How do you say "chew" in Japanese?

噛む

kamu

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "chew" is 噛む (kamu).

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Pronunciation

Kamu is just two short syllables, ka and mu, said quickly together almost like the English word 'calm' without the l.

Writing and usage

噛む is written using kanji. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

ゆっくり噛んでください。

yukkuri kan dekudasai.

Chew your food slowly.

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How to remember 噛む

Kamu sounds like 'calm, u', reminding you to stay calm and chew your food slowly rather than rushing it.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 噛む

How do you pronounce 噛む?

Kamu is just two short syllables, ka and mu, said quickly together almost like the English word 'calm' without the l.

Is 噛む formal or casual?

噛む is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 噛む written in Japanese?

噛む is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as kamu.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Chew" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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