Word Detail

The Japanese word 筋肉 (きんにく) means "muscle" or "muscles" in English. It refers to the tissues in the body that are responsible for movement. The term covers all types of muscles, including skeletal muscles (which move the skeleton), smooth muscles (found in organs like the stomach), and cardiac muscle (the heart muscle). The word can refer to a single muscle or to all the muscles in the body.

⚫︎彼は筋肉］トレーニングをしています。 Translation: He is doing muscle training. ⚫︎腕の筋肉］が痛いです。 Translation: My arm muscles hurt. ⚫︎筋肉］をつけたいです。 Translation: I want to build muscle.

You can use 筋肉 in various contexts related to the body, exercise, and health. It is commonly used when talking about: ⚫︎ Physical exercise and training. ⚫︎ Anatomy and biology. ⚫︎ Bodybuilding and fitness. ⚫︎ Health and physical conditions related to muscles. You can use it in both formal and informal conversations.

⚫︎The word 筋肉 is typically written in kanji. ⚫︎Reading: きんにく in hiragana. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana.

⚫︎There aren't direct synonyms that are commonly used to the same degree.

⚫︎There is no single direct antonym for 筋肉. However, words related to being weak or lacking muscle mass could be considered opposites in a conceptual sense. For example: 細い (ほそい) meaning "thin" or 痩せている (やせている) meaning "thin/skinny."

彼は毎日、筋肉］を鍛えるためにジムに通っています。 ・Translation: He goes to the gym every day to train his muscles. ・Explanation: This sentence describes someone's dedication to building 筋肉 through exercise.

激しい運動の後、筋肉］痛が酷かった。 ・Translation: The muscle soreness was severe after the intense exercise. ・Explanation: This describes the common experience of experiencing 筋肉 pain after strenuous activity.

The word 筋肉 is a compound word derived from two kanji: ⚫︎筋 (きん) meaning "sinew" or "tendon". ⚫︎肉 (にく) meaning "meat" or "flesh". Therefore, literally, 筋肉 means "sinew meat" or "flesh with sinews", which accurately describes the composition of muscle tissue.