Brown rice is the common term for unmilled or partly milled rice. As it retains a layer of bran and fiber, brown rice is often claimed to be healthier and more nutritious than fully milled white rice. It is chewier than white rice, has a mild nutty flavor and becomes rancid faster.

In much of Asia, brown rice (玄米, genmai in Japanese) is associated with poverty and wartime shortages, and is rarely eaten except by the sick, the elderly and as a cure for constipation.