玉ねぎ

Japanese

Kanji in this term
玉
たま Grade: 1

Etymology

From 玉葱, from 玉 (“ball”) +‎ ねぎ (“scallion, green onion”), literally “ball scallion”.

Note that in Japanese, 葱 (green onion) is the more basic term from which “onion” is derived, while in English it is the reverse – “onion” is basic, while “green onion” is derived from it, reflecting the different importance in cuisine (葱 is more basic to Japanese cuisine, onion is more basic to English cuisine).

Noun

玉(たま)ねぎ or 玉(タマ)ねぎ • (tamanegi) 

1. an onion

Alternative forms

• 玉葱