Pumpkin
Squash, Kabocha
noun
Melons from the south are lumpy and orange, sometimes orange and green because they try to look like the hot sun. Wait, those aren't melons, they're pumpkins and squash. Or... kind of a mix of the two, if you already know what kabocha tastes like.
The reading for this is an exception, so here's a mnemonic to help you remember it:
Japanese pumpkins don't taste like American pumpkins. They taste more like canned boiled chocolate (かぼちゃ). Oh, you don't know that either? Well then just taste the pumpkin and you'll know what that tastes like too.
This word is also sometimes read なんきん, especially in the east of Japan.
お母さんが作る南瓜パイは絶品なんだ！
Mom makes the best pumpkin pie!
今日は冬至だから晩御飯は南瓜を使った料理にしよう。
Today is winter solstice, so let's have a something with kabocha in for dinner.
南瓜の煮物を炊きました。
I cooked a boiled squash dish.