蕨(わらび)

わらび
noun
bracken; bracken fern shoots
plant-generalfood
1. bracken; bracken fern (eaten as a wild vegetable)
A fern whose young curled shoots are gathered in spring and eaten as a 山菜(さんさい) (wild mountain vegetable). It must be treated to remove its harshness before eating.
山(やま)で蕨(わらび)を採(と)った。
We picked bracken in the mountains.
蕨(わらび)は灰汁(あく)抜(ぬ)きをしてから食(た)べる。
Bracken is eaten after removing its bitterness.
春(はる)になると、祖母(そぼ)が蕨(わらび)やぜんまいを煮物(にもの)にしてくれた。
When spring came, my grandmother would cook bracken and royal fern into simmered dishes.

Usually written in kana or katakana in recipes, since 蕨(わらび) is not a common-use kanji. The shoots are picked in early spring and are a classic sign of the season.

Common collocations

  • 蕨(わらび)採(と)り: bracken picking
  • 蕨(わらび)の灰汁(あく)抜(ぬ)き: removing bracken's harshness (with ash or baking soda)
  • 蕨(わらび)餅(もち): warabi-mochi, a jelly-like sweet originally made from bracken starch

Related wild vegetables

Related Words

See also: 灰汁(あく)抜(ぬ)き (removing bitterness before cooking)
Related: ぜんまい (royal fern)
Related: 筍(たけのこ) (bamboo shoots)
Related: ふきのとう (butterbur bud)
general
Added 2026.8.8 3:18 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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