さつま芋いも

also: かんしょ

さ

つ

ま

い

も

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the root vegetable Ipomoea batatas. Commonly eaten roasted, steamed, or in sweets. Often written in kana or katakana.

サツマイモ

は

食しょく

物もつ

繊せん

維い

が

豊ほう

富ふ

だ

。

Sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber.

さつま芋いも
Common mixed kanji-kana spelling; the plant name is often written this way.
甘藷Usage55%
- かんしょ
  Variant kanji spelling; also read かんしょ, but very uncommon.
- さつまいも
カンショUsage21%
かんしょUsage16%
甘薯Usage8%
- かんしょ
  Literary or technical kanji spelling; reading かんしょ is rare in everyday use.
- さつまいも
薩さつ摩ま芋いも
Full kanji spelling; 薩摩 refers to the Satsuma region.
サツマイモ
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is very common, especially in botanical or culinary contexts.

じゃがいも
じゃがいも is a potato (Solanum tuberosum), while さつまいも is a sweet potato, a different species with sweeter taste and often reddish skin.
焼やき芋いも
焼き芋 specifically means roasted sweet potato, a popular way to prepare さつまいも.

From 薩摩 (Satsuma, an old province in southern Kyushu) + 芋 (imo, 'potato'), as the sweet potato was introduced to Japan via the Satsuma region.

potato

薩salvation, Buddha

摩chafe, rub, polish