noun
wheat; barley; oats; cereal grain
Broad term for cereal grains, especially wheat and barley. In everyday use, 麦 often refers to wheat or barley depending on context; specific types are distinguished by compounds like 小麦 (こむぎ, wheat) and 大麦 (おおむぎ, barley).
このパンは国産の麦を使っています。
This bread uses domestically grown wheat.
麦が黄金色に実る季節です。
It's the season when the barley ripens to a golden color.
Native Japanese word. The kanji 麦 is a pictograph of a cereal plant with hanging ears, used broadly for grains.