How to say "fertilizer" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 肥料ひりょうnounThe general word for fertilizer, covering manufactured chemical products as well as manure and compost; in most contexts, from farming and gardening to buying it at a store, this is the word you want.
- 肥やしこやしnounCovers fertilizer of the manure kind: animal dung, night soil and similar waste spread on soil to enrich it. When 'fertilizer' means such natural material rather than a manufactured product, this fits.
- 肥こえnounA shorter equivalent of 肥やし, covering the same manure-centred ground: dung, night soil and other natural enrichers. For fertilizer as a general notion, 肥料 is the safer pick.
Choose 肥料 for fertilizer in general, whether chemical or natural; 「肥やし」 and 肥 both center on manure, dung and similar natural waste spread on soil to enrich it, with 肥 the shorter variant.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
