食らう・喰らう|くらうkurau[0]heiban (flat)
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Which spelling to use
食らう食らう（くらう） is the more common written form and the recommended choice for beginners. Use it as your default form when writing this verb.
喰らう喰らう（くらう） is a less common written variant of the same verb. Beginners should normally choose 食らう（くらう） instead.
Definitions
- godan verb, transitive verbto eat; to drink; to wolf; to knock back
- godan verb, transitive verbto receive (e.g. a blow)
- godan verb, transitive verbto be on the receiving end (of something undesirable); to undergo (trouble)
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 食らう（くらう） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 食らいます（くらいます） |
| Negative (nai) | 食らわない（くらわない） |
| polite (masen) | 食らいません（くらいません） |
| classical zu / nu | 食らわず・食らわぬ（くらわず・くらわぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 食らった（くらった） |
| polite (mashita) | 食らいました（くらいました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 食らわなかった（くらわなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 食らいませんでした（くらいませんでした） |
| Te form | 食らって（くらって） |
| Potential | 食らえる（くらえる） |
| Passive | 食らわれる（くらわれる） |
| Causative | 食らわせる（くらわせる） |
| Causative passive | 食らわせられる・食らわされる（くらわせられる・くらわされる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 食らえば（くらえば） |
| tara | 食らったら（くらったら） |
| Volitional | 食らおう（くらおう） |
| polite (mashou) | 食らいましょう（くらいましょう） |
| Imperative | 食らえ（くらえ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym食うくうCasualColloquial and rough, mainly male speech: eat, also make a living, as in 「飯を食う」. 「食らう」 is coarser still and also covers taking a hit or punishment.
- Synonym召し上がるめしあがるFormalHonorific for someone else's eating or drinking — the polite opposite of the vulgar 「食らう」.
- SynonymいただくFormalHumble language for one's own eating or drinking, or receiving something; polite where 「食らう」 is coarse.
- Synonym食べるたべるNeutralThe everyday, neutral word for eating; not vulgar, used by anyone — the safe default instead of 「食らう」.
- Synonym喫するきっするWrittenWritten-style word for eating, drinking or smoking, and for suffering something, as in 「惨敗を喫する」.
- Synonym食するしょくするWrittenFormal written word for eating; not coarse at all, so its feel is the opposite of 「食らう」.
- Antonym与えるあたえるNeutralNeutral verb meaning to give; the counterpart of 「食らう」 when that means taking a hit or punishment.
- Antonym吐くはくNeutralTo spit or throw something out, as in 「血を吐く」 — the reverse of taking food or drink in.
Use 「食らう」 for wolfing down food or drink or taking a hit, as in 「飯を食らう」「パンチを食らう」. For eating, 「食う」 is rough male colloquial speech, 「食べる」 is the everyday default, and 「召し上がる」 is the honorific. For suffering in writing, use 「喫する」; spitting out is 「吐く」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
