Meaning
肪 means fat or grease — the biological kind stored in animal tissue, including the human body. Alone, it almost never appears in daily text. Its main purpose is forming the second half of 脂肪, one of the most common words in Japanese health and nutrition writing. Scan any food label in Japan, a doctor's body-fat chart, or a fitness article — 脂肪 is everywhere.
肪 has two components. On the left sits 月 — not the moon here, but にくづき (nikuzuki), the flesh or meat radical. It appears in dozens of body-related kanji. On the right, 方 (direction) acts as a phonetic element, giving 肪 its reading: ボウ. Together they point at the body's fatty tissue — the soft, energy-storing layer wrapped around muscles and organs.
Eight strokes, compact form — but 肪 runs through scientific, medical, and nutritional Japanese. It's a Jōyō kanji at the secondary school level, landing at JLPT N1 not for complexity, but because it belongs to specialized vocabulary that most learners encounter late.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
肪 has one on'yomi: ボウ (Bō). Every compound uses this reading, without exception. Since 肪 never stands alone and has no kun'yomi, ボウ is all you need to learn.
- 脂肪 (shibō) — fat, lipid; the core compound built around this kanji
- 体脂肪 (taishibō) — body fat; used widely in health and fitness contexts
- 脂肪酸 (shibōsan) — fatty acid; standard in biology, nutrition, and food science
ボウ is fully predictable. The real challenge is not pronunciation — it's recognizing the specialized vocabulary where 肪 appears.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
肪 has no kun'yomi. This is typical of kanji with technical meanings — they live inside Sino-Japanese compounds (熟語, jukugo) rather than native Japanese words. Unlike 見, which carries the native reading 見る (miru), 肪 has no Japanese-native equivalent. In any Japanese text, 肪 is always ボウ, almost always inside 脂肪.
One reading, one context — a genuine simplicity advantage for learners.
Common Words & Compounds
肪's vocabulary range is narrow but practical. These compounds appear on grocery labels, at medical checkups, and throughout fitness culture:
Core Health & Nutrition Terms:
- 脂肪 (shibō) — fat, lipid; the most essential word to know
- 体脂肪 (taishibō) — body fat; used in body composition and fitness discussions
- 脂肪分 (shibōbun) — fat content; what you check on food packaging
- 低脂肪 (teishibō) — low-fat; seen on products like 低脂肪乳 (low-fat milk)
Scientific & Biochemistry Terms:
- 脂肪酸 (shibōsan) — fatty acid; core term in biology and nutrition
- 不飽和脂肪酸 (fuhōwa shibōsan) — unsaturated fatty acid; found in fish, avocado, and olive oil
- 飽和脂肪酸 (hōwa shibōsan) — saturated fatty acid; associated with butter and red meat
- 脂肪組織 (shibō soshiki) — adipose tissue; the biological term for the body's fat stores
- 脂肪細胞 (shibō saibō) — fat cell, adipocyte
Medical Terms:
- 皮下脂肪 (hika shibō) — subcutaneous fat; the layer just beneath the skin
- 内臓脂肪 (naizō shibō) — visceral fat; the fat surrounding internal organs
- 脂肪肝 (shibōkan) — fatty liver; a common condition caused by excess fat in liver cells
Diet & Lifestyle Terms:
- 脂肪燃焼 (shibō nenshō) — fat burning; ubiquitous in fitness and diet culture
- 脂肪過多 (shibō kata) — excess fat; used in medical diagnoses
Example Sentences
この食品には脂肪が多く含まれています。
Kono shokuhin ni wa shibō ga ōku fukumarete imasu.
This food contains a lot of fat.
低脂肪の牛乳を毎朝飲んでいます。
Teishibō no gyūnyū wo maiasa nonde imasu.
I drink low-fat milk every morning.
体脂肪率を下げるために毎日ジョギングしています。
Taishibōritsu wo sageru tame ni mainichi jogingu shite imasu.
I jog every day to lower my body fat percentage.
医者は内臓脂肪を減らすよう強く勧めました。
Isha wa naizō shibō wo herasu yō tsuyoku susumemashita.
The doctor strongly recommended reducing visceral fat.
運動をすると脂肪燃焼が効率よく促進されます。
Undō wo suru to shibō nenshō ga kōritsu yoku sokushin saremasu.
Exercise efficiently promotes fat burning.
アボカドには体に良い不飽和脂肪酸が豊富に含まれています。
Abokado ni wa karada ni yoi fuhōwa shibōsan ga hōfu ni fukumarete imasu.
Avocados are rich in unsaturated fatty acids that benefit the body.
お酒の飲みすぎは脂肪肝を引き起こす可能性があります。
Osake no nomisugi wa shibōkan wo hikiokosu kanōsei ga arimasu.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to fatty liver disease.
この肉は脂肪分が少なく、ヘルシーな食材です。
Kono niku wa shibōbun ga sukunaku, herushī na shokuzai desu.
This meat is low in fat and makes a healthy ingredient.
皮下脂肪は体を寒さから守る役割も果たしています。
Hika shibō wa karada wo samusa kara mamoru yakuwari mo hatashite imasu.
Subcutaneous fat also helps protect the body from cold.
Memory Tip
Two components, one image. 月 = flesh. 方 = direction. Picture a cut of meat left out too long — drifted the wrong direction, gone soft and fatty. That greasy layer is exactly what 肪 means. Or apply it to your own body: flesh (月) moving the wrong way (方) from too much 脂肪. Either way: flesh + wrong direction = fat.