おから

also: きらず · せっかさい

お

か

ら

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

okara; soy pulp; tofu lees

usually written using kana alone

The edible pulp left over after straining soy milk in tofu production. Commonly used in Japanese home cooking for dishes like 卯の花 (unohana).

おからを炒いためて卯うの花はなを作つくった。
I stir-fried okara and made unohana.
豆とう腐ふ屋やでおからを安やすく買かえる。
You can buy okara cheaply at a tofu shop.

Written forms

おからUsage81%
The most common spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
オカラUsage17%
きらずUsage2%
雪花菜
- おから
  Ateji kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
- きらず
  Kanji spelling for the reading きらず; very rare.
- せっかさい
  Sino-Japanese reading of the kanji; extremely rare in practice.
御お殻から
Ateji kanji spelling; rarely used in modern writing.
切きらず
Alternate reading and spelling, literally 'not cut'; a euphemistic name for okara.
せっかさい

Kanji

雪snow
花flower
菜vegetable, side dish, greens
切cut, cutoff, be sharp
御honorable, manipulate, govern
殻husk, nut shell

Similar words

卯うの花はな
卯の花 is a cooked dish made with okara, vegetables, and seasonings; okara itself is the raw ingredient.
豆とう腐ふ
豆腐 is the solid soy product; okara is the fibrous byproduct left after extracting soy milk for tofu.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The reading おから may be related to 空 (から, 'empty') or 殻 (から, 'husk'), but this is not confirmed. The kanji 雪花菜 and 御殻 are ateji.

おから