食 — to eat / food

Grade 2しょく, じき, た, く

食 (readings: しょく, じき, た, く; Japanese kanji) means “to eat / food”. It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 食べ物 (food).

What does 食 mean?

Kanji	食
Meaning	to eat / food
Readings	しょく, じき, た, く
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school

How to read 食

食 is read しょく or じき or た or く depending on the word.

Example words with 食

Example	食べ物 (food)

Practice writing 食 — free

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Updated: 2026-07-14