牛 — “cow / cattle” in Japanese

Grade 2ぎゅう, うし

Radical ⽜ · radical 93 The building block this kanji is filed under

“cow / cattle” in Japanese is 牛, read gyuu, ushi (ぎゅう, うし). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 牛乳 (cow's milk).

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What does 牛 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	牛
Meaning	cow / cattle
Readings	ぎゅう, うし
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	牛乳 (cow's milk)

How to read 牛

牛 is read gyuu (ぎゅう) or ushi (うし) depending on the word.

Words with 牛

牛乳ぎゅうにゅう
牛肉
牛丼

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Kanji read the same way as 牛

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28