毒
doku[do̞kɯ̟]
The Japanese word for poison is 毒 (doku).
毒 refers to a substance harmful to a living organism. Beyond its literal meaning, it can be used metaphorically to describe something malicious or harmful, such as a person's personality or a toxic atmosphere.
Meaning: substance harmful to a living organism (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 毒 is the general term for poison, 毒物 is a formal term encompassing toxic substances in general. For scientific and technical contexts, the term 有毒物質 is used to refer to poisonous substances.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the specific act of putting poison into someone's food or drink, use the idiom 毒を盛る. Other related verbs include 毒殺する and 毒害する, which mean to use poison to kill or paralyze.
How do you pronounce it?
doku
Did you know?
- The adjective 毒々しい does not just mean poisonous, but is used to describe colors that are gaudily bright or visually overwhelming.
- Japanese has a specific term 毒味 which refers to the act of tasting food to ensure it is not poisoned, a practice historically used for emperors and shoguns.
- The word 毒 is often used in the compound 毒舌 (dokuzetsu), which translates to 'poisonous tongue' but is used to describe someone who is hilariously blunt or sharp-tongued.
Examples in context
- あれは毒だ。That stuff is poison.This sentence uses the form 毒 to identify a substance as poison.Tatoeba #3598838 by arnab, translation #3594022 by CK
- 甲の薬は乙の毒。One man's medicine is another man's poison.This sentence uses the form 毒 to illustrate a proverb about medicine and poison.Tatoeba #173522 by KK_kaku_, translation #240948 by CK
- 砂糖って、毒なの？Is sugar a poison?This sentence uses the form 毒 to ask if sugar is a poison.Tatoeba #8692363 by small_snow, translation #5201662 by Hybrid
- この薬品は ドク があるので、注意が必要です。As this chemical contains poison, caution is necessary.
- この施設には 毒物 が保存されています。This facility stores poisonous substances.
- この植物には 有毒物質 が含まれているため、摂取しないようにしてください。Since this plant contains poisonous substances, please refrain from consuming it.
- あのキノコは 毒 があるから、決して食べちゃだめだよ。That mushroom is poisonous, so absolutely do not eat it.
- あのケミカルは 毒物質 だから、取り扱いに気を付けてね。That chemical is toxic, so be careful when handling it.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are looking at a colorful tropical frog in a book.
- 美咲 Misakiこのカエルは毒があるの？Kono kaeru wa doku ga aru no?Does this frog have poison?
- 健太 Kentaうん、強い毒を持っているよ。Un, tsuyoi doku o motte iru yo.Yeah, it has strong poison.
- 美咲 Misaki怖すぎるね。Kowasugiru ne.That's too scary.
- 健太 Kenta触っちゃダメだよ。Sawaccha dame da yo.Don't touch it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “poison” translations and entries 毒, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
