How to say "cattle" in Japanese

• 牛うしJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounA common word for the animal itself: cattle as Bos taurus, whether a cow, bull, or ox. Use it when talking about actual animals, such as cows grazing in a field.
  父ちちは牧場ぼくじょうを持もっていて牛うしや馬うまを飼育しいくしている。↗

  My father has a ranch and breeds cattle and horses.
• 家畜かちくJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounA common word, but really for livestock or domestic animals as a category. Use it when 'cattle' means farm animals collectively, not one specific cow or bull.
  飢饉ききんのために、家畜かちくが餓死がしした。↗

  Because of the famine, the cattle starved to death.

Use 牛 for the animals themselves — cattle, cows, bulls, oxen — and 家畜 when 'cattle' means livestock or domestic animals as a collective category rather than the individual animal.

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

• 牛うしcattle (Bos taurus)
• 家畜かちくdomestic animals
• 畜牛ちくぎゅうcattle