How to Say "Radish" in Japanese

大根

ōne[o̞ːne̞]

The Japanese word for radish is 大根, pronounced ōne.

大根 refers to the large white Japanese radish.

Meaning: edible root (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word 大根 literally means 'large root'.

ōne

Calling someone a 大根 is a common insult for a terrible actor. It implies their performance is as stiff and lifeless as a raw radish.
The kanji for 根 in 大根 also appears in the word 根拠 (konkyo), which means 'grounds' or 'basis' for an argument, showing how the concept of a 'root' extends from plants to logic.
When you see the word 大根 written in Katakana as 'ダイコン', it is often to highlight the word in a recipe book or a nutritional label, rather than because it is a foreign loanword.

大きな大根を買ったはいいが持ち帰るときかさばる。
It's good that I bought a nice big radish, but it's awfully bulky to take home.
This sentence shows how the bulkiness of a large 大根 can be a factor when carrying it home.
Tatoeba #11027923 by small_snow, translation #12600496 by urro
大根と人参はイチョウ切り、他の野菜は一口大に切る。
Cut the daikon radish and carrot into quarter slices and cut the other vegetables into bite-size pieces.
This sentence demonstrates how to use 大根 when discussing vegetable cutting techniques.
Tatoeba #889749 by bunbuku, translation #5270256 by Jesse
大根は日本料理でよく使われています。
Radish is commonly used in Japanese cuisine.
昨日スープにだいこんを入れた。
I added daikon in the soup yesterday.
大根は冬に美味しいです。
daikon wa fuyu ni oishii desu.
Radishes are delicious in winter.

Two people are looking at a grocery store advertisement.

大翔 Hiroto

この大根、すごく安いです。
kono daikon, sugoku yasui desu.
This radish is very cheap.
結衣 Yui

本当ですね。買っておきましょう。
hontou desu ne. katte okimashou.
You're right. Let's buy some.
大翔 Hiroto

今日の晩ご飯に使いますね。
kyou no bangohan ni tsukaimasu ne.
I will use it for tonight's dinner.
結衣 Yui

楽しみです。
tanoshimi desu.
I'm looking forward to it.

Sources

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