noun
Rare term; the everyday word is さつまいも. May appear in historical, botanical, or dialectal contexts.
See also: さつまいも
古文書には「蕃薯」という表記でさつまいもが記録されている。
In old documents, sweet potatoes are recorded with the notation '蕃薯'.
The standard, everyday word for sweet potato. 蕃薯 is a rare, literary or historical synonym.
The kanji 蕃 (foreign) and 薯 (potato) indicate a foreign-origin potato. The reading ばんしょ is the on'yomi of these characters. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term likely entered Japanese through Chinese texts.