Daikon

For other uses, see Daikon (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Daikin.

Daikon
From left to right: watermelon radish, daikon, bái luóbo, waemu, yeolmu, and ponytail radish
Genus	Raphanus
Species	Raphanus sativus
Subspecies	R. sativus subsp. longipinnatus
Cultivar group	White radish
Origin	North China

Daikon sold in Nara, Japan
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	白蘿蔔
Simplified Chinese	白萝卜
Literal meaning	“white radish”
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin báiluóbo Wade–Giles pai2-lo2-po5 Wu Wugniu baq8 lu2 boq8, baq8 lau2 boq8 IPA Shanghainese: [baʔ˩ lɔ˨ boʔ˨˧] Suzhounese: [bɑʔ˨ læ˧ boʔ] Ningbonese: [bɐʔ˨ ləu˥ boʔ˨˩] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping baak6 lo4 baak6 IPA [pak̚˨.lɔ˩.pak̚˨]
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	菜頭
Simplified Chinese	菜头
Literal meaning	“vegetable head”
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin càitóu Southern Min Hokkien POJ chhài-thâu
Korean name
Hangul	왜무
Literal meaning	Wae radish
Transcriptions Revised Romanization waemu McCune–Reischauer waemu
Japanese name
Kanji	大根
Kana	だいこん
Transcriptions Romanization daikon

Daikon or mooli (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus) is a mild-flavored winter radish usually characterized by fast-growing leaves and a long, white, napiform root. Native to continental East Asia, daikon and its cultivars are now harvested and consumed globally. In some locations, daikon is left unharvested to loosen compacted soils and recover nutrients.