38189
I noticed that there are many words that can translate to "stomach" in
Japanese, including:

胃{い}・胃{い}袋{ぶくろ}・お腹{なか}・腹{はら}・胃{い}の腑{ふ}・胃{い}腸{ちょう}

What is the difference between these, and how do I know which is proper to use
in any situation?

Also, my gut feeling (no pun intended!) is that お腹 is polite and used when
talking about hunger, 腹 is more like "belly" (more general than "stomach"),
and 胃腸 is medical/academic. Is that correct?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-03T12:18:50.177
37175
2016-08-04T05:41:58.827
13886
question
word-choice words synonyms
Words for "stomach" (お腹、胃袋、etc.)
* **胃** : A digestive organ located between the esophagus and the duodenum. English "stomach" refers to both this specific organ and the abdomen, but you should make clear distinction in Japanese.
  * **胃袋** : A more casual word for 胃. Not used in formal/medical documents.
  * **腹** : Abdomen.
  * **お腹** : Abdomen. Sounds more mild and politer than 腹.
  * **腹部【ふくぶ】** : Abdominal area. (formal and/or technical, safely used in medical contexts)
  * **胃の腑** : Very rare. You may find this in certain uncommon idioms.
  * **胃腸** : Stomach and intestine (vaguely referring to the digestive system). It's a vague (and non-academic) word typically heard in ads and TV variety shows. In medical contexts, more academic terms such as 上部【じょうぶ】消化管【しょうかかん】 ("upper gastrointestinal tract") are preferred.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-04T05:36:24.030
38189
2016-08-04T05:41:58.827
2016-08-04T05:41:58.827
5010
5010
37175
answer