How to Say "Cauliflower" in Japanese

カリフラワー

karifurawā[ka̠ɾʲiɸɯ̟ɾa̠β̞a̠ː]

Cauliflower in Japanese is カリフラワー (karifurawā). Wiktionary also lists 花野菜 (hanayasai) and 花甘藍 (hanakanran).

Meaning: vegetable (noun)

Ways to say it

The standard way to refer to cauliflower in daily life and on food labels is the katakana form カリフラワー.

While カリフラワー is the most common term, other forms like 花甘藍 (hanakanran) are much more technical or botanical and are rarely used in conversation.

karifurawā

The technical term 花甘藍 uses the word 甘藍, which literally translates to 'sweet indigo'.
The term 花キャベツ combines the Japanese word for 'flower' with the katakana for 'cabbage', creating a hybrid name that describes a flowering cabbage.
Japanese utilizes the character 花 (flower) in three of the four possible names for cauliflower to describe its florets.

カリフラワーは好きですよ。
I like cauliflower.
This sentence is useful for expressing your preference for the vegetable using カリフラワー.
Tatoeba #10631752 by small_snow, translation #6922491 by CK
カリフラワーとブロッコリーは似てます。
Cauliflower and broccoli are similar.
This sentence is useful for comparing カリフラワー with another vegetable.
Tatoeba #10631755 by small_snow, translation #10130283 by tatoebashrek
ブロッコリーは好きですが、カリフラワーは大嫌いです。
I like broccoli, but I hate cauliflower.
This sentence is useful for expressing a strong dislike for カリフラワー in contrast to a liking for another vegetable.
Tatoeba #2700240 by tommy_san, translation #2700254 by CK

In a supermarket, two people are looking at vegetables.

大翔 Hiroto

今日のカリフラワーは安そうですね。
Kyō no karifurawā wa yasusō desu ne.
The cauliflower today looks cheap.
美咲 Misaki

本当ですね。新鮮そうです。
Hontō desu ne. Shinsei sō desu.
You're right. It looks fresh.
大翔 Hiroto

美咲さん、カリフラワーを買いますか？
Misaki-san, karifurawā o kaimasu ka?
Misaki, are you going to buy cauliflower?
美咲 Misaki

はい、サラダに使いたいです。
Hai, sarada ni tsukaitai desu.
Yes, I want to use it in a salad.

Sources

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