胡麻(ごま)

ごま
noun
sesame
food
1. sesame, sesame seeds
Sesame seeds, widely used in Japanese cuisine as a topping, flavoring, or ingredient in sauces and dressings.
胡麻(ごま)をかける。
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
サラダに白(しろ)胡麻(ごま)をふった。
I sprinkled white sesame seeds on the salad.
すり鉢(ばち)で胡麻(ごま)をすって、和(あ)え物(もの)を作(つく)った。
I ground sesame seeds in a mortar and made a dressed dish.

Types

  • 白(しろ)胡麻(ごま): white sesame
  • 黒(くろ)胡麻(ごま): black sesame
  • 金(きん)胡麻(ごま): golden sesame
  • すり胡麻(ごま): ground sesame
  • いり胡麻(ごま): roasted sesame

Common collocations

  • 胡麻(ごま)をする: to grind sesame (also: to flatter/suck up)
  • 胡麻(ごま)油(あぶら): sesame oil
  • 胡麻(ごま)だれ: sesame sauce/dressing
  • 胡麻(ごま)和(あ)え: sesame-dressed vegetables

Idiom: 胡麻(ごま)をする literally means "to grind sesame" but idiomatically means "to butter someone up" or "to flatter."

Related Words

Related: 炒(い)りごま (toasted sesame seeds)
Related: 白(しろ)ごま (white sesame seeds)
Related: 黒(くろ)ごま (black sesame seeds)
general
Added 2026.2.7 15:48 · Revised 2026.9.9 0:23
10000/10337_goma