Mizuna
/mɪˈzuː.nə/noun
A Japanese leafy green vegetable, Brassica rapa var. nipposinica, with slender stalks and feathery leaves.
Did you know?Mizuna’s name comes from Japanese 水菜, combining mizu, “water,” with na, a traditional term for edible leafy greens—not from any occult or magical tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Modern Japanese
Japanese
菜 (na)
“Edible leafy greens or vegetable plants”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
水 (mizu)
“Water”
Japanese compound
Japanese
水菜 (mizu-na)
“Literally “water greens,” the traditional name for the plant”
20th Century
English
mizuna
“A Japanese leafy vegetable adopted into English horticultural and culinary usage”
Modern English
English
mizuna
“A mild, crisp salad green commonly used raw or cooked”