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Definition of hijiki
hijiki
/hɪˈdʒiːki/
hi · ji · ki
Plural:hijiki
hijiki Lexical Profile
CEFR
C2
Grade
11
Tier
3
Usage
Rare
• noun
1
A traditional culinary ingredient made from this seaweed, typically sold in dried, black, shred-like forms that are soaked, reconstituted, and simmered with vegetables and soy sauce.
Example
"The chef prepared a classic Japanese side dish by simmering rehydrated hijiki with carrots, fried tofu, and mirin."
2
A species of brown, stringy seaweed (Sargassum fusiforme) native to the rocky coastlines of East Asia, particularly around Japan, Korea, and China.
Example
"During low tide, foragers carefully harvest wild hijiki from the rocky coastal shores."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for hijiki• Rhymes for hijiki
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 'hijiki' (ヒジキ), historically written with kanji meaning 'deer tail vegetable' (鹿尾菜) due to its appearance.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Hijiki. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/hijiki