How do you say "eggplant" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "eggplant" is ナス (nasu). It is a noun pronounced "nah-soo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of eggplant from Noun Town

Pronunciation

ナス is written in katakana. Romanised as nasu, it sounds roughly like "nah-soo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

このお店のナスはとてもおいしいです。

Kono omise no Nasu wa totemo oishii desu.

The eggplant at this shop is very delicious.

Usage notes

Nasu (ナス) is the Japanese word for eggplant. Food vocabulary is among the most practical for daily life in Japan and is used constantly in markets, restaurants, and home cooking.

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Questions about ナス

How do you pronounce ナス?

ナス is romanised as nasu. Say it roughly like "nah-soo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is ナス formal or casual?

ナス is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is ナス written in Japanese?

ナス is written using katakana. Katakana is typically used for words of foreign origin or to give emphasis.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.