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さや Japanese meaning | Kotomora

さや

さ

や

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

pod; shell; hull

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the pod of legumes like peas and beans, or the shell/hull of certain seeds.

枝えだ豆まめのさやをむいて、中なかの豆まめを取とり出だす。
Shell the edamame pods and take out the beans inside.
この豆まめはさやごと食たべられます。
These beans can be eaten pod and all.

Written forms

さやUsage43%
Usually written in kana; the kanji 莢 is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
サヤUsage39%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in botanical contexts.
莢さやUsage18%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.

Kanji

莢pod, hull, husk

Similar words

豆まめ
豆 refers to the bean or pea itself, while さや is the outer pod that contains the beans.
殻から
殻 is a more general term for shell, husk, or hard outer covering (e.g., eggshell, nut shell), whereas さや specifically refers to the pod of legumes.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain; it is a native Japanese word (和語). The kanji 莢 is a Chinese character meaning 'pod' and is used here as a semantic match, not reflecting a Chinese borrowing.