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卵 (たまご, tamago) Japanese meaning: egg | Kotomora
じ 字 Furigana
Meanings Jump to a sense… 1. egg; spawn; roe 2. egg; hen's egg; egg used in cooking 3. budding ...; ... in the making; future ... 4. beginning; embryonic stage; origin Report an issue with this page
産う
ん
だ
。
A frog laid eggs in the pond.
Salmon roe is eaten as ikura.
Usage patterns 〈 動どう 物ぶつ 〉 が 卵たまご を 産う む for an animal to lay eggs
Chickens lay eggs every day.
卵たまご を 割わ る to crack an egg
I cracked an egg into the bowl.
〈 職しょく 業ぎょう 〉 の 卵たまご a budding ...; someone training to become a ...
He's still just a budding doctor.
卵たまご を 茹ゆ でる to boil an egg
I boiled an egg for breakfast.
卵たまご を 焼や く to fry/cook an egg
I fried an egg in the frying pan.
Expressions 金きん の 卵たまご golden child; promising young talent · golden egg; cash cow; gold mine 卵たまご に 目め 鼻はな cute egg-like face; eyes and nose on an egg Kanji 子 child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM Related words 卵 is the everyday Japanese word for an egg in any context, while エッグ is a loanword used almost exclusively in Western-style food names and compounds like エッグタルト.
卵 is the everyday, general word for an egg (of any animal or as food), while 鶏卵 specifically and formally denotes a chicken's egg, common in labeling or scientific contexts.
卵 is the standard modern word for a hen's egg, while お玉 in this sense is a rare, old-fashioned or dialectal term.
卵 is the everyday word for an egg, while 玉(ぎょく)is the specialized sushi term for the sweet tamago topping.
卵 is the ordinary modern word for an egg, while 玉 in this sense survives mainly inside compounds like 玉子.
Don't confuse with 卵子 is the technical biological term for an egg cell (ovum), while 卵 is the everyday word for an egg or spawn.
魚卵 is a formal, written term specifically for fish roe, whereas 卵 is the general, conversational word that covers all kinds of eggs.
Counted with The all-purpose counter for small discrete objects, used when no more specific counter applies.
The native all-purpose counter (一つ, 二つ) — natural for anything without a specific counter, up to ten.
Word family· 37 rolled omelette; tamagoyaki · fried egg · tamagoyaki pan; rectangular omelette pan
egg-sized
skin as white and smooth as an egg
yellowish color; egg-yellow
Written forms 卵たまご Usage 78%
Standard high-frequency spelling for eggs in general, including biological eggs, spawn, food eggs, and figurative uses.
たまご Usage 11%
Practical kana spelling in everyday, casual, learner-facing, or child-facing writing; 卵 is preferred in more formal biological or scientific contexts.
玉たま 子ご Usage 8%
Common culinary spelling, especially for hen's eggs and prepared egg dishes; not used for animal spawn or the figurative 'budding person' sense.
タマゴ Usage 3%
Etymology たまご is a native Japanese word. 卵 is the standard kanji spelling for eggs in general, while 玉子 is a conventional alternate spelling especially associated with culinary use; the precise historical derivation is not given.
タマゴタケ
Amanita caesareoides (edible mushroom)