How do you say "yeast" in Japanese?

酵母

koubo

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "yeast" is 酵母 (koubo).

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Pronunciation

Koubo opens with a long 'ou', so pronounce it 'koh-bo', keeping the first syllable rounded and held.

Writing and usage

酵母 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

パンが膨らんだのはイーストのおかげでした。

pan ga fukura ndanoha iisuto nookagedeshita.

The bread rose because of the yeast.

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How to remember 酵母

Koubo sounds like 'cobo', as if the dough is cobbled together and rising thanks to the koubo inside it.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 酵母

How do you pronounce 酵母?

Koubo opens with a long 'ou', so pronounce it 'koh-bo', keeping the first syllable rounded and held.

Is 酵母 formal or casual?

酵母 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 酵母 written in Japanese?

酵母 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as koubo.

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.

"Yeast" 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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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