Japanese symbol for “veal”

仔牛肉

こうしにく

Romaji: koushiniku

veal

In Japanese, veal is 仔牛肉, read こうしにく (koushiniku).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

n veal (food)

Written forms: 仔牛肉、子牛肉. Readings: こうしにく.

Kanji and stroke order

仔

offspring (animal), detailed, fine

on: シ
kun: こ、た.える

5 strokes

牛

cow

on: ギュウ
kun: うし

4 strokes · JLPT 3

肉

meat

on: ニク
kun: しし

6 strokes · JLPT 3

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
仔魚	しぎょ shigyo	larva of fish; larval fish
仔虫	しちゅう shichuu	larva
牛乳	ぎゅうにゅう gyuunyuu	(cow's) milk
牛肉	ぎゅうにく gyuuniku	beef
和牛	わぎゅう wagyuu	Wagyu (any of four breeds of Japanese cattle); Wagyu beef
水牛	すいぎゅう suigyuu	water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis); domestic Asian water buffalo
牛舎	ぎゅうしゃ gyuusha	cow shed; cattle barn
牛歩	ぎゅうほ gyuuho	snail's pace; slow progress
筋肉	きんにく kinniku	muscle

See also: Chinese symbol for “veal”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.