チキン

ちきん
noun
chicken
1. chicken (meat, dish)
Chicken as a food or ingredient. In Japanese, チキン refers specifically to chicken as prepared food or a menu item, not to the live animal (which is 鶏(にわとり)).
チキンカレーを注文(ちゅうもん)した。
I ordered chicken curry.
フライドチキンが大好(だいす)きだ。
I love fried chicken.
クリスマスにはチキンを焼(や)いて家族(かぞく)で食(た)べるのが日本(にほん)の習慣(しゅうかん)だ。
It's a Japanese custom to roast chicken and eat it with family at Christmas.

USAGE:
チキン is used for chicken as food, especially in loanword compound dishes: フライドチキン (fried chicken), チキンナゲット (chicken nuggets), チキンカレー (chicken curry). For the live bird, 鶏(にわとり) is used. For chicken meat in more traditional Japanese cooking contexts, 鶏肉(とりにく) is preferred.

CULTURAL NOTE:
Eating チキン at Christmas is a well-known Japanese custom, largely popularized by a KFC marketing campaign in the 1970s.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • フライドチキン: fried chicken
  • チキンカレー: chicken curry
  • チキンナゲット: chicken nuggets
  • 照(て)り焼(や)きチキン: teriyaki chicken
general
Added 2026.2.13 5:10
11000/11029_chikin