How do you say "garlic" in Japanese?

にんにく

ninniku

Noun Hiragana

In Japanese, "garlic" is にんにく (ninniku).

Listen to the pronunciation:

Free Japanese learning game. No sign-up, play in browser. See all games

Pronunciation

にんにく is written using hiragana. Romanised as ninniku, it sounds roughly like "nee-n-nee-koo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Ninniku is written in hiragana. The repetition nin-niku suggests the bulb's layers or reflects its native Japanese naming.

Example sentence

にんにくを一つください。

Ninniku wo hitotsu kudasai.

One garlic, please.

Test your Japanese knowledge in our free browser games.

How to remember にんにく

Ninniku repeats - 'nin-nin'. Garlic bulbs have layers that repeat. Pungent, strong, layered flavor.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more supermarket words.

Questions about にんにく

How do you pronounce にんにく?

にんにく is romanised as ninniku. Say it roughly like "nee-n-nee-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is にんにく formal or casual?

にんにく 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 にんにく written in Japanese?

にんにく is written using hiragana. Ninniku is written in hiragana.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Garlic" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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.

Noun Town language-learning game on PC, Mac and VR

The full experience

Noun Town on PC, Mac & VR

These browser games are just a taste. The full Noun Town is a bigger, deeper 3D world: explore a living town, talk to its characters and learn thousands of words in immersive VR, Mixed Reality, or on your computer. It's an award-winning game with 590+ reviews on Steam and 12 languages to learn.

See the full game ▶

Spot an error? Email us at contact@noun.town