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かぼす Japanese meaning | Kotomora

かぼす

か

ぼ

す

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

kabosu (type of citrus fruit)

usually written using kana alone

A small green citrus fruit native to Japan, often used as a condiment or in ponzu. The scientific name is Citrus sphaerocarpa.

焼やき魚ざかなにかぼすを絞しぼるとさっぱりする。
Squeezing kabosu over grilled fish makes it refreshing.
大おお分いた県けんはかぼすの産さん地ちとして有ゆう名めいだ。
Oita Prefecture is famous as a production area for kabosu.

Written forms

かぼすUsage44%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 香母酢 and 臭橙 are rare.
カボスUsage56%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is also common, especially in menus or product names.
香か母ぼ酢す
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

臭橙かぼす

rarely-used kanji form

Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

Kanji

香incense, smell, perfume
母mother
酢vinegar, sour, acid
臭stinking, ill-smelling, suspicious looking
橙bitter orange

Similar words

すだち
Sudachi is another small Japanese citrus, similar in use but slightly different in flavor and region; sudachi is more associated with Tokushima Prefecture.
ゆず
Yuzu is a larger, more aromatic citrus used in a wider range of dishes and products; kabosu is milder and often used fresh.

Etymology

The origin of the word かぼす is uncertain. It may be derived from an old regional name or a contraction, but there is no widely accepted etymology.