How to Say "Brown Rice" in Japanese

玄米

genmai[ɡẽ̞mːa̠i]

The English phrase "brown rice" is translated into Japanese as 玄米 (genmai).

玄米 refers to unpolished rice.

Meaning: unpolished rice (noun)

How do you pronounce it?

genmai

In Japanese culinary history, 'polished rice' was a sign of wealth and status, meaning that 'white rice' was once a luxury, whereas 玄米 was the food of the common people.
The word 玄米 contains the kanji 玄, which means 'mysterious' or 'occult' in many contexts. This refers to the dark, profound color of the rice husk rather than its nutritional properties.
In Japan, 玄米 is often associated with the 'macrobiotic' diet, a philosophy of eating that gained global popularity through the teachings of George Ohsawa.

トムは玄米が好きなのよ。
Tom likes brown rice.
Tatoeba #9849327 by small_snow, translation #9849300 by Hybrid
白米と玄米、どっちが好き？
Do you prefer white rice or brown rice?
Tatoeba #3110660 by tommy_san, translation #681943 by Source_VOA
玄米はうんざりだ。白飯食わせろ！
Brown rice is tedious. Serve white rice!
Tatoeba #9628648 by small_snow, translation #10228697 by terrywallwork
4 more sentences on Tatoeba

Kenta and Yui are talking about their healthy diet in the kitchen.

健太 Kenta

最近、玄米を食べているんだ。
saikin, genmai o tabete iru n da.
Lately, I've been eating brown rice.
結衣 Yui

健太さんは健康的ですね。
kenta-san wa kenkouteki desu ne.
You are very health-conscious, Kenta.
健太 Kenta

結衣さんも一緒にどう？
yui-san mo issho ni dou?
Would you like to join me, Yui?
結衣 Yui

いいですね、食べてみます。
ii desu ne, tabete mimasu.
That sounds good, I'll try some.

Sources

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