How to say "digest" in Japanese

• こなすCommon
  godan verb, transitive verbThe verb for digesting food, with a nuance of breaking it down and working it through; figuratively it also covers getting through material or tasks. Think of how well your stomach handles a heavy meal.
• ダイジェストCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe katakana loanword for the condensed-version sense: a summary or abridgment of a long text, or a highlights reel of a broadcast or event. Use it when digest is a thing you read or watch.
  彼女かのじょは「戦争せんそうと平和へいわ」のダイジェストを読よんだ。↗

  She read the digest of War and Peace.
• 要約ようやくCommon
  noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe noun for digest as a summary: a shortened statement of a text's or speech's main points. Choose it when you mean a summary or abstract rather than a media-style digest.
  その報告ほうこくを１ページに要約ようやくせよ。↗

  Boil down the report to one page.
• 味わうあじわうJLPT N2approx.Common
  godan verb, transitive verbReally a verb of savoring: to relish or appreciate food, art, or an experience. Its 'digest' sense is marginal — seldom the word you want for digesting a meal; think relish, not digestion.

Use 「こなす」 for the verb sense of digesting food or figuratively absorbing material; for the noun sense of a condensed version, choose 「ダイジェスト」 for a highlights-style digest or 要約 for a plain summary; 「味わう」 really means to savor.

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

• こなすto digest
• ダイジェストdigest
• 要約ようやくsummary
• 読みこなすよみこなすto digest (a book)
• レジュメsummary
• 噛み熟すかみこなすto chew
• 味わうあじわうto appreciate
• 噛み締めるかみしめるto reflect upon