かぼちゃ

also: ぼうぶら · なんか

か

ぼ

ちゃ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun

pumpkin; squash

usually written using kana alone

Refers to pumpkins and squashes of the genus Cucurbita. The word is usually written in kana. The dialectal form ぼうぶら is used in Kansai.

from Portuguese Cambodia abóbora

かぼちゃの煮に物ものが大だい好すきです。
I love simmered pumpkin.
ハロウィンにはかぼちゃをくり抜ぬいてランタンを作つくります。
For Halloween, we hollow out pumpkins and make lanterns.

See all 51 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

かぼちゃの煮に物ものsimmered pumpkin (a common Japanese side dish)
夕ゆう食しょくにかぼちゃの煮に物ものを作つくった。
I made simmered pumpkin for dinner.
かぼちゃスープpumpkin soup
カフェでかぼちゃスープを注ちゅう文もんした。
I ordered pumpkin soup at the cafe.
かぼちゃを蒸むすto steam a pumpkin (a common cooking method)
かぼちゃを蒸むしてから潰つぶした。
I steamed the pumpkin and then mashed it.

Kanji

南south
瓜melon

Related words

パンプキン
パンプキン is the English loanword typically used for Western-style pumpkin dishes or Halloween contexts, while かぼちゃ is the everyday Japanese term for the vegetable.
南なん京きん
南京 is the Kansai dialect word for pumpkin/squash, while カボチャ is the standard Japanese word used nationwide.

Don't confuse with

南なん京きん
南京 (ナンキン) and 南瓜 (かぼちゃ) can both refer to pumpkin, but 南瓜 is the standard kanji spelling used nationwide while 南京 is a regional Kansai term for the same vegetable.

Counted with

個こN5
counter for small objects; counter for pieces · counter for military units · individual; one person · counter for years of age difference; counter for school years

Word family

ペポかぼちゃ
Cucurbita pepo; pumpkin and squash species
冬とう至じ南瓜かぼちゃ
custom of keeping a pumpkin or squash during winter and eating it on the winter solstice
どんぐりかぼちゃ
acorn squash
そうめんカボチャ
spaghetti squash
おもちゃかぼちゃ
Cucurbita pepo; ornamental gourd; field pumpkin

Written forms

かぼちゃUsage56%
Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana.
カボチャUsage36%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common in botanical or culinary contexts.
南瓜Usage8%
- かぼちゃ
  Kanji spelling is recognized but the word is usually written in kana.
- なんか
  out-dated reading
- ぼうぶら
ぼうぶら
Kansai dialect form; not standard Japanese.
なんか
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese 'Cambodia abóbora' (pumpkin from Cambodia), reflecting the introduction of the vegetable via Portuguese traders. The dialectal form ぼうぶら is a contraction of the same Portuguese source.