ginkgo nut; gingko nut
The edible seed of the ginkgo tree, often used in Japanese cuisine. Can be roasted, boiled, or added to dishes like chawanmushi.
See also: イチョウ (いちょう)
茶碗蒸しにぎんなんを入れると風味が増す。
Adding ginkgo nuts to chawanmushi enhances the flavor.
秋になると、祖母がぎんなんを炒ってくれた。
In autumn, my grandmother would roast ginkgo nuts for us.
Standard kanji spelling for ginkgo nut. Note that 銀杏 can also be read いちょう (ginkgo tree), but this word is specifically for the nut.
Katakana spelling often used in menus, product labels, or for emphasis.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially in recipes and casual contexts.
The reading ぎんなん is a sound shift from ぎんあん (銀杏), where 杏 (あん) is the Chinese-derived reading for 'apricot'. The gemination (っ) is a common phonetic change in Japanese.