How do you say "pot" in Japanese?

鍋

nabe

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "pot" is 鍋 (nabe).

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Pronunciation

鍋 is written using kanji. Romanised as nabe, it sounds roughly like "nah-beh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Nabe is a single kanji for cooking pot or pan, fundamental to Japanese cooking vocabulary. It appears in compounds for different pot types and hotpot dishes.

Example sentence

鍋はどこにありますか？

Nabe wa doko ni arimasu ka?

Where is the pot?

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How to remember 鍋

Nabe (鍋) looks like a pot with handles and lid. The shape suggests a round cooking vessel.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more bakery words.

Questions about 鍋

How do you pronounce 鍋?

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

Is 鍋 formal or casual?

鍋 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 鍋 written in Japanese?

鍋 is written using kanji. Nabe is a single kanji for cooking pot or pan, fundamental to Japanese cooking vocabulary.

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.

"Pot" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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