じゃがいも ≠ ポテト (Updated)

じゃがいも      =   imo

ポテト              =   potato

Google Images provides overwhelming proof: じゃがいも, ポテト. You can add フライド in front of the latter, but it’s unnecessary.

Updated to reflect that いも actually refers more generally to tubers.

4 thoughts on “じゃがいも ≠ ポテト (Updated)

  1. Plus, not only are いも raw, they aren’t even the same tuber! (Without a modifier like じゃが (for Jakarta!) or 男爵 (after Baron Kawada who developed or imported this variety for Hokkaido colonists to make IIRC).

    It’s when people start pronouncing 男爵 “jaga” that things get really awesome.

  2. Yeah, it’s about markedness and non-markedness. Technically an English “potato” is inside the “imo” class, but if you just say “imo”, the assumption is that you mean what we call a “sweet potato”. (And conversely I guess in English, a “sweet potato” is in the “potato” class, but if you just say “potato” people will assume you mean “jaga-imo”.) Another good pair to illustrate this is “tea” and “cha”.

    That picture of heppoko farting is probably the most popular thing I ever posted.

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