馬鈴薯
bareisho[ba̠ɾe̞ːɕo̞]
Potato in Japanese is 馬鈴薯. If unsure, use 馬鈴薯 (bareisho). Wiktionary also lists ポテト (poteto).
Meaning: plant tuber eaten as starchy vegetable (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 馬鈴薯 | bareisho | [ba̠ɾe̞ːɕo̞] (narrow) |
| ポテト | poteto | [po̞te̞to̞] (narrow) |
The term refers to the plant tuber eaten as a starchy vegetable.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 馬鈴薯 literally translates to 'horse bell tuber' (馬 = horse, 鈴 = bell, 薯 = tuber/potato).
How do you pronounce it?
bareisho
Did you know?
- The formal name 馬鈴薯 is likely a case of mistaken identity. It was originally used to describe the 'air potato', a bitter climbing plant, before the name was accidentally applied to the common potato.
- In Japan, you will often find a distinct category for じゃがいも which is the more common, everyday word for potato than the formal 馬鈴薯.
- While 馬鈴薯 is the formal name, the loanword ポテト is frequently used in Japan specifically to refer to french fries.
Examples in context
- ポテトサラダが好きなんだ。I like potato salad.This sentence is useful for expressing your preference for ポテト salad.Tatoeba #11426120 by bunbuku, translation #1721095 by Spamster
- 夏は冷たいポテトサラダがいいな。I like cold potato salad in the summertime.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for cold ポテト salad during the summertime.Tatoeba #187197 by bunbuku, translation #24334 by CK
- トムはポテトサラダが嫌いなんだ。Tom doesn't like potato salad.This sentence is useful for stating that someone dislikes ポテト salad.Tatoeba #10100264 by small_snow, translation #7291003 by CK
- 9 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are looking at seeds for their home garden.
- 美咲 Misakiこの馬鈴薯を植えてみようか。Kono barishō o uete miyō ka.Shall we try planting these potatoes?
- 蓮 Renいいですね。たくさんできそうです。Ii desu ne. Takusan dekisō desu.That sounds good. It looks like we'll get a lot.
- 美咲 Misaki馬鈴薯の育て方は簡単だよ。Barishō no sodatekata wa kantan dayo.Growing potatoes is easy.
- 蓮 Ren楽しみです。頑張りましょう。Tanoshimi desu. Ganbarimashō.I'm looking forward to it. Let's do our best.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “potato” translations and entries 馬鈴薯, ポテト, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ポテト, 馬鈴薯, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
