How do you say "grass" in Japanese?

芝生

shibafu

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "grass" is 芝生 (shibafu).

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Pronunciation

芝生 is written using kanji. Romanised as shibafu, it sounds roughly like "shee-bah-foo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Shibafu uses the kanji for grass (芝) plus the kanji for cloth or mat-like substance (布). Shibafu specifically refers to lawn grass.

Example sentence

芝生が見えます。

Shibafu ga miemasu.

I can see the grass.

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How to remember 芝生

Shiba (grass) plus fu (cloth). Grass is soft like cloth and spreads across an area like a mat or blanket.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 芝生

How do you pronounce 芝生?

芝生 is romanised as shibafu. Say it roughly like "shee-bah-foo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 芝生 formal or casual?

芝生 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 芝生 written in Japanese?

芝生 is written using kanji. Shibafu uses the kanji for grass (芝) plus the kanji for cloth or mat-like substance (布).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Grass" in other languages

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