How to say "ginger" in Japanese

• しょうがCommon
  nounThe basic word for ginger, the plant Zingiber officinale, used as a food ingredient or spice. Usually written in kana alone, and the everyday word you want when speaking of fresh or dried ginger in cooking.
• ジンジャー
  nounA loanword glossed simply as ginger. It covers imported uses such as flavor names on products like drinks and sweets, but it is less common than しょうが and is seldom the word you want for the plain ingredient.

Use 「しょうが」 for the actual plant and food ingredient, and 「ジンジャー」 for borrowed contexts such as drinks, sweets, and flavor names; 「ジンジャー」 is the less common of the two.

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

• しょうがginger (Zingiber officinale)
• ジンジャーginger