broad bean; fava bean
Refers to the legume Vicia faba, commonly eaten in Japan as a snack or in dishes.
Broad beans are delicious in spring.
I boiled the fava beans in salted water and ate them.
Common mixed kanji-kana spelling.
Katakana spelling, often used in botanical or culinary contexts.
Rare kanji form using 蚕 (silkworm).
Kanji spelling using 空 (sky).
Kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
Rare kanji form using 天 (heaven).
The name そらまめ (空豆) likely comes from the way the pods grow pointing upward toward the sky (空). The exact historical derivation is uncertain.