How to say "liver" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe loanword, used when liver is food: on menus, in recipes, or as an ingredient. It is not the word for the organ inside a living body.
- 肝きもnounThe liver as an organ, and innards generally; it also appears figuratively for courage or nerve, as in talk of having guts or being scared stiff.
- 肝臓かんぞうnounThe anatomical name for the liver as an internal organ, the word you use in medical or health contexts, such as describing symptoms, disease, or the body's workings.
Use 「レバー」 for liver as food, 肝臓 for the anatomical organ in medical or health contexts, and 肝 for the organ or innards in everyday speech and figurative talk of courage.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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