noun
kōji; malted rice; mold culture
Refers to grain (typically rice, barley, or soybeans) inoculated with Aspergillus oryzae mold, used as a starter for fermented foods like sake, miso, and soy sauce. Often translated as 'malted rice', but the process uses mold, not malting.
味噌を作るには、まず麹を用意します。
To make miso, first prepare the kōji.
この酒は米麹だけで造られています。
This sake is made using only rice kōji.
Alternate kanji, literally 'rice flower', emphasizing the appearance of mold growth on rice. Less common than 麹.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
The reading こうじ is of uncertain origin. The kanji 麹 is a Chinese character for yeast or leaven, adopted for the mold-cultured grain. The alternate form 糀 is a Japanese kokuji combining 米 (rice) and 花 (flower), describing the fluffy white mold growth.