“Welcome to the world of fruits in Japanese! Japanese culture highly values the aesthetics and quality of food, and fruits, called Kudamono, are no exception. Let’s explore some of the most popular fruits in Japan and learn some useful words to describe them.”
Some fruits have been cultivated in Japan for many centuries, and they received an original name in Kanji or Hiragana. Others, which were brought from other countries, gained their names based on the original name using Katakana.
If you have a bit of knowledge in English or other languages, you will notice that some names are derived from English, such as Orenji (orange) / Banana (banana).
We also recommend reading the following articles:
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- Citrus fruits of Japan – Kinkan, Daidan, Sudachi, and Yuzu
- Suugaku – What is Japanese mathematics like?
Table of Contents
How to say Fruit in Japanese?
Kudamono [果物] is the main Japanese word for referring to fruits, but there are other ways to say fruit in Japanese, such as Kajitsu [果実], and the transliteration of the English Fruit, which in Japanese is Furuutsu [フルーツ].
Other ways to say fruit in Japanese are:
- 果物 (kajitsu) – this is the most common word in Japanese to refer to fruits in general. It is composed of the characters 果 (ka), which means “fruit” or “fruiting body,” and 物 (mono), which means “thing” or “object.”
- フルーツ (furūtsu) – this is a word in katakana (one of the Japanese writing systems) that refers to fruits in general, but it is more commonly used to refer to fruits of Western origin, such as apples and pears.
- 果実 (kajitsu) – this word means “fruit” or “fruiting body” in a more scientific or botanical sense, referring to the reproductive organ of the plant that contains the seeds.
- 実 (mi) – this is a character that means “fruit” or “fruiting body,” but it is more commonly used in names of specific fruits, such as 梨 (nashi), which means “Japanese pear.”
- 果 (ka) – this is a character that means “fruit” or “fruiting body” and is commonly used in names of specific fruits, such as 桃 (momo), which means “peach.”
List of fruits in Japanese
| Fruit | Japanese | Rōmaji |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 果物 | kudamono |
| Fruit | フルーツ | furu-tsu |
| Apple | 林檎 | ringo |
| Orange | オレンジ | orenji |
| Banana | バナナ | banana |
| Watermelon | 西瓜 | suika |
| Strawberry | 苺 | イチゴ | ichigo |
| Lemon | 檸檬 | remon |
| Peach | 桃 | momo |
| Pear | 梨 | nashi |
| Mango | マンゴー | mango- |
| Durian | ドリアン | dorian |
| Pineapple | パイナップル | painappuru |
| Tangerine | 蜜柑 | mikan |
| Grape | 葡萄 | budou |
| Raisin | 干し葡萄 | hoshi budou |
| Plum | 梅 | ume |
| Apricot | 杏 | anzu |
| Apricot | アプリコット | apurikotto |
| Cherry | サクランボ | sakuranbo |
| Cherry | チェリー | cheri- |
| Persimmon | 柿 | kaki |
| Fig | 無花果 | ichijiku |
| Chestnut | 栗 | kuri |
| Pomelo / Christmas Orange [A type of lemon] | 柚/柚子 | yuzu |
| Pomegranate | 石榴 | zakuro |
| Melon | メロン | meron |
| Guava | グアバ | guaba |
| Kiwi | キウイ | kiui |
| Papaya | パパイヤ | papaiya |
| Coconut | ココナッツ | kokonattsu |
| Grapefruit | グレープフルーツ | gure-pu furu-tsu |
| Jackfruit | ジャックフルーツ | jakku furu-tsu |
| Blueberry | ブルーベリー | buru- beri- |
| Blackberry | ブラックベリー | burakku beri- |
| Raspberry | 木苺 | kiichigo |
| Raspberry | ラズベリー | razu beri- |
| Avocado | アボカド | abokado |
| Lime | ライム | raimu |
| Nut | 木の実 | konomi |
| Berry | 漿果 | shiyouka |
| Plum | プラム | puramu |
+ 100 Fruits in Japanese [List]
- abokado (アボカド) – Avocado
- akebi (アケビ) – Akebia
- amanatsu (アマナツ) – Chinese citron
- amondo (アーモンド) – Almond
- anz (アンズ) – Apricot
- asellor (アセロラ) – Acerola
- banana (バナナ) – Banana
- beri-rui (ベリー類) – Berries
- biwa, bipa びわ、枇杷) – Loquat, Japanese loquat
- budou (ブドウ) – Grape
- buntan (ブンタン) – Shaddock
- burakkuberi (ブラックベリー) – Blackberry
- burubberi (ブルーベリー) – Blueberry
- cherimoya (チェリモヤ) – Cherimoya, chirimuya
- doragonfuruutsu (ドラゴンフルーツ) – Dragon fruit
- dorian (ドリアン) – Durian
- garana (ガラナ) – Guaraná
- gorinshi (ゴレンシ) – Starfruit
- guava (グアヴァ) – Guava
- gumi (グミ) – Jambolan
- guranadira (グラナディラ) – Granadilla, granadilla
- gureepu, budou, budou, puta (グレープ、ブドウ、ぶどう、葡萄) – Grapes
- gureepufuruutsu (グレープフルーツ) – Grapefruit
- hoozuki, hoozuki, oniou, saisarisu (ホオズキ、ほおずき、鬼灯、サイサリス) – Physalis
- ichigo (いちご) – Strawberry
- ichijiku (いちじく) – Fig, Fig tree
- janboran (ジャンボラン) – Java plum
- kaki (カキ) – Persimmon
- kamiausu (カミアス) – Camias
- kankitsu-rui, kantou-rui (カンキツ類、柑橘類) – Citrus
- kantaroopu (カンタロープ) – Cantaloupe
- karin (カリン) – Quince
- kashunattsu (カシューナッツ) – Cashew
- kasutaadoappuru (カスタードアップル) – Custard apple
- kinkan (キンカン) – Kumquat
- kiwi (キウイ) – Kiwi, fruits
- kokonattsu (ココナッツ) – Coconut
- kuranberi (クランベリー) – Cranberry
- mangosuchin (マンゴスチン) – Mangosteen
- mangou (マンゴー) – Mango
- meron (メロン) – Melon
- mikan, mikan, mikan (ミカン、みかん、蜜柑) – Mandarin, Tangerine
- nagamipannoki (ナガミパンノキ) – Jackfruit
- nashi, nashi (なし、梨) – Pear
- natsume (ナツメ) – Jujube
- natsumeyashi no mi (ナツメヤシの実) – Date fruit
- neeburu (ネーブル) – Navel orange
- nektarin (ネクタリン) – Nectarine
- nippayashi no mi (ニッパヤシの実) – Nipa palm fruit
- orenji (オレンジ) – Orange
- painappuru (パイナップル) – Pineapple
- pan no ki (パンの木) – Breadfruit
- papaiya (パパイヤ) – Papaya
- passhonfuruutsu (パッションフルーツ) – Passion fruit
- piichi, momo, momo (ピーチ、もも、桃) – Peach
- ponkan (ポンカン) – Ponkan orange
- puruun (プルーン) – Plum, European plum
- raichi (ライチ) – Lychee
- raimu (ライム) – Lime
- ranbuutan (ランブータン) – Rambutan
- ransa (ランサ) – Duku, Langsat
- razuberi (ラズベリー) – Raspberry
- remon (レモン) – Lemon
- renbu (レンブ) – Water apple
- rezun, goshi budou (レーズン、干しブドウ) – Raisins
- ringo (りんご) – Apple
- rongan, ryuugan, ryuuen (ロンガン、りゅうがん、竜眼、龍眼) – Longan, dragon eye fruit
- sakuranbo (さくらんぼ) – Cherry
- sapojira (サポジラ) – Sapodilla
- sarakyashi (サラクヤシ) – Salak
- satooyashi no mi (サトウヤシの実) – Palm fruit
- shokuyouhoozuki (ショクヨウホオズキ) – Ground cherry
- suguri (スグリ) – Gooseberry
- suika (スイカ) – Watermelon
- sumomo (スモモ) – Plum
- sutafuruutsu, gorenko (スターフルーツ、五斂子) – Starfruit
- tahichimonbishi (タヒチモンビシ) – Otaheite apple
- togabanturaishi no mi (トゲバンレイシの実) – Soursop
- ume (ウメ) – Japanese apricot
- yamamomo (ヤマモモ) – Waxberry
- zakuro (ザクロ) – Pomegranate
Parts of fruits in Japanese
Below we will see some terms related to parts of fruits in Japanese, such as berries, nectar, seed, and others.
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| berries | ベリー類 | berii-rui |
| citrus | 柑橘類 | kankitstu-rui |
| fruit core | 芯 | shin |
| flesh | 果肉 | kudamotsu |
| juice | 果汁 | kujiru |
| nectar | とろみのある果汁 | toromi no aru kujiru |
| peeling, skin | 皮 | kawa |
| seed, core | 種、核 | tane, kaku |
| pulp | 果肉 小胞 | kudamotsu kōhō |
| seed | 種 | tane |
| enthusiasm | 皮 | kawa |
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