Eating and food with 食
食 conveys both the action of “eating” and the concept of “food” or “a meal”.
Etymology
This kanji is a pictograph of the shape of a food vessel with a lid or cover.
Eating Activities
試食 (Food tasting)
試食 means tasting a food to check it or offering a sample to customers.
It combines 試 (test) with 食 (eat) to show try out eating something.
Momoko notices the trio Colors pestering a television cameraman. She intervenes to help him, telling the girls that she is heading to her family’s bakery to have taste-testing of her new type of rice ball.
- ももか:
- 「カラーズちゃんにも試食してほしかったんだけどなー」
- “I wanted you all to do some taste-testing as well, but...”
- 「テレビがあるなら仕方ないかぁ」
- “If it's television, it can't be helped, huh?”
Food Supply
食品 (Food product)
食品 refers to food as a product, including ingredients and ready-to-eat items.
It combines 食 (food) with 品 (product) to show food treated as a product.
Mao needs Hiro to go grocery shopping with her due to a sale that’s limited per customer. She tells him the plan is to start by grabbing everyday household items first.
- 真魚:
- 「それから食品へ」
- “Then move on to food.”
- 「ただし２人きりなので欲張り禁止」
- “But since it's just the two of us, no hoarding allowed!”
- 「硬く重いものからカゴに入れていく素早く！！」
- “Quickly start putting hard, heavy items into the basket!!”
- 基:
- 「了解 了解」
- “Roger that.”
Meals
食事 (Meal)
食事 refers to the act of eating a set number of times each day to obtain the nutrients the body needs, or to the food itself.
It combines 食 (eat) with 事 (matter) to show the matter of eating.
Kumada observes the bear that’s been living in his apartment for a while now, trying to determine from its personality traits whether it’s male or female.
- (熊田):
- 「毎度 食事の写真を取りたがる」
- “It always wants to take photos of its meals.”
- 「メスっぽい行動だ」
- “That's pretty feminine behavior.”
給食 (School lunch)
給食 means meals regularly provided by a school, workplace, or hospital. It most often refers to Japanese school lunches.
It combines 給 (provide) with 食 (meal) to show a meal that is provided.
Chiyo is a child prodigy who’s skipped from elementary school to high school.
During her first day of class, Chiyo is invited by a couple of classmates to join them for lunch.
- ちよ:
- 「小学校は給食だったからお弁当は楽しいです」
- “Since we were provided lunches in elementary school, a boxed lunch is fun.”