さくらんぼ
sakuranbo
The Japanese word for cherry fruit is さくらんぼ (sakuranbo).
さくらんぼ refers specifically to the small, round, red fruit of a cherry tree.
Which one should you use?
While さくらんぼ refers specifically to the fruit, the word 桜 (sakura) refers to the cherry blossom tree or the flower itself.
How do you pronounce it?
sakuranbo
Did you know?
- Japan has a specific season for さくらんぼ picking, particularly in Yamagata Prefecture, where the fruit is treated as a high-end luxury gift rather than just a common snack.
- The word さくらんぼ is often written in Katakana as サクランボ on food packaging to make the text stand out visually, even though it is a native Japanese word.
- The word さくらんぼ is believed by some linguists to be a linguistic evolution of the word 桜 (sakura), where the suffix '-nbo' was added over time to denote the fruit of the tree.
Examples in context
- さくらんぼがとても甘いです。Sakuranbo ga totemo amai desu.The cherries are very sweet.
- スーパーでさくらんぼを買いました。Suupaa de sakuranbo o kaimashita.I bought some cherries at the supermarket.
- このさくらんぼは赤くて大きいです。Kono sakuranbo wa akakute ookii desu.These cherries are red and large.
Example conversation
Daito and Himari are at a fruit market.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵、さくらんぼを食べる？Himari, sakuranbo o taberu?Himari, do you want to eat some cherries?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、食べる！ありがとう。Un, taberu! Arigatou.Yes, I will! Thank you.
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、どうぞ。Hai, douzo.Here you go.
- 陽葵 Himariわあ、本当に赤いね。Waa, hontou ni akai ne.Wow, they are really red.
