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With regard to translating " **イモ** ", having the listener imagine the image
and flavour of the vegetable is infinitely more useful than merely a
convenient translation. I have seen " **イモ** " translated as " **potato** "
several times. But, I am suspicious.

I am from the Southeastern USA region, and most of us consider a "potato" to
be the one, and only one, classic "baking potato" (usually grown in Idaho).
There are also "sweet potatoes" and "yams", but we draw no distinction. "Sweet
potatoes" and "yams" are both called "sweet potatoes".

If someone asks me "what is an イモ?", I am not comfortable with just saying
"Ah. It's a potato." I've never seen or eaten an イモ. Using terms that a native
English speaker would use in daily conversation, what is a very short way to
get the image of an イモ into the mind of someone who knows nothing about Japan?

**note** : I did google images, but I believe some of the "イモ" images are
mislabeled. So, I'm confused. Who has _eaten_ a real イモ and can explain what
it is in terms that native English speakers use in daily conversation?
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2014-12-31T02:56:12.610
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2014-12-31T03:36:56.053
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translation
How should "イモ" be translated?
Even though I've been guilty of it plenty of times, it turns out that sweet
potatoes and yams are different things. (I'm from the midwest -- my wife is
from California).

But in answer to your question, a regular potato (member of the nightshade
family) is a じゃがいも.

yam is ながいも

sweet potato is さつまいも.

There's a character for いも, 芋. If someone just said いも to me (as a non-native
speaker), I would assume a regular potato.

Also in internet slang いも was used for e-mobile which is now Y!-mobile. I
don't know if anyone still calls it 芋.
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2014-12-31T03:31:14.000
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芋 aka some small, roundish, starchy root vegetable -- a tuber.

  * [甘薯]{かんしょ} aka [薩摩芋]{さつまいも} 
  * [馬鈴薯]{ばれいしょ} aka じゃが芋
  * [里芋]{さといも} which, as far as I know is what 芋 actually originally meant
  * [長芋]{ながいも}
  * [菊芋]{きくいも}
  * こんにゃく芋
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2014-12-31T04:26:40.293
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