胃

• Reading: い
• Romaji: i
• Kanji breakdown: 胃 (i) — stomach
• Pronunciation: /i/

Meaning

Stomach. The organ that digests food.

A single-kanji noun commonly used in both everyday and medical contexts. Appears in many compounds: 胃腸 (stomach and intestines), 胃薬 (stomach medicine), 胃痛 (stomachache). Japanese culture places great emphasis on stomach health, and 胃に優しい (gentle on the stomach) is a common food descriptor.

Examples

1. 食べすぎて胃が痛くなった。 I ate too much and my stomach started hurting.
2. 胃の調子が悪いので、胃薬を飲みました。 My stomach hasn't been feeling great, so I took some stomach medicine.
3. お粥は胃に優しい食べ物です。 Rice porridge is a food that's easy on the stomach.

Usage Guide

Context: medical, daily life, food

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 胃 combines 田 (field, representing the stomach shape) and 月/肉 (flesh/body part radical), depicting a body organ.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal