How do you say "wheat" in Japanese?

小麦

komugi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "wheat" is 小麦 (komugi).

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Pronunciation

小麦 is written using kanji. Romanised as komugi, it sounds roughly like "koh-moo-gee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Komugi combines small (小) and wheat (麦). The character麦 itself is one of the five major grains in East Asian agriculture and appears in food-related compounds.

Example sentence

この建物には大きな小麦があります。

Kono tatemono ni wa ookina Komugi ga arimasu.

This building has a large wheat.

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How to remember 小麦

The second kanji麦 looks like a drooping grain head on a stalk. Small grains, smaller kanji.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 小麦

How do you pronounce 小麦?

小麦 is romanised as komugi. Say it roughly like "koh-moo-gee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 小麦 formal or casual?

小麦 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 小麦 written in Japanese?

小麦 is written using kanji. Komugi combines small (小) and wheat (麦).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Wheat" in other languages

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