adzuki bean
Low-frequencySpecialist/Culinary
Definition
Meaning
A small, reddish-brown bean (Vigna angularis) native to East Asia, commonly used in Asian cuisine, particularly in sweet dishes like red bean paste.
A nutritious legume valued for its sweet, nutty flavor and ease of digestion; often associated with health foods and plant-based diets.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily used as a mass noun (e.g., 'a cup of adzuki beans'), but can be pluralized when referring to individual beans. Often hyphenated ('adzuki-bean paste').
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling: 'adzuki' is standard in both. The alternative spelling 'azuki' is equally common globally, with no strong regional preference. Usage context is identical.
Connotations
Neutral in both, associated with health, Asian cuisine, and specialty cooking.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both varieties, encountered mainly in cookbooks, health food, and international cuisine contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
to cook with adzuki beansto make paste from adzuki beansto soak the adzuki beansadzuki beans are used inVocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare, except in import/export, food retail, or agricultural commodity reports.
Academic
Used in botanical, nutritional, or food science texts describing species Vigna angularis.
Everyday
Used when discussing cooking, recipes, health foods, or Asian cuisine.
Technical
Used in agriculture, botany, and food technology with precise cultivar names.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The adzuki-bean filling was perfectly sweet.
- She bought adzuki bean flour for gluten-free baking.
American English
- The adzuki bean paste is a key ingredient.
- They served adzuki-bean soup as a starter.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I like sweet adzuki bean paste in my bun.
- These are small red beans.
- You can find adzuki beans in most Asian supermarkets.
- The recipe requires cooked adzuki beans.
- Adzuki beans, which are often used in Japanese desserts, are surprisingly easy to digest.
- Having soaked the adzuki beans overnight, she prepared the traditional paste.
- The nutritional profile of adzuki beans, rich in protein and fibre, makes them a staple in health-conscious diets.
- Unlike many other legumes, adzuki beans possess a distinctly sweet flavour that lends itself to both savoury and dessert applications.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a ZOO for beans. The 'AD'mission is for a small, sweet, red bean: AD-ZOO-KI bean.
Conceptual Metaphor
HEALTH IS A SMALL RED BEAN (e.g., 'packed with the goodness of adzuki beans').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with common 'red kidney beans' (фасоль). In Russian, it is specifically 'адзуки' or 'красная фасоль адзуки'.
- The word 'bean' is singular in the compound, but refers to the legume in general (like 'кофейное зерно').
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling: 'adzuke', 'azuke', 'adzookie'.
- Mispronunciation: placing stress on the first syllable /ˈæd.zu.ki/.
- Using as a countable noun incorrectly: 'I ate an adzuki bean' (sounds odd; prefer 'some adzuki beans' or 'adzuki bean paste').
Practice
Quiz
What is a primary culinary use for adzuki beans?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In the context of East Asian cuisine, 'red bean' often refers specifically to adzuki beans. However, in other contexts, 'red bean' could refer to other varieties like red kidney beans, so context is key.
In both British and American English, the stress is on the second syllable: ad-ZOO-kee. The first vowel differs slightly (/æ/ in UK, /ɑː/ in US).
Yes, they are considered very nutritious. They are high in protein, fibre, and various minerals like magnesium and potassium, while being low in fat.
For sweet paste, it's difficult due to adzuki's unique sweetness. In savoury dishes, small red beans or mung beans might be a closer substitute than kidney beans.