生卵(なまたまご)

なまたまご
noun
raw egg
1. raw egg
An uncooked egg. Eating raw eggs is a common practice in Japanese cuisine, served over rice, with sukiyaki, or in other dishes.
生卵(なまたまご)をご飯(はん)にかける。
To put a raw egg on rice.
日本(にほん)では生卵(なまたまご)を食(た)べる習慣(しゅうかん)がある。
In Japan, there is a custom of eating raw eggs.
すき焼(や)きに生卵(なまたまご)をつけて食(た)べるのが定番(ていばん)だ。
It's standard to dip sukiyaki in raw egg before eating.

A compound of 生(なま) (raw) + 卵(たまご) (egg). Eating raw eggs is a distinctively Japanese food practice that surprises many visitors from abroad.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 生卵(なまたまご)をかける: to pour raw egg (over rice)
  • 生卵(なまたまご)をつける: to dip food in raw egg
  • 生卵(なまたまご)を割(わ)る: to crack a raw egg

CULTURAL NOTE:
Japan's strict egg hygiene standards (衛生(えいせい)管理(かんり)) make raw eggs safe to consume. The most iconic use is 卵(たまご)かけご飯(はん) (often abbreviated TKG) — hot rice topped with a raw egg and 醤油(しょうゆ). Raw egg is also the standard dipping sauce for すき焼(や)き.

RELATED:

  • 卵(たまご): egg (general)
  • ゆで卵(たまご): boiled egg
  • 目玉焼(めだまや)き: fried egg (sunny-side up)
general
Added 2026.3.24 9:58 · Revised 2026.4.2 16:40
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