生物|せいぶつseibutsu[1]atamadaka (head-high)

JLPT N3approx.Common
Definitions
  1. nounliving thing; organism; creature; life
    地球ちきゅう以外いがいの天体てんたいに生物せいぶつはいますか。↗
    Is there life on other worlds?
  2. nounbiology
Synonyms & antonyms
  • Synonym生き物いきものNeutralNative Japanese word for things that are alive, often the familiar animals around us, as in 「生き物を飼う」; more colloquial than 「生物」.
  • Synonym生体せいたいNeutralA living body or organism; medical and technical term seen in 「生体認証」 and 「生体反応」.
  • Synonym有機体ゆうきたいWrittenWritten, academic term for a life form made of organic matter; also used figuratively for an organization whose parts depend on one another.
  • Related生類しょうるいWrittenOld-fashioned written word for all living things; best known from the edict 「生類憐みの令」.
  • Antonym無生物むせいぶつNeutralSomething with no life; the direct opposite of 「生物」.
  • Antonym死物しぶつWrittenWritten word for a lifeless or useless thing; opposite of 「生物」 in whether something is alive.

Use 「生物」 for life forms in scientific contexts and for the discipline of biology. In everyday speech say 「生き物」; in medical or technical settings use 「生体」. 「有機体」 and 「生類」 are written or dated; the opposite of 「生物」 is 「無生物」.

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

Japanese definitions
  1. 生命せいめいを有ゆうする存在そんざい。細胞さいぼうから成なり、恒常性こうじょうせい、代謝たいしゃ、生殖せいしょくなどの生命せいめい現象げんしょうを示しめすもの。生命体せいめいたい。命いのちを宿やどしたもの。いきもの。動物どうぶつ・真菌しんきん類るい・植物しょくぶつとその他たの原始的げんしてき生物せいぶつの総称そうしょう。
  2. 生物学せいぶつがくの略語りゃくご。
  3. 高等学校こうとうがっこうの教科きょうかである理科りかの一いち科目かもく。
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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