オニオン
onion
The Japanese word for onion is either オニオン or 玉葱.
Meaning: bulb (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| オニオン | onion | |
| 玉葱 | tamanegi | [ta̠ma̠ne̞ɡʲi] (narrow) |
The term for the bulb vegetable can be expressed in two ways depending on the context. 玉葱 is the standard and most common way to refer to an onion in daily life, such as when shopping for them at a supermarket where you will most often see this word or its kanji form. オニオン is a loanword primarily used in culinary contexts, particularly when naming specific Western-style dishes or recipes.
Which one should you use?
玉葱 is the common, everyday term used for the vegetable itself. In contrast, the katakana form オニオン is used mostly in cooking and for naming dishes.
How do you pronounce it?
onion
Did you know?
- Because 玉葱 is a combination of 'ball' and 'scallion', a Japanese person might conceptually view an onion as just a very round version of a green onion.
- In many Japanese grocery stores, you might see the word 玉ねぎ written with hiragana for the 'negi' part, which is a common way to make the word look softer and more approachable to shoppers.
- In Japanese culinary writing, using the katakana オニオン acts as a stylistic signal that the dish follows Western or international cooking traditions rather than traditional Japanese ones.
Examples in context
- 得意料理はオニオングラタンスープです。My specialty is French onion gratin soup.This sentence shows how オニオン is used when naming a specific Western-style dish.Tatoeba #1130479 by mookeee, translation #2674403 by WestofEden
- お兄ちゃん、買い物リストに葱を入れてくれる？Big brother, can you add onions to the shopping list?
Example conversation
Yui and Yota are looking at a cafe menu.
- 結衣 Yuiこのオニオンパウダーのポテトはおいしそうね。kono onion paudā no poteto wa oishisō ne.These onion powder fries look delicious.
- 陽太 Yota本当だね。僕もそれにしようかな。hontō da ne. boku mo sore ni shiyō kana.You're right. Maybe I'll get those too.
- 結衣 Yuiあ、オニオンが苦手な人は気をつけてね。a, onion ga nigate na hito wa ki o tsukete ne.Oh, people who don't like onion should be careful.
- 陽太 Yota大丈夫、僕は大好きだよ。daijōbu, boku wa daisuki dayo.It's okay, I love them.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “onion” translations and entries 玉葱, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 玉葱, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
