How to say "beef" in Japanese

• 牛肉ぎゅうにくJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounBeef as meat: the flesh of the cow as food, as opposed to the living animal. This is what you say when buying, cooking or talking about beef.
  私の好このみはどちらかというと牛肉ぎゅうにくですね。↗

  I have a predilection for beef.
• ビーフCommon
  nounThe loanword for beef, with a Western flavour. You will meet it chiefly in the names of dishes and on menus; for beef as an ingredient in cooking, 牛肉 is the word to use.
  もう少すこしビーフをいかがですか。↗

  Would you like some more beef?
• 牛うしJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounReally the animal: cattle, a cow or an ox. Its 'beef' sense is marginal: only in loose or commercial usage does it stand for the meat, and for beef as food you want 牛肉.
  日本にっぽんの牛うしは広範囲こうはんいに霜降しもふりがある。↗

  In Japan beef has a high degree of marbled fat.

Use 牛肉 for beef as meat or an ingredient, 「ビーフ」 as the loanword with a Western feel found mostly in dish names and menus, and 牛 for the animal itself rather than the meat.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 牛肉ぎゅうにくbeef
• ビーフbeef
• 牛うしbeef