How to say "egg" in Japanese

• 卵たまごJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounThe everyday word for eggs of any kind — chicken eggs as food, and also the spawn or roe of fish and other animals. Use it in almost any ordinary context, from cooking to biology.
• エッグ
  nounA loanword for egg, especially a chicken egg, and less common than 卵. It appears chiefly on menus and in the names of Western-style dishes; in everyday speech 卵 is the usual choice.
• 玉ぎょくJLPT N1approx.
  nounRead ぎょく, this is the sushi-counter term for egg served as a topping; order it by this name at a sushi restaurant. Elsewhere it is not how you say egg — use 卵 instead.

Use 卵 for eggs in general, including the spawn or roe of animals; 「エッグ」 is a loanword used mainly for chicken eggs on menus and in Western-style dishes; 玉 (ぎょく) is the sushi-counter term for the egg topping.

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

• 卵たまごeggs
• エッグegg (esp. a chicken egg)
• 玉ぎょくegg (esp. as a sushi topping)
• おたま(hen's) egg
• 玉たまegg