小豆

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 小豆 is read as あずき and is a noun for the red bean used in sweet bean paste and other foods.
• Basic usage: Cooking the beans appears in 小豆を煮る, while drying them after harvest appears in 小豆を乾かす.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Spelling and reading
  • Do not guess an on-reading from the individual kanji; learn the whole word with its established reading あずき.
• Difference from 大豆
  • 大豆 is the soybean used for foods such as tofu and soy sauce, while 小豆 is the red bean.