The Kanji: 豆 (Tō / Zu / Mame)
The kanji 豆 (read as tō, zu, or mame) primarily means "bean," "pea," or more generally, "a small, rounded object." It is a pictographic character that originally depicted a ritual food vessel with a narrow base and wide top, which later evolved to represent the shape of beans contained within such vessels.
Common Words & Example Sentences
1. 豆 (mame)
Meaning: Bean; pea.
Example Sentence: 私は豆を庭に植えました。
(Watashi wa mame o niwa ni uemashita.)
"I planted beans in the garden."
2. 豆腐 (tōfu)
Meaning: Bean curd; tofu.
Example Sentence: 豆腐は健康的な食品です。
(Tōfu wa kenkōteki na shokuhin desu.)
"Tofu is a healthy food."
3. 豆知識 (mamechishiki)
Meaning: A piece of trivia; a bit of useful knowledge (literally "bean-sized knowledge").
Example Sentence: 彼は面白い豆知識を教えてくれた。
(Kare wa omoshiroi mamechishiki o oshiete kureta.)
"He taught me an interesting bit of trivia."
4. 大豆 (daizu)
Meaning: Soybean.
Example Sentence: 大豆は酱油や味噌の原料です。
(Daizu wa shōyu ya miso no genryō desu.)
"Soybeans are the base ingredient for soy sauce and miso."
In summary, 豆 is a fundamental kanji representing not just legumes like beans and soybeans (大豆), but also by extension small things, as seen in the word for trivia (豆知識). It is essential in the Japanese diet, most famously in 豆腐 (tofu).