How to say "spit" in Japanese

• 串くしCommon
  nounCovers 'spit' in the cooking sense: a thin, pointed rod on which meat is skewered and roasted over a fire. It is the same word used for a skewer, so think grilling, not the mouth.
• 唾つばJLPT N1approx.Common
  nounCovers 'spit' as a noun meaning saliva or spittle, the moisture in the mouth. It names the substance rather than the act of spitting, which is expressed with a separate verb.
  吐はいた唾つばは飲のめぬ。↗

  A word, once out, flies everywhere.

Use 串 for 'spit' as a cooking implement, the pointed rod that meat is roasted on, and 唾 for 'spit' meaning saliva, the moisture in the mouth; the two senses are entirely unrelated in Japanese.

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

• 串くしspit
• 唾つばsaliva
• 砂嘴さしspit
• 唾するつばするto spit
• 吐きかけるはきかけるto spit
• 唾くつばくto spit
• 出洲でずspit (of land)
• 唾を吐くつばをはくto spit
• 焼き串やきぐしskewer
• 津液しんえきsaliva