りんご

• Reading: りんご
• Romaji: ringo
• Kanji breakdown: 林 (rin/hayashi) — forest, grove; 檎 (go/kin) — apple tree
• Pronunciation: /ɾi.ɴ.ɡo/

Meaning

Apple (fruit). One of the most popular and widely available fruits in Japan.

While the kanji 林檎 exists, this word is almost always written in hiragana or katakana (リンゴ) in everyday use. Aomori Prefecture produces about 60% of Japan's apples and is famous for its apple varieties. Commonly encountered in N5-level food vocabulary.

Examples

1. りんごを一つください。 One apple, please.
2. 毎朝りんごを食べます。 I eat an apple every morning.
3. 赤いりんごが好きです。 I like red apples.

Usage Guide

Context: food, shopping, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 林檎 was borrowed from Chinese. The word entered Japanese through classical Chinese texts, where 林 means 'forest' and 檎 refers to a type of fruit-bearing tree.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal