キノコ

also: たけ

き

の

こ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

noun

mushroom

usually written using kana alone

General term for mushrooms and toadstools. Often used in cooking and nature contexts.

秋あきになると、山やまにキノコ狩がりに行いきます。
In autumn, I go mushroom hunting in the mountains.
このスープにはいろいろなキノコが入はいっています。
This soup contains various kinds of mushrooms.

Written forms

キノコUsage51%
kana-only spelling
The most common spelling in everyday use. Katakana is standard for this word.
きのこUsage40%
Hiragana spelling, also common.
茸Usage9%
- きのこ
  Kanji spelling, but the word is usually written in kana. Learners will encounter it, but kana is more common.
- たけ
  Alternate reading たけ, mostly found in compound names like 松茸 (まつたけ).
菌Usage<1%
- きのこ
  Rare kanji variant for mushroom; more commonly read きん (bacteria/germ).
- たけ
たけUsage<1%
蕈
- きのこ
  Rare kanji variant; not commonly used.
- たけ

Kanji

茸mushroom
菌germ, fungus, bacteria
蕈mushroom, toadstool, fungus

Similar words

菌きん
Refers to bacteria, germs, or fungi in a scientific sense, not specifically the edible mushroom.
松まつ茸たけ
A specific prized mushroom (matsutake), using the alternate reading たけ.

Etymology

Originally a compound of 木 (ki, 'tree') + の (no, possessive) + 子 (ko, 'child'), literally 'child of the tree'. The reading たけ is older and appears in compounds.

キノコ