Japanese apricot; ume; plum
Refers to the fruit, tree, or blossom of Prunus mume. Often translated as 'plum' but botanically closer to an apricot. Common in food names like 梅干し and 梅酒.
庭に梅の木が一本あります。
There is a Japanese apricot tree in the garden.
梅干しは酸っぱくておいしい。
Umeboshi are sour and delicious.
lowest rank; third tier
Used in the traditional three-tier ranking system 松竹梅 (pine, bamboo, plum), where 梅 is the lowest grade. Often seen in restaurant menus, gift sets, or exam results.
おせち料理の松竹梅のうち、梅が一番安い。
Among the pine-bamboo-plum tiers of osechi dishes, the plum tier is the cheapest.
The plum blossoms in the garden have started to bloom.
Since we were on a budget, we went with the cheapest (梅) course.
Every year, my mother pickles plums to make umeboshi.
桜 and 梅 are both early-spring blossoming trees that learners often mix up, though 桜 blooms later and is more strongly associated with hanami.
white plum blossoms; white-blossomed plum tree
plum vinegar; salted plum juice
wintersweet; Japanese allspice
pincushion plant; Diapensia lapponica
Chinese bushberry; bush cherry
deep brown color
Japanese winterberry; Ilex serrata
plum blossoms as a harbinger of spring
yellowtail blue snapper; yellowback fusilier
plum-blossom viewing
grayish pink; rose grey
Hitachi-Ume era (sumo)
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
Katakana spelling used in botanical contexts or for emphasis.
Variant kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.