食べる

taberu
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eat, have a meal, make a living, live on
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/tabeꜜɾɯ/
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+1
To take in food or sustain oneself with the proceeds of work.
Practice using 食べる in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • 家族を食べさせるために働く。
    I work to provide for my family.
  • 昨日、友達と寿司を食べた。
    Yesterday I ate sushi with a friend.
  • 辛いものはあまり食べない。
    I do not eat much spicy food.
  • 彼は翻訳の仕事で食べている。
    He makes a living as a translator.
  • もう昼ご飯を食べた？
    Have you eaten lunch yet?

Similar words

食う
いただく
口にする
生計を立てる
暮らす

Meanings

Eat

verb
food
neutral
To take food into the mouth and swallow it.

Examples

  • 朝はパンを食べます。
    I eat bread in the morning.
  • 昨日、友達と寿司を食べた。
    Yesterday I ate sushi with a friend.
  • もう昼ご飯を食べた？
    Have you eaten lunch yet?
  • 子どもがりんごを食べている。
    The child is eating an apple.
  • 辛いものはあまり食べない。
    I do not eat much spicy food.

Similar words

食う
口にする
いただく

Make a living

verb
livelihood
neutral
To support oneself through a job or source of income, usually with で and often in 食べていく.

Examples

  • この仕事だけで食べていける。
    I can make a living from this job alone.
  • 若い頃は絵を描いて食べていた。
    When I was young, I lived by painting.
  • 音楽で食べていくのは簡単ではない。
    It is not easy to make a living in music.
  • 彼は翻訳の仕事で食べている。
    He makes a living as a translator.
  • 家族を食べさせるために働く。
    I work to provide for my family.

Similar words

暮らす
生計を立てる

Etymology

Historically connected with たぶ, a respectful verb for receiving food, before becoming an ordinary verb for eating.

FAQ

How do you read 食べる?

It is read たべる, romanized taberu.

What is its polite form?

The polite form is 食べます.

How do you say “ate”?

Use the past form 食べた.

Can it mean “make a living”?

Yes. 仕事で食べていく means to live on the income from one's work.

Is 食べる a godan verb?

No. It is an ichidan verb; its て form is 食べて.

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