Refers to the pod of legumes like peas and beans, or the shell/hull of certain seeds.
枝豆のさやをむいて、中の豆を取り出す。
Shell the edamame pods and take out the beans inside.
この豆はさやごと食べられます。
These beans can be eaten pod and all.
legume; leguminous plant
green beans; string beans; French beans
Usually written in kana; the kanji 莢 is rare and may not be recognized by many readers.
Katakana spelling, sometimes used for emphasis or in botanical contexts.
Kanji form; rarely used in modern Japanese.
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.