牛 means “cow”

うし · ushi

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

うし

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ギュウ

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 2 · 4 strokes

The story

In the Tanabata legend, the cowherd (牛飼い) crosses the Milky Way once a year to meet his beloved weaver princess. Japanese wagyu 牛 are prized worldwide for their marbled perfection.

Used in 牛肉 (gyuuniku, beef) and 牛乳 (gyuunyuu, milk)

More from Animals & Creatures

• 馬 horse
• 虫 insect
• 羊 sheep
• 豚 pig
• 鹿 deer
• 熊 bear
• 蛇 snake
• 兎 rabbit
• 象 elephant
• 竜 dragon
• 亀 turtle
• 猿 monkey

Learn 牛 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.