Vol. 09 · Loanwords ·Japanese ·1990s
Edamame
from 枝豆 (edamame)
- Meaning
- Young green soybeans served in their pods.
- Source word
- 枝豆 (edamame)
- Route into English
- Japanese *edamame* ("stem beans," picked still on the branch) → English via late-20th-century Japanese restaurants, particularly popular as an appetiser.
- Arrived
- 1990s
From Japanese
Two waves — Meiji-era diplomatic contact (1850s–1900s) and post-war US military presence (1945–) account for almost all Japanese loans in general English.
English borrows.
Browse the full loanword atlas or explore another source language.