りんご飴
ringo ame
In Japanese, the phrase for candied apple is りんご飴 (ringo ame).
りんご飴 refers specifically to the street food version of a candied apple that features a hard, transparent sugar shell. It is not used to describe apples cooked in syrup or jam.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a compound of りんご, meaning apple and 飴, meaning candy or hard syrup.
How do you pronounce it?
ringo ame
Did you know?
- Because 'ame' can mean both 'candy' and 'rain' depending on the pitch accent, one must be careful with pronunciation. While the context of 'apple' makes it clear, the distinction between the two sounds is a fundamental part of Japanese phonology.
- If you see the word リンゴ in Katakana on a sign, it does not mean the word is foreign. Japanese vendors often use Katakana for 'apple' to give the fruit a fresh, modern, or 'pop' visual identity in advertisements.
- While りんご飴 is a festival staple, it recently became a viral fashion trend in Tokyo, where young people treat the bright red candy as a 'kawaii' accessory for social media photos.
Examples in context
- 「私はリンゴ飴を食べるのが大好きです！」(Watashi wa ringō ame o taberu no ga daisuki desu!)I love eating candied apples!
- 「自宅でリンゴ飴を作りたいです。」(Jitaku de ringō ame o tsukuritai desu.)I want to make candied apples at home.
- りんご飴はとても甘いです。ringo ame wa totemo amai desu.The candied apple is very sweet.
- お祭りでりんご飴を買いました。omatsuri de ringo ame o kaimashita.I bought a candied apple at the festival.
- このりんご飴は見た目が綺麗ですね。kono ringo ame wa mitame ga kirei desu ne.This candied apple looks beautiful, doesn't it?
Example conversation
At a summer festival, a young couple is looking at food stalls.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲、りんご飴を食べない？Misaki, ringo ame o tabenai?Misaki, do you want to eat a candied apple?
- 美咲 Misakiいいよ！大翔、買ってきて。Ii yo! Hiroto, katte kite.Sure! Hiroto, go buy one for me.
- 大翔 Hirotoわかった。赤いりんご飴を買ってくるね。Wakatta. Akai ringo ame o katte kuru ne.Got it. I'll go buy a red candied apple.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとう、楽しみ！Arigato, tanoshimi!Thank you, I'm looking forward to it!
