How to say "digestion" in Japanese

Choosing the right word

消化しょうかJLPT N2approx.Common
noun, suru verb, transitive verbThe ordinary word for digestion of food — the bodily process of breaking down what you eat. Choose this whenever 'digestion' refers to the stomach or nutrition.
食物しょくもつは胃いの中なかで消化しょうかされる。↗
Food is digested in the stomach.
咀嚼そしゃくCommon
noun, suru verb, transitive verbLiterally chewing, but used figuratively for 'digestion' of words, ideas, or information in the sense of assimilating and comprehending them. It is not the word for digestion of food.

Use 消化 for the literal digestion of food; use 咀嚼 only for the figurative sense of 'digesting' information or ideas, where it means chewing over and assimilating them.

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

Japanese equivalents

消化しょうかdigestion (of food)
熟れこなれdigestion
蒸解じょうかいcooking (of wood to produce pulp in paper production)
咀嚼そしゃくdigestion (e.g. of words)

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

Say it right, write it right