ジャガイモ

Japanese

ジャガイモ (jagaimo): a bunch of potatoes.

Etymology

Clipped compound of ジャガタラ (jagatara) +‎ 芋 (imo, “potato”).

ジャガタラ is a corruption of Dutch Djakarta, from Indonesian Jakarta.

The potato was first introduced to Japan via the Dutch East Indies, hence the Jakarta connection.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ジャガイモ [jàgáímó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑa̠ɡa̠imo̞]

Noun

ジャガイモ or じゃがいも • (jagaimo) 

1. ジャガ芋: the potato, Solanum tuberosum: the plant or its edible tuber

Usage notes

• As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).

Related terms

• ジャカルタ (Jakaruta)
• 薩摩芋(サツマイモ) (satsumaimo) the sweet potato