豚(ぶた)

ぶた

noun

pig, pork

1. pig

A domesticated farm animal raised for meat. Counter: 匹(ひき) or 頭(とう).

豚(ぶた)がいる。

There is a pig.

農場(のうじょう)で豚(ぶた)を飼(か)っている。

They raise pigs on the farm.

豚(ぶた)は頭(あたま)がいい動物(どうぶつ)だと言(い)われている。

Pigs are said to be intelligent animals.

この農家(のうか)では豚(ぶた)を百(ひゃく)頭(とう)も飼(か)っているそうだ。

I hear this farm raises as many as a hundred pigs.

子(こ)どもたちは動物園(どうぶつえん)で小(ちい)さい豚(ぶた)を見(み)て「かわいい」と喜(よろこ)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(ぶたにく) for clarity.

豚(ぶた)を買(か)った。

I bought pork.

今夜(こんや)は豚(ぶた)の生姜焼(しょうがや)きを作(つく)る。

I'll make ginger-fried pork tonight.

この店(みせ)の豚(ぶた)カツは有名(ゆうめい)です。

This restaurant's pork cutlet is famous.

豚(ぶた)は牛(ぎゅう)より安(やす)いので、毎日(まいにち)の料理(りょうり)によく使(つか)われる。

Pork is cheaper than beef, so it is often used in everyday cooking.

スーパーで豚(ぶた)の薄切(うすぎ)りを買(か)って、野菜(やさい)と一緒(いっしょ)に炒(いた)めたら美味(おい)しかった。

I bought thinly sliced pork at the supermarket and stir-fried it with vegetables, and it was delicious.

豚(ぶた) refers to both the animal (pig) and its meat (pork). For the meat specifically, 豚肉(ぶたにく) is the unambiguous term.

COMMON FOOD TERMS:

豚肉(ぶたにく): pork
豚(ぶた)カツ / とんかつ: pork cutlet
豚(ぶた)の生姜焼(しょうがや)き: ginger-fried pork
豚(とん)こつ: pork bone (as in 豚(とん)こつラーメン)
豚(ぶた)バラ: pork belly

READING NOTE:
The on'yomi reading とん appears in some compounds: とんかつ, 豚(とん)こつ, 養豚(ようとん) (pig farming).

PROVERB:
豚(ぶた)に真珠(しんじゅ): 'pearls before swine' — giving something valuable to someone who can't appreciate it.

NOTE:
The zodiac animal 'boar/pig' (亥(い)) uses a different character. In Chinese astrology it's a pig, while the Japanese zodiac traditionally emphasizes the wild boar (猪(いのしし)).

Related Words

Related: 羊(ひつじ) (sheep)

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Added 2026.1.16 8:48 · Revised 2026.6.2 6:08

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