いんげんまめ

noun

common bean; green bean

food plant-general

1. common bean; kidney bean

the dried seed of the common bean plant, used in various dishes including soups, stews, and sweets

いんげんまめを煮(に)た。

I cooked common beans.

いんげんまめは甘(あま)く煮(に)て和菓子(わがし)にも使(つか)われる。

Common beans are simmered in sugar and also used in Japanese sweets.

北海道(ほっかいどう)はいんげんまめの生産量(せいさんりょう)が日本一(にほんいち)だ。

Hokkaido has the highest common bean production in Japan.

2. green bean; string bean

the immature pod of the same plant, eaten as a green vegetable, also called さやいんげん

いんげんまめの胡麻(ごま)あえを作(つく)った。

I made green beans dressed with sesame.

いんげんまめは茹(ゆ)ですぎると食感(しょっかん)が悪(わる)くなる。

If you boil green beans too long, the texture gets bad.

今日(きょう)の弁当(べんとう)のおかずにいんげんまめの肉巻(にくま)きを入(い)れた。

I put green beans wrapped in meat in today's lunch box as a side dish.

Can be written in kanji as 隠元豆(いんげんまめ), named after the Chinese Zen monk 隠元(いんげん) who is said to have brought the bean to Japan in the 17th century. In everyday use, the word can refer to either the dried bean (sense 1) or the green pod (sense 2), though the green pod is more precisely called さやいんげん.

Common collocations

いんげんまめの煮物(にもの): simmered kidney beans
いんげんまめの胡麻(ごま)あえ: green beans with sesame dressing
いんげんまめの肉巻(にくま)き: green beans wrapped in meat
いんげんまめの天(てん)ぷら: green bean tempura

Similar words

さやいんげん: green beans (pod) — specifically the fresh green pods
小豆(あずき): azuki bean — red bean used in Japanese sweets
大豆(だいず): soybean — larger bean central to Japanese cuisine
枝豆(えだまめ): edamame — immature soybeans eaten as a snack

Related Words

Compare: さやいんげん (green beans)

Compare: 小豆(あずき) (azuki bean)

Compare: 大豆(だいず) (soybean)

Compare: 枝豆(えだまめ) (edamame)

general

Added 2026.4.22 23:41 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

25000/25094_ingenmame