How to say "maize" in Japanese

• とうもろこしCommon
  nounThe common word for the corn plant, Zea mays, and for the ears and kernels you eat; in most contexts this is the word you want, and it is usually written in kana alone.
  袋ふくろはとうもろこしではちきれそうだった。↗

  The bag was bursting with corn.
• コーン
  nounA loanword; less common than とうもろこし, it appears mostly in the names of foods, where it refers to corn as an ingredient, so for the plant itself とうもろこし is the word you want.
• メイズ
  nounA direct katakana rendering of 'maize'; less common, it turns up mainly in scientific and technical writing about Zea mays, and for ordinary purposes とうもろこし is the word you want.

For the corn plant in most contexts use 「とうもろこし」; 「コーン」 is a less common loanword found mostly in food names, and 「メイズ」 is a less common rendering of 'maize' used mainly in scientific and technical writing.

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

• とうもろこしcorn (Zea mays)
• コーンcorn
• メイズmaize (Zea mays)