カカオ
kakao
The Japanese word for cacao is カカオ (kakao).
カカオ refers to the *Theobroma cacao* seed or the cacao bean.
Meaning: Theobroma cacao seed (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
kakao
Did you know?
- Japanese chocolate packaging often highlights カカオ percentages because high-percentage 'dark chocolate' is marketed as a health food for its polyphenols.
- Because it is written in katakana, カカオ is often used in Japanese marketing to give a sense of 'exoticism' or 'foreign luxury' to sweets.
- The term カカオ is used in the name of 'Cacao-style' cafes that focus on the bean-to-bar process, distinguishing them from standard 'chocolate' shops.
Examples in context
- チョコレートにはカカオがたくさん含まれています。Chocolate contains a lot of cacao.
- このお菓子はカカオがたっぷり入っています。Kono okashi wa kakao ga tappuri haitte imasu.This sweet has plenty of cacao in it.
- カカオの香りがとてもいいですね。Kakao no kaori ga totemo ii desu ne.The scent of cacao is very nice.
- 高品質なカカオを求めています。Kouhinshitsu na kakao o motomete imasu.I am looking for high-quality cacao.
Example conversation
Hina and Kenta are looking at chocolate bars in a store.
- 陽葵 Himari健太、このチョコはカカオがたっぷりだね。Kenta, kono choko wa kakao ga tappuri da ne.Kenta, this chocolate is full of cacao.
- 健太 Kenta本当だ。苦いのが好きだからいいな。Hontō da. Nigai no ga suki dakara ii na.You're right. I like bitter things, so this is great.
- 陽葵 Himariカカオの含有量を確認してみようか。Kakao no ganyūryō o kakunin shite miyō ka.Shall we check the cacao content?
- 健太 Kentaうん、裏面を見てみよう。Un, uramen o mite miyō.Yeah, let's look at the back.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cacao” translations and entries カカオ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
