小豆(あずき)

小豆(あずき) is a small reddish-brown bean central to Japanese sweets and traditional cuisine. The kanji 小豆(あずき) is an irregular reading (熟字訓(じゅくじくん)) — the characters literally mean "small bean" but the reading あずき is applied to the compound as a whole.

Writing

Also written as アズキ in katakana, especially in scientific or commercial contexts.

Compounds

• 小豆餡(あずきあん): azuki bean paste
• 小豆粥(あずきがゆ): azuki rice porridge (traditional New Year dish)
• 小豆色(あずきいろ): dark reddish-brown color

Cultural note

Azuki beans are the main ingredient in 餡子(あんこ) (sweet bean paste), which fills many Japanese sweets like 大福(だいふく), 饅頭(まんじゅう), and 鯛焼(たいや)き. 北海道(ほっかいどう) is Japan's largest producer.