野生

• Reading: やせい
• Romaji: yasei
• Kanji breakdown: 野 (ya) — field, wild; 生 (sei) — life, grow, raw
• Pronunciation: /ja.seː/

Meaning

Wild; living in nature. Describes animals or plants that grow and live without human care.

A noun used as a no-adjective to modify other nouns: 野生の動物 (wild animal), 野生の花 (wildflower). Contrasts with 飼育 (shiiku, domesticated/bred) for animals and 栽培 (saibai, cultivated) for plants. Also used figuratively: 野生の勘 (wild instinct) — a raw, untrained intuition.

Examples

1. この地域では野生のシカを見ることができる。 You can see wild deer in this area.
2. 野生の動物にエサを与えないでください。 Please do not feed wild animals.
3. 彼女は野生の勘で危険を察知した。 She sensed the danger with a wild instinct.

Usage Guide

Context: nature, ecology, travel

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 野 (ya, field/wild) + 生 (sei, life/grow). Literally 'field-growing' — life that thrives in open nature without human intervention.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal