How to say "hay" in Japanese

• 枯れ草かれくさCommon
  nounDry, withered or dead grass, as in a dry field; 'hay' only loosely. A common word, but for hay as animal feed 干し草 is the word you want.
• 干し草ほしくさ
  nounGrass that has been cut and dried for use as animal feed — hay in the strict sense. When you mean hay, this is the word to use.
  干し草ほしくさを納屋なやに蓄たくわえた。↗

  We stored the hay in the barn.
• 乾芻かんすう
  nounA rare word for hay, met mainly in specialized agricultural writing rather than in speech. Learners will seldom need it; 干し草 is the ordinary word for hay.
• 乾草かんそう
  nounHay or dried grass, much the same thing as 干し草; it is less common, and for ordinary purposes 干し草 is the word to use.
• 馬草まぐさ
  nounFodder for horses or cows; where it means hay, the emphasis is on the grass as animal feed. For hay itself, 干し草 is the word you want.

For hay as dried animal feed use 「干し草」; 「枯れ草」 is dry or withered grass generally; 馬草 is fodder for horses and cattle; 乾草 and 乾芻 are rarer equivalents learners seldom need.

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

• 枯れ草かれくさdry grass
• 干し草ほしくさhay
• 乾芻かんすうhay
• 乾草かんそうhay
• 馬草まぐさfodder (for horses or cows)