椎しい茸たけ

し

い

た

け

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

shiitake mushroom

usually written using kana alone

A common edible mushroom used in Japanese cuisine. Often written in kana, but the kanji 椎茸 is also widely seen.

しいたけを味み噌そ汁しるに入いれました。
I put shiitake mushrooms in the miso soup.
この椎しい茸たけは肉にく厚あつでおいしい。
These shiitake mushrooms are thick and delicious.

Written forms

椎しい茸たけUsage21%
Standard kanji spelling, commonly used in shops and cooking.
しいたけUsage54%
Kana spelling is very common in everyday writing; usually written in kana.
シイタケUsage25%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling often used in biological contexts or on packaging.
香蕈しいたけUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

Kanji

椎chinquapin, mallet, spine
茸mushroom
香incense, smell, perfume
蕈

Similar words

まいたけ
Maitake is a different mushroom with a frilly, clustered appearance, while shiitake has a single cap.
えのき
Enoki mushrooms are long, thin, and white, unlike the brown, umbrella-shaped shiitake.

Etymology

The name しいたけ likely derives from 椎 (shii, a type of evergreen tree) + 茸 (take, mushroom), as shiitake often grow on shii trees. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.

mushroom, toadstool, fungus