わかめ

わ

か

め

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

wakame; edible brown seaweed

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to Undaria pinnatifida, a common edible seaweed used in miso soup and salads.

味み噌そ汁しるにわかめを入いれました。

I put wakame in the miso soup.

わかめサラダが好すきです。

I like wakame salad.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉の味み噌そ汁しるmiso soup with (wakame)
今朝けさはわかめの味み噌そ汁しるを作つくった。
This morning I made miso soup with wakame.
〈物もの〉を水みずで戻もどすto rehydrate (dried wakame) in water
乾かん燥そうわかめを水みずで戻もどしてから使つかう。
I rehydrate the dried wakame in water before using it.

Kanji

若young, if, perhaps
布linen, cloth, spread
和harmony, Japanese style, peace
稚immature, young
海sea, ocean
藻seaweed, duckweed
裙hem, underwear
蔕calyx, stem
菜vegetable, side dish, greens

Don't confuse with

昆こん布ぶ
昆布 is thick kelp used to make dashi stock, whereas わかめ is a softer seaweed eaten directly in soups and salads.
のりN1
海苔 is dried, sheet-like laver used for sushi and onigiri, while わかめ is a different, softer species served in soups and salads.

Word family

茎くきわかめ
wakame stem; central rib of wakame leaf
鳴

Written forms

わかめUsage48%
Usually written in kana; this is the most common spelling.
ワカメUsage44%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used in biological or culinary contexts.
若布わかめUsage5%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
和布わかめUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but the word is native Japanese. The kanji 若布 literally means 'young cloth', possibly referring to the soft, cloth-like appearance of the seaweed.

なる

門と

若布わかめ

Naruto wakame; mild wakame from Tokushima

Rare kanji form.

稚海藻わかめ

rarely-used kanji form

Rare kanji form.

裙蔕菜わかめ

rarely-used kanji form

Rare kanji form.