Lexical entry

チキン

chikin

Chicken; also, a coward or timid person.

Food & DrinkPure GairaigoSemantic ShiftSource uncertain

Meaning

This word most commonly means the food or the bird, but it is also used colloquially for a cowardly or timid person. The figurative sense is informal and pejorative.

food/bird sense
colloquial insult meaning coward

Examples

Example Sentences

今日の夕食は、フライドチキンとサラダにしましょう。

きょうのゆうしょくは、フライドチキンとサラダにしましょう。

Let's have fried chicken and salad for dinner tonight.

generated example

鮮度の高いチキンを使って、美味しいスープを作る。

せんどのたかいチキンをつかって、おいしいスープをつくる。

Make a delicious soup using high-quality fresh chicken.

generated example

チキンライス

A Japanese dish of rice and chicken stir-fried with ketchup.

フライドチキン

Chicken pieces that have been coated with seasoned flour or batter and fried.

Evidence and Provenance

Data source: JMdict_english
Revision: JMdict.2026-04-17
Review flags: ambiguous-sense, multiple-category-candidates
Active language: English