Even though Japanese has its own native words for many fruits, a lot of the most common fruits you’ll come across are written in katakana.
In this post, I’ve made a list of the 23 most common fruit names you’ll see written in katakana when you’re in Japan.
Katakana Fruit Names #
| English | Katakana | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | アップル | There is already a native word for apple (ringo), but アップル is still quite common |
| Avocado | アボカド | |
| Banana | バナナ | |
| Blueberry | ブルーベリー | |
| Cherry | チェリー | |
| Coconut | ココナッツ | |
| Grape | グレープ | The native word budou is more common, but the katakana is often used when referring to juice |
| Grapefruit | グレープフルーツ | |
| Guava | グアバ | |
| Kiwi | キウイ | |
| Lemon | レモン | |
| Lime | ライム | |
| Lychee | ライチ | |
| Mango | マンゴー | |
| Melon | メロン | This specifically refers to musk melons, the kind with a bumpy light green skin, and not watermelons |
| Orange | オレンジ | This can also mean the colour, just like in English |
| Papaya | パパイヤ | |
| Peach | ピーチ | The native word momo is more common, but ピーチ is often used when referring to the flavour |
| Pineapple | パイナップル | This is sometimes shortened to just パイン |
| Plum | プラム | The native word ume is much more common, but you may say プラム occasionally |
| Raspberry | ラズベリー | |
| Strawberry | ストロベリー | The native word ichigo is also common, but ストロベリー is often used when referring to the flavour |
| Tomato | トマト | Yes, it is technically a fruit! |
How do I read katakana? #
If you can’t read katakana yet, you can learn in one week with the Tabikana app! Download the Tabikana app for free on the App Store and Google Play.