あんこ

あ

ん

こ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

red bean paste; anko

usually written using kana alone

The familiar sweet paste used in Japanese confectionery, especially made from azuki beans. Often left untranslated as “anko” in food contexts.

どら焼やきにあんこがたっぷり入はいっている。
The dorayaki has plenty of red bean paste in it.
このあんこは甘あまさが控ひかえめだ。
This anko is not overly sweet.

noun

filling; sweet filling

Refers to the filling inside a confection such as a manju; in practice this is often bean paste, but the focus is on the inside filling rather than the ingredient.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉に餡あん子こを包つつむto wrap red bean paste inside (a bun, mochi, etc.)
大だい福ふくに餡あん子こを包つつむ。
You wrap red bean paste inside the daifuku.
餡あん子こを炊たくto simmer azuki beans down into bean paste
母ははは毎まい年とし、正しょう月がつ前まえに餡あん子こを炊たく。
Every year, my mother simmers azuki beans into paste before New Year's.
〈物もの〉に餡あん子こがたっぷり入はいっているto be generously filled with bean paste
この饅頭まんじゅうには餡あん子こがたっぷり入はいっている。
This manju is generously filled with bean paste.

Kanji

餡bean jam
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM

Related words

あん sense 1
餡 is a shorter, more general term for paste or filling, while 餡子 is the everyday, familiar word especially for sweet bean paste.
詰つめ物もの sense 3
詰め物 is a more explicit, general word for stuffing or something packed inside, whereas 餡子 in this extended sense is a casual way to describe such filling.
中なか綿わた sense 3
中綿 specifically means the inner cotton or padding in items like cushions or clothing, while 餡子 is a looser, more casual term for any packed-in filling.

Built from

あん+子こ

Written forms

あんこUsage79%
Everyday kana spelling; the main food sense is usually written in kana.
餡あん子こUsage15%
Standard kanji spelling, common enough to encounter on labels, menus, and in dictionaries, though kana is very common in ordinary writing.
アンコUsage4%
餡あんこUsage2%
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; less usual than あんこ or 餡子.

Etymology

The spelling 餡子 reflects 餡, meaning a paste or filling, plus 子, a common noun-forming element. The exact historical development of the familiar form あんこ is uncertain.