Japanese word

芋

Pronunciation

Romajiimo

Meaning

  • nounpotato

Example

この芋はおいしいです。ko no imo wa o i shi i de su

This potato is tasty.

Illustration for 芋 (potato)

More examples

八百屋で芋を三つ買いました。yaoya de imo o mit tsu ka i ma shi ta

I bought three potatoes at the greengrocer.

Core concept

Describes an edible underground plant part whose firm, starchy flesh serves as food.

Common phrases

  • 芋を買うimo o ka u

    buy potatoes

  • 芋の皮imo no kawa

    potato skin

Similar words

じゃがいもjagaimo: The usual spoken name for the edible tuber of the potato plant.
ポテトpoteto: A loanword that commonly refers to potatoes in food names and dishes.
馬鈴薯jagaimo: A formal name for the edible tuber of the potato plant.

Definition in Japanese

植物の地下にできる、でんぷんを多く含んだ食用の部分。shoku butsu no chi ka ni de ki ru de n pu n o ō ku fuku n da shoku yō no bu bun

Word origin

The Japanese word 芋 (imo) is a native word formed as a simple noun rather than from borrowed parts, and its original word history is not certain.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Japanese, 焼き芋 (yakiimo) refers to a roasted sweet potato sold as a snack, so 芋 (imo) appears in a familiar food word.

Other meanings

  • taronoun
  • yamnoun

Word lists with this word