1.
pig
A domesticated farm animal raised for meat. Counter: 匹 or 頭.
豚がいる。
There is a pig.
農場で豚を飼っている。
They raise pigs on the farm.
豚は頭がいい動物だと言われている。
Pigs are said to be intelligent animals.
この農家では豚を百頭も飼っているそうだ。
I hear this farm raises as many as a hundred pigs.
子どもたちは動物園で小さい豚を見て「かわいい」と喜んでいた。
The children were delighted, saying 'How cute!' when they saw the small pigs at the zoo.
2.
pork
The meat of a pig used as food. Often written as 豚肉 for clarity.
豚を買った。
I bought pork.
今夜は豚の生姜焼きを作る。
I'll make ginger-fried pork tonight.
この店の豚カツは有名です。
This restaurant's pork cutlet is famous.
豚は牛より安いので、毎日の料理によく使われる。
Pork is cheaper than beef, so it is often used in everyday cooking.
スーパーで豚の薄切りを買って、野菜と一緒に炒めたら美味しかった。
I bought thinly sliced pork at the supermarket and stir-fried it with vegetables, and it was delicious.
豚 refers to both the animal (pig) and its meat (pork). For the meat specifically, 豚肉 is the unambiguous term.
COMMON FOOD TERMS:
- 豚肉: pork
- 豚カツ / とんかつ: pork cutlet
- 豚の生姜焼き: ginger-fried pork
- 豚こつ: pork bone (as in 豚こつラーメン)
- 豚バラ: pork belly
READING NOTE:
The on'yomi reading とん appears in some compounds: とんかつ, 豚こつ, 養豚 (pig farming).
PROVERB:
豚に真珠: 'pearls before swine' — giving something valuable to someone who can't appreciate it.
NOTE:
The zodiac animal 'boar/pig' (亥) uses a different character. In Chinese astrology it's a pig, while the Japanese zodiac traditionally emphasizes the wild boar (猪).
Related Words
Related:
羊 (sheep)