How to say "weed" in Japanese

• 草くさJLPT N4approx.Common
  nounThe general word for grass and leafy plants; it can be used of weeds, but it is broader than 雑草, covering grass and herbs as well.
  月つきには草くさが生はえて無ない。↗

  There is no grass on the moon.
• 雑草ざっそうCommon
  no-adjectiveThe specific word for a weed: an unwanted plant growing where it is not wanted, as in a garden or lawn. This is the word you want for the ordinary garden sense of 'weed'.
  雑草ざっそうが急きゅうに生はえた。↗

  Weeds sprang up in the garden.
• 抜くぬくJLPT N3approx.Common
  godan verb, transitive verbA verb meaning to pull out, draw out, extract or unplug; it covers 'weed' only as the verb 'to weed' — pulling unwanted plants out — and is not a word for the plants themselves.
  歯医者はいしゃに行いってその歯はを抜ぬいてもらった方ほうがよいですね。↗

  You had better go to the dentist to have that tooth pulled out.
• 葉っぱはっぱCommon
  nounA colloquial term for marijuana or cannabis: this is the drug sense of slang 'weed'. It is not a way to refer to unwanted plants in the garden.

For unwanted garden plants use 雑草; 草 is the broader word for grass and herbs that can also mean weeds; 「抜く」 is the verb for pulling them out; 「葉っぱ」 is colloquial for marijuana.

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

• 草くさgrass
• 雑草ざっそうweed
• 抜くぬくto pull out
• ウィードweed
• 葉っぱはっぱmarijuana