The Japanese word for beans is mame and bean sprouts is mame moyashi. See below for the translations of different types of beans.
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| Romanji | Kanji | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Beans まめ | Mame | 豆 | |
| Bean sprouts まめもやし | Mame moyashi | 豆もやし | |
| Green beans サヤマメ | Saya mame | None | |
| Black beans くろまめ | Kuro mame | 黒豆 | |
| Kidney beans いんげんまめ | Ingen mame | 隠元豆 | |
| Soy beans だいずまめ | Daizu mame | 大豆豆 | |
| Mottled beans うずらまめ | Uzura mame | うずら豆 | |
| Baked beans やきまめ | Yaki mame | 焼き豆 | |
| Natto なっとう | Nattō | 納豆 |
Interesting facts about beans in Japan
Beans are an essential part of the Japanese diet and the two most common types consumed are soybeans and adzuki beans (a type of red bean). These two types are essential ingredients in adzuki bean paste, tofu, soy sauce and natto.
Interestingly, beans also play an important cultural role in Japan as can be seen in the Setsubun Festival. This particular festival takes place throughout Japan on the last day of winter and not only involves eating a lot of beans, but also throwing them at oni (demons/evil spirits). The oni are obviously imaginary, but the belief is that the beans will drive the oni out of people’s homes and bring good luck in for the new season.