薩摩芋

Japanese

Kanji in this term
薩	摩	芋
さつ Jinmeiyō	ま Grade: S	いも Grade: S
on'yomi		kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
甘藷

Etymology

From 薩摩 (Satsuma, “Satsuma”) +‎ 芋 (imo, “potato”). So called as it is produced in Satsuma Province, today part of western Kagoshima Prefecture. It is related to the introduction from international trade (Nanban trade) prior to the 鎖国(さこく) (sakoku) era.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) さつまいも [sàtsúmá ímó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [sa̠t͡sɨma̠ imo̞]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

薩(さつ)摩(ま)芋(いも) or 薩摩芋(サツマイモ) • (Satsuma imo) 

1. sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

   Synonyms: 唐芋 (karaimo, tōimo), 甘藷 (kansho), 蕃藷 (bansho), 琉球薯 (Ryūkyū imo), 孝行芋 (kōkỏ-imo)

   Hypernym: ヒルガオ科 (hirugaoka)

Usage notes

• As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as サツマイモ.

Derived terms

• 薩(さつ)摩(ま)芋(いも)飴(あめ) (Satsuma-imo-ame, “sweet potato candy”)

Descendants

• → English: satsumaimo

See also

• 薩(さつ)摩(ま) (Satsuma)
• 芋(いも) (imo, “potato”)