# kudzu

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkʊd.zuː/ · frequency rank #81,483

## Definitions
1. An Asian vine (several species in the genus Pueraria, but mostly Pueraria montana var. lobata, syn. Pueraria lobata in the US), grown as a root starch, and which is a notorious invasive weed in the United States.
2. A starch extracted from the root that is used in traditional East Asian medicine and cuisine.

## Etymology
From Japanese 葛(くず) (kuzu). The spelling kudzu (instead of kuzu) is due to the historical transliteration methods of Japanese into English (compare adzuki).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/kudzu