でんぷん

• Reading: でんぷん
• Romaji: denpun
• Kanji breakdown: 澱 (den) — sediment, dregs; 粉 (pun) — powder, flour
• Pronunciation: /deɴ.pɯɴ/

Meaning

Starch; a carbohydrate found in foods like potatoes, rice, and wheat.

A noun referring to the polysaccharide stored in plants as an energy reserve. Can also be written in kanji as 澱粉 or katakana as デンプン, though hiragana is most common in everyday contexts. Used in cooking (片栗粉 is potato starch), science education, and nutrition discussions. The compound でんぷん質 means 'starchy' as an adjective.

Examples

1. じゃがいもにはでんぷんが多く含まれている。 Potatoes contain a lot of starch.
2. でんぷんは体内でブドウ糖に分解される。 Starch is broken down into glucose inside the body.
3. 料理にとろみをつけるためにでんぷんを使った。 I used starch to thicken the dish.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, science, nutrition, education

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese 澱 (den, sediment/dregs) + 粉 (fun/pun, powder). Literally 'sediment powder,' describing how starch settles as a white powder when extracted from plant material in water.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal