daikon

/ˈdaɪkɒn/

//ˈdaɪkɒn// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"daikon" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“daikon” is uncommon English (frequency #89,277 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,277
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An East Asian cultivar or subspecies of garden radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, syn. Raphanus sativus) bearing a large, white, carrot-shaped taproot consumed throughout East and South ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-daikon · daikon · English

daikon · rank #89,277 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,277
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dantonio

Nearest frequency peer: Dantonio (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “daikon”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “daikon” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for daikon
PropertyValue
Headworddaikon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdaɪkɒn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#89,277
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “daikon” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).daikonfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Dantonio” (#89,278), “Deeley” (#89,280), “curtsy” (#89,272). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “daikon” is #89,277. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

daikon is uncommon English at frequency #89,277 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈdaɪkɒn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for daikon, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Japanese 大根 (daikon, “big root”). The correct English form is daikon, spelled D-A-I-K-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An East Asian cultivar or subspecies of garden radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, syn. Raphanus sativus) bearing a large, white, carrot-shaped taproot consumed throughout East and South Asia but grown in North America primarily as a fallow crop for its fast-growing leaves (used as animal fodder) and as a soil ripper.
  2. 2
    An East Asian cultivar or subspecies of garden radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, syn. Raphanus sativus) bearing a large, white, carrot-shaped taproot consumed throughout East and South Asia but grown in North America primarily as a fallow crop for its fast-growing leaves (used as animal fodder) and as a soil ripper.
  3. 3
    Closely-related cultivars such as the enormous turnip-shaped Sakurajima or green-and-red watermelon radish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how daikon appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Jiko was washing these big white daikons, and I was cutting them up and salting them and putting them into plastic freezer bags.

Etymology

From Japanese 大根 (daikon, “big root”).

Synonyms

Chinese radishChinese white radishdaikon radishicicle radishJapanese radishlo baklo paklong white radishmoolimulimooleOriental radishoriental radishRaphanus sativus subsp. OleiferusRaphanus sativus var. hortensis BackerRaphanus sativus var. longipinnatus L.H. BaileyRaphanus sativus var. oleifera StokesRaphanus sativus var. oleiformis Pers.white radishfodder radishforage radishoil radishoilseed radishradish rippertillage radishSakurajima radishbeauty heart radishChinese green radishChinese radishKorean radishlo baklo pakOriental radishoriental radishred daikonroseheart radishshinrimeishinrimei radishwatermelon radish

This word in other languages

radis blanc(Français)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "daikon"?
"daikon" is spelled D-A-I-K-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdaɪkɒn/.
What does "daikon" mean?
As a noun, "daikon" means: An East Asian cultivar or subspecies of garden radish (Raphanus raphanistrum subsp. sativus, syn. Raphanus sativus) bearing a large, white, carrot-shaped taproot consumed throughout East and South ...
How do you pronounce "daikon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "daikon" is /ˈdaɪkɒn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "daikon"?
From Japanese 大根 (daikon, “big root”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "daikon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Deeley#89,280curtsy#89,272cursus#89,271Cudahy#89,270

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list