also: しょうず
noun
adzuki bean; red bean
A small, reddish-brown bean commonly used in Japanese sweets, such as anko (sweet bean paste).
小豆を煮てあんこを作る。
I boil adzuki beans to make sweet bean paste.
この和菓子には小豆が使われている。
Adzuki beans are used in this Japanese sweet.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading あずき is a jukujikun.
Rare on'yomi reading; mainly encountered in historical or specialized contexts.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially in recipes and product names.
Katakana spelling is used in botanical contexts or for emphasis.
The kanji 小豆 literally mean 'small bean'. The reading あずき is a jukujikun, where the kanji are assigned to the native Japanese word for this bean. The origin of あずき itself is uncertain, but it may be related to あず (crumbling) because the beans soften easily when cooked.