ラズベリー
razuberī[ɾa̠zɨbe̞ɾʲiː]
The English word raspberry can be translated into Japanese as ラズベリー (razuberī) or 木苺.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ラズベリー | razuberī | [ɾa̠zɨbe̞ɾʲiː] (narrow) |
| 木苺 | kiichigo |
ラズベリー is a loanword used primarily when discussing Western desserts, flavors and commercial food products. 木苺 refers more specifically to the botanical plant or the fruit itself in a natural context.
Which one should you use?
ラズベリー is the katakana loanword from English, whereas 木苺 is the native Japanese term. You may also see the native term written in katakana as キイチゴ, which is common in botanical or scientific contexts.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
razuberī
Did you know?
- While English uses 'raspberry' for both the fruit and the sound made with the tongue, Japanese has no such double meaning for ラズベリー or 木苺.
- The kanji in 木苺 literally translates to 'wood strawberry', which might confuse a learner expecting a word more closely related to the English 'raspberry'.
- The word キイチゴ is used as a broad umbrella term in Japan for several types of bramble fruits that English speakers would distinguish as blackberries or dewberries.
Examples in context
- メアリーは、甘酸っぱいラズベリータルトが大好きです。Mary really likes sweet and sour raspberry tart.This sentence shows how to use ラズベリー when talking about a raspberry tart.Tatoeba #8449146 by small_snow, translation #10238428 by tsp_2
- 昨日、デザートにラズベリーのタルトを食べました。I had a raspberry tart for dessert yesterday.
- 今日、友達とラズベリーのジャム作りをする予定です。I plan to make raspberry jam with my friend today.
- 新鮮なラズベリーをたくさん買いました。Shinsenna razuberii o takusan kaimashita.I bought a lot of fresh raspberries.
- このラズベリーはとても香りがいいですね。Kono razuberii wa totemo kaori ga ii desu ne.These raspberries smell very good.
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are looking at a dessert menu at a cafe.
- 陽太 Yota結衣、どのケーキにする？Yui, dono kēki ni suru?Yui, which cake are you going to get?
- 結衣 Yui私はラズベリーのムースが食べたいな。Watashi wa razuberī no mūsu ga tabetai na.I want to eat the raspberry mousse.
- 陽太 Yotaいい選択だね。僕もそれにしよう。Ii sentaku da ne. Boku mo sore ni shiyō.Good choice. I'll have that too.
- 結衣 Yui陽太もラズベリーが好きなんだね。Yōta mo razuberī ga suki nanda ne.So you like raspberries too, Yota.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “raspberry” translations and entries ラズベリー, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
