きんぴら

き

ん

ぴ

ら

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

kinpira; chopped burdock root cooked in sugar and soy sauce

abbreviationusually written using kana alonefood / cooking

A classic Japanese home-style dish. Often includes carrot. Abbreviation of きんぴらごぼう. The word can also be used as a prefix for other vegetables prepared in the same style (e.g., きんぴられんこん).

Kanji

金gold
平even, flat, peace
公public, prince, official

Related words

きんぴらごぼう
The full name of the dish; きんぴら is the common abbreviation.

Word family

きんぴらごぼう
kinpira gobō; braised burdock root

Built from

金きん+平ひら

Written forms

きんぴらUsage60%
Usually written in kana; the kanji spelling 金平 is also common, especially in menus and recipes.
キンピラUsage23%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in casual writing.
金きん平ぴらUsage17%
Common kanji spelling, especially in food contexts. The reading きんぴら is standard.
公きん平ぴら
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form for this word; more commonly read as こうへい (fairness).

Etymology

The name is said to come from the legendary strongman Sakata no Kintoki (金時), known for his vigor, suggesting the dish's hearty, robust character. The kanji 金平 is an alternative spelling.