.
A rougher/more informal way to turn food (食) into the verb to eat.
Frequently Asked Questions About 食 (Food)
What is the best kanji mnemonic for 食 (Food)?
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The Shibashi Japanese kanji mnemonic for 食 ("Food", read as しょく) is: The cool (く) daikon in a tank-top (た) is shocked (しょく) that he may soon become food... Using visual kanji mnemonics that combine the character's radicals, meaning, and reading into a single illustrated scene makes 食 effortless to recall.
What does the kanji 食 mean and how is it read in Japanese?
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The Japanese kanji 食 means "Food". Its primary reading is しょく (On'yomi: しょく; Kun'yomi: た, く). Our Japanese kanji mnemonics tie the reading directly into the visual story so you remember both the meaning and pronunciation together.
What are common Japanese words and compounds with 食?
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Essential Japanese vocabulary words containing 食 include: 食べ物 (たべもの - food), 食堂 (しょくどう - dining hall), 食べる (たべる - to eat), 食品 (しょくひん - commodity, foodstuff).
How do Japanese kanji mnemonics help you remember 食 (Food) faster?
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Traditional rote stroke repetition fades quickly. Shibashi's Japanese kanji mnemonics turn 食 (Food) and its shared visual radical family into memorable characters and objects, paired with smart Spaced Repetition (SRS) and native audio so the memory sticks permanently.