![[Surprisingly hard to recall?] Food names starting with 'go' by character count](https://media.ragnet.co.jp/img/1200__png__https://www.ragnet.co.jp/files/2025/04/11ecac9565381e02638ccf3f0f05e1a4.webp)
[Surprisingly hard to recall?] Food names starting with 'go' by character count
I put together a list of foods that start with “go.”
When you’re playing shiritori and need a word that starts with “go,” and on top of that it has to be a food, the options become extremely limited, right?
If you’re suddenly asked for an answer, it can be hard to come up with one, and you might freeze under pressure.
So let’s be prepared with a list of food names that start with “go,” so you can answer smoothly without panicking!
We’ve organized foods that start with “go” by character count.
You might even discover some foods you didn’t know before!
2 characters (1–10)
sesame
When asked to think of a word that starts with “go,” many people will probably think of goma (sesame), won’t they? Since there are many similar words like “goma-abura” (sesame oil), it seems like it could be reused many times.
3 characters (1–10)
burdock (root)
It’s burdock root, which many people surely like.
By the way, in the Osaka dialect it’s pronounced ‘gonbo.’ Try using it if you get the chance.
Gonza (Gonza island)
Do you know about Gonza (Gonza/“Gonza”)? Gonza is a local dish from Nara Prefecture made by simmering ingredients like daikon radish and burdock root.
It is also the name of a place in Shiga Prefecture.
bitter melon
Goya, with its distinctive bitterness that grows on you, also starts with “go.” By the way, “goya” is just a common name—the official name is bitter melon (tsurureishi).
gomame
There’s a food that many people aren’t very familiar with called gomame.
Gomame refers to a dish made from young anchovies (Japanese anchovy) that are boiled or dried.
4 letters (1–10)
spotted mackerel (chub mackerel with sesame-like spots)
There is a creature that starts with “go”: the goma mackerel.
The goma mackerel is a type of mackerel, and in some regions it’s also called simply “goma.”
Gogatsuna (May greens)
There is a type of vegetable called gogatsuna (May greens).
You can enjoy gogatsuna in many ways, such as boiling or grilling it.