オクラ（オクラ、okura）
- okra

The Japanese word オクラ refers to okra, a green, edible seed pod. ⚫︎It's a vegetable often used in Japanese cuisine. ⚫︎Okra is known for its slightly slimy texture when cooked. ⚫︎It is also sometimes called "ladyfingers".

⚫︎オクラは夏が旬です。 Translation: Okra is in season in summer. ⚫︎オクラを刻んで味噌汁に入れました。 Translation: I chopped the okra and put it in miso soup. ⚫︎天ぷらでオクラを食べました。 Translation: I ate okra tempura.

⚫︎You'd use オクラ when talking about the vegetable okra. ⚫︎It's straightforward; you simply use the word to identify the vegetable. ⚫︎You can use it in recipes, when discussing ingredients, or talking about meals. ⚫︎The word itself doesn't have different levels of politeness, although the sentences you use it in might.

⚫︎オクラ is written in katakana, as it is a loanword from a foreign language (likely English). ⚫︎There isn't a Kanji version of オクラ. ⚫︎It's always written as オクラ, with no variations in the way of okurigana.

⚫︎There aren't really any direct synonyms in Japanese for オクラ. ⚫︎You could describe it by its characteristics, but the actual word for it is always オクラ.

⚫︎There are no direct antonyms for the word オクラ. ⚫︎You might use words to describe vegetables it's unlike, like "hard" or "dry" to contrast with its texture.

私は夏にオクラをよく食べます。 ・Translation: I often eat okra in the summer. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states a preference for eating okra during the summer season.

オクラはネバネバしていて美味しいです。 ・Translation: Okra is sticky and delicious. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the texture (sticky/slimy, "nebaneba") and taste of okra.

⚫︎The word オクラ is borrowed from the English word "okra". ⚫︎It came to Japan along with the introduction of this vegetable.