飼

音読おんよみ: シ

訓読くんよみ: かう

画数かくすう: 13

部首ぶしゅ: 食（しょくへん）

Meaning

Raise / Keep / Feed

  • Basic forms
  • 飼う — to keep; to raise (animals) / base form
  • 飼います — keep; raise / masu form
  • 飼った — kept; raised / ta-form
  • 飼って — keep and… / te-form
  • 飼わない — do not keep / negative
  • 飼えば — if (you) keep / conditional
  • Common uses
  • 犬を飼う — keep a dog
  • 猫を飼っている — have a cat
  • More
  • 飼いたい — want to keep / 〜たい form
  • 飼っている — is keeping; has (an animal)

飼う（かう） is a godan verb. It is used for **raising, keeping, or caring for animals**, and by extension, living creatures under one’s care.

  • 飼かう — to keep (a pet or livestock)
  • 飼育しいく — breeding / raising
  • 飼養しよう — rearing / keeping
  • 飼料しりょう — animal feed
  • 飼主かいぬし — pet owner

飼 is a 会意形声 character: 食 (food) provides meaning, while 司 (to govern) gives sound. It conveys feeding and managing animals, extending to the act of raising pets or livestock responsibly.

犬いぬを 飼かっています。
I have a dog.

動物どうぶつを 飼かうには 責任せきにんが 必要ひつようです。
Keeping animals requires responsibility.

料
Forms
飼料しりょう — animal feed
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