Wagyu

noun

Wa·​gyu ˈwä-(ˌ)gyü 

variants or less commonly wagyu

plural Wagyu also wagyu

1

: any of four strains of a breed of black or red Japanese cattle valued for their highly marbled meat

In the U.S., Japanese Wagyu cows have been crossbred with those of other breeds to produce unsurpassably tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef.

—Saveur

Note: Wagyu were developed in Japan in the late 1800s to 1910 by crossbreeding native cattle with European breeds.

2

or Wagyu beef or less commonly wagyu beef : beef from Wagyu cattle

The surface of my Wagyu was intricately laced with delicate veins of off-white fat—by laboratory measurement, three times more marbling fat than U.S. prime-grade beef, though with slightly less cholesterol.

—Jeffrey Steingarten

Wagyu beef is tender and flavorful because of its intramuscular fat, or marbling.

—Sam Gugino

compare kobe beef

Examples of Wagyu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The gastropub-style menu features elevated hot dog dishes, a Snake River Farms Wagyu beef burger, chili nachos and a large beer menu. Oeste Bar: Located in the hotel’s atrium, Oeste is a bar specializing in cocktails that celebrate Mexican flavors and heritage and a large selection of tequilas. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 May 2025

May 13, 2025 3 AM PT Plus, a Wagyu steakhouse expands (with one of the city’s best cheesesteaks) A trendy Chicago sandwich shop lands in L.A. Dine Latino Restaurant Week kicks off, and more. —Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025

South Chicago Packing, an Illinois company that specializes in producing different fats has a novel solution to all that: Wagyu Beef Tallow Spray. —Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 May 2025

But the breathtaking audacity of imagining Paramount+’s German office as a Nazi war room raises the beef to A5 Japanese Wagyu levels, right along with casting an actor who speaks like a nefarious officer in a WWII movie. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese wagyū, from wa "Japan, Japanese" + gyū "cattle, cow"

First Known Use

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1