kombu

noun

kom·​bu ˈkäm-(ˌ)bü 

: an edible kelp (such as Saccharina japonica synonym Laminaria japonica) that is typically dried and aged and used especially in Japanese cooking as a seasoning in soup stock

The puzzling broth was dashi—the Japanese cook's basic soup stock—seasoned with another seaweed, kombu.

—Caroline Bates

Thick, dark green strips of kombu are used in soups and stews, and added to beans and grains to help tenderize them while cooking.

—Jan Wolff

The actual harvesting of kombu is done mainly from boats …

—H. Jesse Walker

Examples of kombu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kanazawa’s version uses kombu (kelp), bonito flakes, and soy sauce from the small city of Ono for the broth. —Jessica Kozuka, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2026

The desserts are equally as intriguing, like a kombu ice cream with sweet salsa macha and a flan-like jericalla custard with mole ganache and cardamom buñuelos. —Kate Kassin, Bon Appetit Magazine, 26 Mar. 2026

For his curry’s base, Jacobs used green curry paste and kombu, a type of kelp used in Japanese cooking. —Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 16 Mar. 2026

Wakame, kombu, arame, varieties of brown algae, and aosa, which is green, turn her the deep teal color of waves curling into their shadows. —Literary Hub, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Japanese

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for kombu

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou