Translation guide
The word 'egg' in English refers to both the food item and the biological cell. In Japanese, the most common word is 卵 (たまご), but there are specific terms for fish eggs, egg as an ingredient, and idiomatic expressions.
Referring to a chicken egg or similar bird egg used as food, either raw or cooked.
The general word for egg, especially chicken eggs. Used in cooking and everyday contexts.
I ate an egg for breakfast.
Please crack the egg.
Often used specifically for chicken eggs as food, especially in dishes like 玉子焼き (tamagoyaki). Interchangeable with 卵 in many food contexts.
I like tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette).
Referring to egg used in cooking, such as beaten egg, egg wash, or egg as a binding agent.
Referring to the eggs of fish or other seafood, often used in sushi.
General term for fish eggs or roe.
Fish roe is often used in sushi.
Salmon roe, a common sushi topping.
I'll have the salmon roe battleship roll, please.
Cod roe, often eaten as a side dish or in onigiri.
I want to eat cod roe pasta.
Flying fish roe, small and crunchy, used in sushi.
Flying fish roe is crunchy.
Referring to the female reproductive cell in animals or humans.
English idioms involving 'egg' and their Japanese equivalents.
Equivalent to 'Which came first, the chicken or the egg?'
The debate over which came first, the chicken or the egg, is endless.
Equivalent to 'You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.'
Reform involves pain. You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.
Describes a cute round face, literally 'an egg with eyes and a nose'.
She has a cute, round face.
Both are read たまご and mean egg. 卵 is the more general character and can refer to any egg, while 玉子 is often used specifically for chicken eggs as food, especially in compound words like 玉子焼き (tamagoyaki). In many contexts they are interchangeable.
When 卵 is read as らん, it often appears in compound words related to biology or reproduction, such as 排卵 (はいらん, ovulation) or 受精卵 (じゅせいらん, fertilized egg). Using たまご in these contexts would be incorrect.