ごぼう

also: ごんぼ · うまふぶき

ご

ぼ

う

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

burdock root; great burdock; gobo

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the edible root of the great burdock plant, a common vegetable in Japanese cuisine. Often used in dishes like kinpira gobo.

ごぼうのきんぴらが大だい好すきです。
I love kinpira gobo (braised burdock root).
このごぼうは太ふとくて新しん鮮せんですね。
This burdock root is thick and fresh, isn't it?

See all 26 example sentences ›

Kanji

牛cow
蒡burdock

Word family

ゴボウアザミ
Cirsium dipsacolepis; a perennial thistle
きくごぼう
scorzonera; Spanish salsify; viper's grass
牛ご蒡ぼう積づみ
burdock piling; stone wall technique with small faces outward
きんぴらごぼう
kinpira gobō; braised burdock root
たたきごぼう
simmered burdock root with sesame and vinegar
ヨウシュヤマゴボウ
American pokeweed; pokeweed

Written forms

ごぼうUsage55%
The word is usually written in kana; the kanji form 牛蒡 is rare and may not be widely recognized.
ゴボウUsage32%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used in botanical or culinary contexts.
牛蒡Usage13%
- ごぼう
  Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing. The reading ごんぼ is also possible for this spelling but is itself rare.
- ごんぼ
- うまふぶき
  out-dated reading
ごんぼ
Rare reading; may be encountered in some dialects or older texts.
うまふぶき
out-dated reading
Obsolete kana usage; not used in modern Japanese.

Etymology

The word is native Japanese. The kanji 牛蒡 are ateji (phonetically used characters) and do not reflect the meaning. The origin of the reading is uncertain.