How to say "barley" in Japanese

• 麦むぎCommon
  nounThe broad term for the cereal group covering wheat, barley and oats. It can refer to barley but does not specify it, so it works when the particular grain is not the point.
  その農民のうみんは畑はたけに麦むぎの種たねをまいた。↗

  The farmer sowed his field with wheat.
• 大麦おおむぎCommon
  nounThe precise word for barley as a distinct species (Hordeum vulgare). Choose it when you need to make clear the grain is barley rather than wheat or another cereal.
  大麦おおむぎは我わが国くにの主しゅ産物さんぶつである。↗

  Barley is our main product.

Use 麦 when the grain is meant loosely and its identity does not matter, since the word covers wheat, barley and oats; choose 大麦 when you mean barley specifically, as opposed to wheat or other cereals.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 麦むぎwheat
• 大麦おおむぎbarley (Hordeum vulgare)