From the field and the harbour to the label on the packet.
Practise this list
From these 41 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
Farming words are built from a few kanji that keep coming back, so one learned opens several: 農業, 農家, 農薬 and 農地 all begin the same way. Two places where English gets in the way: 食料is food as a supply a country has or lacks食品food as a product on a shelf; and the rice growing in the field (稲), the grain (米) and the rice on the plate (ご飯) are three different words.
The words
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Verb (2)
耕すto till; to ploughVerbN2
春になったら、まず畑を耕して土を柔らかくする。When spring comes, the first job is to dig over the field and loosen the soil.
実るto bear fruit; to ripenVerbN2
長い夏のおかげで、ぶどうがよく実った。Thanks to the long summer, the grapes ripened well.
Also figurative: 努力が実る, effort pays off.
Noun (39)
農業agriculture; farmingNounN3
祖母は会社を辞めてから農業を始めた。My grandmother took up farming after she left her company.
農家farmer; farming householdNounN3
祖父の家は代々農家です。My grandfather's family have been farmers for generations.
Both the household and the person who farms.
収穫harvestNounN2
秋になると、家族総出でりんごを収穫する。In autumn the whole family turns out to pick the apples.
Also a verb: 収穫する.
作物cropNounN2
寒い土地でも育つ作物が研究されている。Crops that will grow even on cold land are being researched.
Read さくもつ; the reading さくぶつ is a rare word for a piece of writing.
漁業fishing industry; fisheriesNounN2
港町の暮らしは漁業に支えられている。Life in the port town depends on fishing.
食料food (as a supply); provisionsNounN3
日本は食料の多くを海外から輸入している。Japan imports much of its food from abroad.
Food as a supply; food as a product is 食品.
自給self-sufficiencyNounN2
食料の自給率を上げることが課題になっている。Raising the food self-sufficiency rate has become a pressing issue.
Same sound as 時給, hourly pay; the context decides.
農産物agricultural produceNounN2
道の駅では地元の農産物が安く売られている。At roadside rest stops, local produce is sold cheaply.
畑field (for vegetables)NounN3
週末は裏の畑でじゃがいもを育てています。At weekends I grow potatoes in the field out the back.
A dry field; a flooded rice field is 田んぼ.
田んぼrice paddyNounN3
夏の夜は田んぼからカエルの声が聞こえる。On summer nights you can hear frogs from the rice paddies.
稲rice plantNounN2
稲の穂が金色に色づいてきた。The ears of rice have begun to turn gold.
The plant in the field; the grain is 米, cooked rice ご飯.
栽培cultivation; growingNounN2
北海道では広い土地でじゃがいもが栽培されている。In Hokkaido, potatoes are grown on large stretches of land.
Also a verb: 栽培する.
肥料fertiliserNounN2
肥料をやりすぎると、かえって野菜がよく育たない。Give too much fertiliser and the vegetables actually grow worse.
農薬pesticide; agricultural chemicalsNounN2
農薬を使わない野菜は手間がかかる分、値段も高い。Vegetables grown without pesticides take more work, and cost more for it.
品種variety; breedNounN2
このいちごは寒さに強い新しい品種だ。This strawberry is a new variety that copes well with the cold.
豊作good harvest; bumper cropNounN2
今年はりんごが豊作で、値段が下がっている。Apples have had a bumper year, and the price is falling.
不作poor harvestNounN2
夏の長雨で、野菜が不作になった。Weeks of summer rain gave a poor vegetable harvest.
畜産livestock farmingNounN2
この県は畜産が盛んで、牛肉がよく知られている。Livestock farming thrives in this prefecture, and its beef is well known.
家畜livestock; farm animalsNounN2
冬の間、家畜は小屋の中で飼われる。Over the winter the livestock are kept indoors in sheds.
酪農dairy farmingNounN2
酪農は休みのない仕事で、牛の世話は毎日欠かせない。Dairy farming has no days off: the cows need looking after every single day.
漁船fishing boatNounN2
朝早く、漁船が次々と港に戻ってくる。Early in the morning the fishing boats come back into harbour one after another.
A fisherman is 漁師, with the reading ryō rather than gyo.
養殖aquaculture; fish farmingNounN2
スーパーで売られているサーモンの多くは養殖だ。Much of the salmon sold in supermarkets is farmed.
Farmed fish is 養殖; wild-caught is 天然.
水産物seafood; marine productsNounN2
水産物の値段は天候に左右されやすい。Seafood prices are easily swayed by the weather.
産地place of origin; producing areaNounN2
野菜の袋には必ず産地が書いてある。Bags of vegetables always state where they were grown.
出荷shipment (to market)NounN2
収穫した桃は、その日のうちに出荷される。The peaches are sent to market on the day they are picked.
Also a verb: 出荷する.
食品food productNounN3
この工場では冷凍食品を作っている。This factory makes frozen food.
加工processingNounN2
とれた魚の一部は、缶詰に加工される。Part of the catch is processed into tins.
Also a verb: 加工する.
添加物additiveNounN2
添加物の少ない食品を選ぶ人が増えている。More and more people choose food with few additives.
有機organicNounN2
有機野菜は形がふぞろいなことが多い。Organic vegetables are often irregular in shape.
Usually before a noun: 有機栽培; the loanword オーガニック means the same.
穀物grain; cerealsNounN2
小麦や米などの穀物は長く保存できる。Grains such as wheat and rice keep for a long time.
小麦wheatNounN3
パンもうどんも、原料は小麦だ。Bread and udon are both made from wheat.
Flour is 小麦粉.
大豆soybeanNounN2
味噌も醤油も豆腐も、大豆から作られる。Miso, soy sauce and tofu are all made from soybeans.
温室greenhouseNounN2
冬でも温室ならトマトが育つ。In a greenhouse, tomatoes will grow even in winter.
害虫insect pestNounN2
害虫を防ぐために、畑に網をかけた。We put netting over the field to keep the pests off.
後継者successorNounN2
農家の後継者不足が深刻になっている。The shortage of people to take over farms is becoming serious.
地産地消eating locally produced foodNounN2
給食にも地産地消の考え方が取り入れられている。The idea of eating locally grown food has found its way into school lunches too.
Four kanji, literally "produced locally, consumed locally".
鮮度freshnessNounN2
魚は鮮度が命だ。With fish, freshness is everything.
農地farmlandNounN2
高速道路の建設で、多くの農地が失われた。A great deal of farmland was lost to the building of the motorway.
生産者producer; growerNounN2
袋には生産者の名前と写真が載っている。The bag carries the grower's name and photograph.
