wagyu

W4A1G2Y4U1
/ˈwæɡ.juː//ˈwɑːɡ.juː/nonstandard/ˈwæ.ɡuː/nonstandard/ˈwɑːɡuː/

noun

Any of several Japanese breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat.

Similar
Kobe
RareScrabble 12
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounwagyu (countable and uncountable, plural wagyus or wagyu)

plural wagyus

  1. countableAny of several Japanese breeds of cattle genetically predisposed to intense marbling and to producing a high percentage of oleaginous unsaturated fat.

    Slices of wagyu beef come with spheres of root vegetables and mini-towers of polenta.

    2009 January 19, Corey Mintz, “Susur and the City”, in Toronto Star
  2. countableuncountableBeef from such cattle.

    Order the wagyu beef bowl with rice or salad as a base, or try a wagyu burger with single or double patties.

    2026, Benjamin Epstein, The Irvine Standard, Welcome to a world of wagyu at these restaurants, page 17

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
Kobe

Origin

From Japanese 和(わ)牛(ぎゅう) (wagyū), from Middle Chinese 和 (MC hwa, “a gloss for 倭 (MC 'wa, “Japan”)”) + 牛 (MC ngjuw, “cow”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 和牛
  • 和牛 (héniú)breed of cattle
Esperanto vagjuo
  • vagjuobreed of cattle
Japanese 和牛
  • 和牛 (wagyū)breed of cattle
Korean 와규
  • 와규 (wagyu)breed of cattle
Polish wagyū
  • wagyūbreed of cattle
Russian ва́гю
  • ва́гю (vágju)breed of cattle
Cite this entry
APA

wagyu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wagyu

MLA

“wagyu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wagyu. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wagyu,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wagyu.

Source: wagyu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.