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あんこ Japanese meaning | Kotomora
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The dorayaki has plenty of red bean paste in it.
This anko is not overly sweet.
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 に 餡あん 子こ を 包つつ む to wrap red bean paste inside (a bun, mochi, etc.)
You wrap red bean paste inside the daifuku.
餡あん 子こ を 炊た く to simmer azuki beans down into bean paste
Every year, my mother simmers azuki beans into paste before New Year's.
〈 物もの 〉 に 餡あん 子こ がたっぷり 入はい っている to be generously filled with bean paste
This manju is generously filled with bean paste.
Kanji 子 child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM Related words 餡 is a shorter, more general term for paste or filling, while 餡子 is the everyday, familiar word especially for sweet bean paste.
詰め物 is a more explicit, general word for stuffing or something packed inside, whereas 餡子 in this extended sense is a casual way to describe such filling.
中綿 specifically means the inner cotton or padding in items like cushions or clothing, while 餡子 is a looser, more casual term for any packed-in filling.
Written forms あんこ Usage 79%
Everyday kana spelling; the main food sense is usually written in kana.
餡あん 子こ Usage 15%
Standard kanji spelling, common enough to encounter on labels, menus, and in dictionaries, though kana is very common in ordinary writing.
アンコ Usage 4%
餡あん こ Usage 2%
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less usual than あんこ or 餡子.
Etymology The spelling 餡子 reflects 餡, meaning a paste or filling, plus 子, a common noun-forming element. The exact historical development of the familiar form あんこ is uncertain.