# 黙食
## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 黙 | 食 |
| もく Grade: S | しょく Grade: 2 |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 默食 (kyūjitai)

### Etymology

From 黙(もく) (moku, “stillness”) + 食(しょく) (shoku, “eating”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mo̞kɯ̟ɕo̞kɯ̟]

### Noun

黙(もく)食(しょく) • (mokushoku)
* eating in silence (without conversing)
** [1983 November 13, Yoshikawa Masayoshi, “WHAT gimu kyōiku [WHAT! Compulsory education]”, in Yomiuri Shimbun, page 9:
    いま学(がっ)校(こう)で、「黙(もく)動(どう)」「黙(もく)食(しょく)」運(うん)動(どう)が、深(ふか)く静(しず)かに運(うん)行(こう)中(ちゅう)だ。聞(き)き慣(な)れない言(こと)葉(ば)だが、つまるところ児(じ)童(どう)・生(せい)徒(と)に「黙(だま)って行(こう)動(どう)」「黙(だま)って食(しょく)事(じ)」させる運(うん)動(どう)。
       Ima gakkō de, “mokudō” “mokushoku” undō ga, fukaku shizuka ni unkō chū da. Kiki narenai kotoba da ga, tsumaru tokoro jidō seito ni “damatte kōdō” “damatte shokuji” saseru undō.
       In schools now, a “mokudō” “mokushoku” movement is running quietly and deep. They are not familiar words, but ultimately it describes an attempt to make children and students “behave quietly” and “eat silently”.]
** 2019 October 18, “Kenshō: Jisatsu-zō, kodomo ni heisoku-kan mienu atsuryoku, gakkō-nai ni [Inspections: increased suicides, children feeling hopeless, invisible pressures in schools]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, page 6:
    「忘(わす)れ物(もの)をしない」「背(せ)筋(すじ)を伸(の)ばす」といった規(き)範(はん)意(い)識(しき)の向(こう)上(じょう)をクラス全(ぜん)体(たい)で目(め)指(ざ)す「学(がっ)級(きゅう)スタンダード」、給(きゅう)食(しょく)時(とき)に私(し)語(ご)を禁(きん)止(し)する「黙(もく)食(しょく)」、学(がく)力(りょく)に対(たい)する保(ほ)護(ご)者(しゃ)の目(め)……。
       “Wasuremono o shinai” “sesuji o nobasu” to itta kihan ishiki no kōjō o kurasu zentai de mezasu “gakkyū sutandādo”, kyūshoku toki ni shigo o kinshi suru “mokushoku”, gakuryoku ni tai suru hogosha no me…….
       “Class standards” seek to impose norms such as “don’t forget items” and “stand with your back straight” for the improvement of the entire class, and at lunch time “silent eating” is the rule as guardians watch for forbidden whispering, in order to improve scholarly ability....
** 2022 February 26, “Daigaku nyūshi: U-dai, itsutsu gakubu ni 1371-nin idomu [University entrance exams: 1,371 people contend for five departments at Utsunomiya U]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, Tochigi local edition, page 27:
    静(しず)岡(おか)県(けん)の高(こう)校(こう)３(さん)年(ねん)生(せい)、鈴(すず)木(き)絢(あや)羽(ね)さん（18(じゅうはち)）は「人(ひと)が多(おお)いところには出(で)かけないようにし、学(がっ)校(こう)でも黙(もく)食(しょく)を徹(てっ)底(てい)していた。
       Shizuoka-ken no kōkō san-nensei, Suzuki Ayane-san (jūhachi) wa “hito ga ōi tokoro ni wa dekakenai yō ni shi, gakkō de mo mokushoku o tettei shiteita.
       Third-year high school student Ayane Suzuki (18) from Shizuoka prefecture said, “I avoided places with lots of people, and at school even made an effort at eating in silence.”
** 2022 March 5, “Kansen sai kakudai soshi tettei e [Toward thorough prevention of re-infection]”, in Yomiuri Shimbun, Chūbu morning edition, page 23:
    マスク会(かい)食(しょく)や「黙(もく)食(しょく)」の徹(てっ)底(てい)、「みえ安(あん)心(しん)おもてなし施(し)設(せつ)認(にん)証(しょう)制(せい)度(ど)」認(にん)証(しょう)店(てん)の利(り)用(よう)、不(ふ)要(よう)不(ふ)急(きゅう)の県(けん)境(きょう)を越(こ)える移(い)動(どう)の自(じ)粛(しゅく)などを県(けん)民(みん)に呼(よ)びかける。
       Masuku kaishoku ya “mokushoku” no tettei, “Mie anshin omotenashi shisetsu ninshō seido” ninshō ten no riyō, fuyō fukyū no kenkyō o koeru idō no jishuku nado o kenmin ni yobikakeru.
       We call on citizens of the prefecture to enforce masked dining and “silent eating”, to use the “Mie safe hospitality certification system” for shops, to practice self-restraint against crossing prefecture borders unnecessarily, and so on.

#### Usage notes

* Widespread from 2021 in reference to eating in groups in public, which could transmit COVID-19.

#### Synonyms

* 静(せい)食(しょく) (seishoku)

#### Hypernyms

* 黙(もく)活(かつ) (mokukatsu, “silent living”)

### Verb

黙(もく)食(しょく)する • (mokushoku suru) suru (stem 黙(もく)食(しょく)し (mokushoku shi), past 黙(もく)食(しょく)した (mokushoku shita))
* [from 2021] to eat in silence (without conversing)
** 2021 December 6, “Shingata korona ‘taisaku e no rikai fukamete’ Yahata byōin no Itō inchō, chū- kōsei muke kaisetsu dōga [COVID-19: Yahata hospital director Ito produces ‘Deeper understanding of countermeasures’ video for junior- and high-school students]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, Fukuoka local edition, page 23:
    関(かん)心(しん)が高(たか)かった部(ぶ)活(かつ)動(どう)対(たい)策(さく)では、伊(い)藤(とう)院(いん)長(ちょう)が「マスクを外(はず)して水(すい)分(ぶん)補(ほ)給(きゅう)する時(とき)に会(かい)話(わ)が弾(はず)むとリスクが高(たか)まる」と強(きょう)調(ちょう)し、休(きゅう)憩(けい)時(とき)こそ注(ちゅう)意(い)するよう呼(よ)びかけた。また、飲(いん)食(しょく)店(てん)のにぎわいが戻(もど)る中(なか)で「僕(ぼく)たちは昼(ちゅう)食(しょく)時(じ)にいつまで黙(もく)食(しょく)する必(ひつ)要(よう)があるのか」という質(しつ)問(もん)も。
       Kanshin ga takakatta bukatsudō taisaku de wa, Itō inchō ga “Masuku o hazushite suibun hokyū suru toki ni kaiwa ga hazumu to risuku ga takamaru” to kyōchō shi, kyūkei toki koso chūi suru yō yobikaketa. Mata, inshokuten no nigiwai ga modoru naka de “Bokutachi wa chūshokuji ni itsu made mokushoku suru hitsuyō ga aru no ka” to iu shitsumon mo.
       There was particular concern about countermeasures during club activities, as director Ito emphasized that “If masks are removed when hydrating, conversation or heavy breathing pose a high risk,” and called for continued caution during break times. Also, as crowds return to the cafeteria people question, “How long must we continue to eat in silence at lunchtime?”

#### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 黙食し | もくしょくし | mokushoku shi |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 黙食し | もくしょくし | mokushoku shi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 黙食する | もくしょくする | mokushoku suru |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 黙食する | もくしょくする | mokushoku suru |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 黙食すれ | もくしょくすれ | mokushoku sure |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 黙食せよ¹ 黙食しろ² | もくしょくせよ¹ もくしょくしろ² | mokushoku seyo¹ mokushoku shiro² |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 黙食される | もくしょくされる | mokushoku sareru |
| Causative | 黙食させる 黙食さす | もくしょくさせる もくしょくさす | mokushoku saseru mokushoku sasu |
| Potential | 黙食できる | もくしょくできる | mokushoku dekiru |
| Volitional | 黙食しよう | もくしょくしよう | mokushoku shiyō |
| Negative | 黙食しない | もくしょくしない | mokushoku shinai |
| Negative continuative | 黙食せず | もくしょくせず | mokushoku sezu |
| Formal | 黙食します | もくしょくします | mokushoku shimasu |
| Perfective | 黙食した | もくしょくした | mokushoku shita |
| Conjunctive | 黙食して | もくしょくして | mokushoku shite |
| Hypothetical conditional | 黙食すれば | もくしょくすれば | mokushoku sureba |
| ¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative ||||