体
karada[ta̠i]
The English word 'body' is translated into Japanese as 体 (karada). Wiktionary also lists 肉体 (nikutai).
Meaning: physical structure of a human or animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 体 | karada | [ta̠i] (narrow) [te̞ː] (narrow) |
| 肉体 | nikutai | [ɲ̟ikɯ̟̊ta̠i] (narrow) |
体 is the standard, common word used in everyday conversation to refer to one's own body, someone else's body or a person's general physical health.
Which one should you use?
体 is the standard word for 'body', whereas 肉体 is more formal and emphasizes the physical, biological or carnal aspect of the body (the 'fleshly' body).
How does it change in a sentence?
By adding the suffix 中 to 体, you create the term 体中, which means 'throughout the whole body' or 'all over the body'.
How do you pronounce it?
karada
Did you know?
- While 体 means 'body', it is also used as a suffix in Japanese to describe a specific style or form of an art, such as 書体 for a style of calligraphy.
- Japanese uses the phrase 体調を崩す to describe getting sick, which literally means 'the condition of the body has collapsed'.
- The kanji used in 体 is the same character used in the word for 'structure' or 'system', meaning the concept of a 'body' is linguistically tied to the idea of a 'constructed whole'.
Examples in context
- 体中が痛む。My body aches all over.This sentence shows how to express that the entire body is aching using 体.Tatoeba #137965 by bunbuku, translation #562053 by darinmex
- 体中が痛い。My whole body hurts.This sentence demonstrates expressing that the whole body hurts using 体.Tatoeba #226181 by bunbuku, translation #7923942 by shekitten
- 体柔らかいね。Your body is soft.This sentence shows how to describe the physical flexibility or softness of a body using 体.Tatoeba #9042357 by small_snow, translation #10196108 by terrywallwork
- 運動した後、体が痛いです。My body aches after exercising.
- 自分の身体を大切にしなければなりません。I need to take care of my body.
- ボディマッサージサロンに行きます。I'm going to the body massage salon.
- 99 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking about their daily health habits.
- 美咲 Misaki毎日、体力をつけるために走っています。Mainichi, tairyoku o tsukeru tame ni hashitte imasu.I run every day to build up my physical strength.
- 陽太 Yota僕も体作りに気を付けてるよ。Boku mo karada zukuri ni ki o tsuketeru yo.I'm also careful about building my body.
- 美咲 Misaki体調はどうですか？Taichō wa dō desu ka?How is your physical condition?
- 陽太 Yotaとても元気だよ。Totemo genki da yo.I'm very energetic.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “body” translations and entries 体, 肉体, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 体, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
