How do you say "onion" in Japanese?

玉ねぎ

tamanegi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "onion" is 玉ねぎ (tamanegi).

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Pronunciation

玉ねぎ is written using kanji. Romanised as tamanegi, it sounds roughly like "tah-mah-neh-gee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Tamanegi combines kanji for ball (玉) and leek/onion (ねぎ). The ball shape describes the bulbous vegetable.

Example sentence

玉ねぎが好きです。毎日食べます。

Tamanegi ga suki desu. Mainichi tabemasu.

I love onion. I eat it every day.

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How to remember 玉ねぎ

Ball (玉) + leek (ねぎ) = ball-shaped leek = onion. Round layers of papery skin covering the vegetable.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

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Questions about 玉ねぎ

How do you pronounce 玉ねぎ?

玉ねぎ is romanised as tamanegi. Say it roughly like "tah-mah-neh-gee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 玉ねぎ formal or casual?

玉ねぎ 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 玉ねぎ written in Japanese?

玉ねぎ is written using kanji. Tamanegi combines kanji for ball (玉) and leek/onion (ねぎ).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Onion" in other languages

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