koji

[ koh-jee ]

noun

1. a fungus, Aspergillus oryzae, used to initiate fermentation of a mixture of soybeans and wheat in the production of soy sauce.

Word History and Origins

Origin of koji¹

< Japanese kōji malt, yeast < kaudi < kaũdi < kamudati, probably equivalent to *kamu (< *kanpu mold; compare kabu, a variant outcome of the same etymon) + -dati, combining form of tati to rise

Example Sentences

Koji Uehara, on the other hand, was nothing short of spectacular this season as the Red Sox closer.

From The Daily Beast

The Koji is converted into moto by adding it to a thin paste of fresh-boiled starch in a vat.

From Project Gutenberg

The third stage consists in adding more rice and Koji to the moto, together with some water.

From Project Gutenberg

The material, now consisting of the bran felted together with fungus mycelium, is called taka-koji.

From Project Gutenberg