椎しい茸たけ

し

い

た

け

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

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.

See all 17 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

椎しい茸たけを干ほすto dry shiitake mushrooms
収しゅう穫かくした椎しい茸たけを庭にわで干ほした。
I dried the shiitake mushrooms I had harvested in the yard.
干ほし椎しい茸たけを戻もどすto rehydrate dried shiitake mushrooms
干ほし椎しい茸たけを水みずで戻もどしてから煮に物ものに使つかう。
I soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water before using them in a simmered dish.
椎しい茸たけを焼やくto grill shiitake mushrooms
炭すみ火びで椎しい茸たけを焼やくといい香かおりがする。
Grilling shiitake mushrooms over charcoal gives off a wonderful aroma.

Kanji

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

Don't confuse with

マイタケ
椎茸 has a single round cap while まいたけ grows in frilly, layered clusters, so learners sometimes confuse the two mushroom names.
エノキ
椎茸 is brown and umbrella-shaped, whereas えのき is long, thin, and white, though both are common cooking mushrooms.

Counted with

個こN5
The all-purpose counter for small discrete objects, used when no more specific counter applies.
枚まいN3
枚 is used for shiitake mushrooms that are flat, such as dried shiitake (乾燥しいたけ).

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.

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.