Japanese word

豆

Pronunciation

Romajimame

Meaning

  • nounbean

Example

夕食に豆を食べます。yū shoku ni mame o ta be ma su

I eat beans for dinner.

Illustration for 豆 (bean)

More examples

休日に豆を使ったスープを作ります。kyū jitsu ni mame o tsuka tta sū pu o tsuku ri ma su

I make soup with beans on holidays.

Core concept

Refers to a legume plant's seed or pod when it is considered as food.

Common phrases

  • 豆を買うmame o ka u

    buy beans

  • 豆を洗うmame o ara u

    wash beans

  • 豆の缶詰mame no kan zume

    canned beans

Definition in Japanese

マメ科の植物の種子や、その種子を包むさやを食用とするもの。ma me ka no shoku butsu no shu shi ya so no shu shi o tsutsu mu sa ya o shoku yō to su ru mo no

Word origin

豆 (mame) is a native Japanese word, and the character 豆 (tō, "bean") was adopted from Chinese to represent its established meaning.

Usage tips

  • When a Japanese speaker says 豆 (mame) about food without naming a variety, the listener may identify the specific bean or pea from the surrounding context.

Other meanings

  • peanoun

Related words

  • 豆類mameruilegumesnoun

Word lists with this word