Kani
/ˈkɑːni/noun
A Japanese culinary term meaning crab, especially crab meat or crab-flavored imitation meat.
Did you know?In Japanese cuisine, kani can refer to genuine crab, while kani-kamaboko commonly refers to imitation crab made from processed fish.
Etymological Timeline
Old Japanese
Old Japanese
kani
“Crab”
Classical Japanese
Japanese
かに (kani)
“Crab or crab meat”
20th Century
Japanese
カニ (kani)
“Crab, often used in culinary labeling”
Late 20th Century
English
kani
“A Japanese culinary term for crab or crab-style meat”
Modern English
English
kani
“Crab, especially in sushi and other Japanese-food contexts”