1.
steamed pork bun (Japanese-style)
A round white steamed bun with a savory pork filling. A staple winter snack sold hot at convenience stores in Japan. The Japanese adaptation of Chinese baozi.
コンビニで肉まんを買った。
I bought a steamed pork bun at the convenience store.
冬になると肉まんが食べたくなる。
I start craving steamed pork buns when winter comes.
アツアツの肉まんにからしをつけて食べるのが私の定番だ。
My standard way of eating piping-hot pork buns is with a dab of mustard.
Short for 肉まんじゅう (meat manju). Sold year-round but considered a winter food, kept warm in heated cases by convenience-store registers from autumn through spring.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 肉まんを蒸す: to steam a pork bun
- アツアツの肉まん: piping-hot pork bun
- 肉まんにからしをつける: to eat a pork bun with mustard
SIMILAR WORDS:
- あんまん: sweet bean-paste bun — same shape, sweet azuki filling
- ピザまん: 'pizza bun' — modern variant with tomato-cheese filling
- カレーまん: curry bun
- 中華まん: general term covering all these steamed buns
REGIONAL NOTE:
In the Kansai region, this is often called 豚まん, where 肉 traditionally implies beef.