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

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

Holy Cow Idaho in Nampa has concocted The Cherry Bomb ($16.79 with french fries): one-third pound of grass-fed Wagyu with white cheddar cheese, smoky bacon, buttermilk onion straws, roasted jalapeno aioli and black cherry barbecue sauce on a toasted brioche bun from Gaston’s Bakery. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 28 Apr. 2025

Settle in for dinner or weekend brunch and raise a toast to the dishes that will satiate everyone’s appetites, from a Sous Vide Creekstone Pork Chop, to Braised Wagyu Short Ribs, to Pappardelle with Key West pink shrimp. —Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2025

The sellers decided to move to be closer to their oldest daughter and her husband, who used to live down the street in the same gated community, but moved to Nevada to realize their dream of running a Wagyu beef ranch. —David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 25 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