ウコン

ウ

コ

ン

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

turmeric

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the plant Curcuma longa (syn. Curcuma domestica) and its rhizome, used as a spice and natural dye. Commonly encountered as ウコン in health drinks and cooking.

ウコンはカレーの黄き色いろい色いろのもとになるスパイスです。
Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color.
飲のみすぎた翌よく日じつはウコン入いりのドリンクを飲のむ人ひとも多おおい。
Many people drink a beverage containing turmeric the day after drinking too much.

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Kanji

鬱gloom, depression, melancholy
金gold
欝gloom, depression, melancholy

Related words

ターメリック
ターメリック is the English loanword for turmeric, often used in Western recipe contexts, while ウコン is the native Japanese term more common in traditional and health food settings.

Word family

クズウコン
arrowroot
鬱金色うこんいろ
turmeric yellow; saffron yellow

Written forms

ウコンUsage72%
kana-only spelling
Usually written in katakana; the kanji forms 鬱金 and 欝金 are rare and mainly seen in botanical or historical contexts.
鬱う金こんUsage15%
Rare kanji spelling; the first character 鬱 is complex and uncommon in everyday use.
うこんUsage12%
欝う金こんUsage1%
Variant kanji spelling; even rarer than 鬱金.

Etymology

The word ウコン is derived from Chinese 鬱金 (yùjīn), originally referring to a different plant (Curcuma aromatica). The kanji 鬱 means 'dense' or 'gloomy', and 金 means 'gold', likely describing the plant's appearance or properties.