わさび

わ

さ

び

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

wasabi; Japanese horseradish

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the plant Wasabia japonica and the green pungent paste made from its stem, used in Japanese cuisine.

寿す司しにわさびを少すこしつけて食たべる。
I eat sushi with a little wasabi on it.
このわさびは静しず岡おか産さんです。
This wasabi is from Shizuoka.

2

noun

horseradish; wasabi-horseradish blend

usually written using kana alonecolloquial

Colloquial extension; often refers to horseradish or a mixture of horseradish and wasabi, commonly found in tubes or powder. See also ホースラディッシュ and 西洋わさび.

See also: ホースラディッシュ · 西洋わさび

チューブのわさびは実じつはホースラディッシュが混まざっていることが多おおい。
Tube wasabi often actually contains horseradish mixed in.

Written forms

わさびUsage59%
The word is usually written in kana; this is the most common spelling.
ワサビUsage32%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used in menus or for emphasis.
山葵わさびUsage9%
Kanji form; recognized but less common than kana.
和わ佐さ比び
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Ateji spelling; very rarely used.

Kanji

山mountain
葵hollyhock
和harmony, Japanese style, peace
佐

Similar words

ホースラディッシュ
Specifically horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), not the Japanese wasabi plant. Often used in Western cuisine.
西せい洋ようわさび
Literally 'Western wasabi', another term for horseradish.

Etymology

The origin of the word わさび is uncertain. It is a native Japanese word, and the kanji 山葵 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) applied later.

assistant, help

比compare, race, ratio