Translation guide
A red dye made from the dried bodies of female cochineal insects, used as a food coloring and in cosmetics. In Japanese, it is most commonly referred to by its loanword name, with native terms being rare or technical.
cochineal (the dye/color)
Most common term, used in food labeling and everyday contexts.
Referring to the dye itself, especially in food, cosmetics, or art.
The standard loanword for cochineal dye. Widely understood in contexts like food additives and coloring.
This candy uses cochineal as a coloring agent.
Refers specifically to carmine, the purified pigment from cochineal. Common in ingredient lists.
The lipstick contains carmine.
Literally 'cochineal pigment'. Used in formal or technical descriptions, such as food additive labeling.
Cochineal pigment is a naturally derived coloring agent.
A traditional Japanese term for cochineal/carmine, literally 'Western red'. Rarely used today, mostly in historical or artistic contexts.
Cochineal was used in ukiyo-e prints.
Referring to the insect species used to produce the dye.
The full Japanese name for the cochineal insect, combining the loanword with the native word for scale insect.
The cochineal insect parasitizes cacti.
A native Japanese term literally meaning 'cochineal insect' (臙脂虫). Archaic and rarely encountered outside historical texts.
In ingredient lists, cochineal is often labeled as コチニール色素 (cochineal pigment) or カルミン (carmine). If you see these on a package, they refer to the same red dye derived from insects.
Ingredients: sugar, cochineal color
江戸時代にエンジムシが輸入された。
Cochineal insects were imported during the Edo period.