Food · Fermented foods

Karin (Japanese Quince)

かりん (Karin)

Also known as: Karin, Japanese quince, Pseudocydonia sinensis, 花梨, 榠樝

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At a glance

Category	Food
Japanese labeling name	かりん
Common Japanese notations	かりん, 花梨, 榠樝
Origin	Karin (Pseudocydonia sinensis); cultivated in Japan since ancient times for ornamental and traditional medicinal use; principal modern production in Yamagata, Nagano, Tohoku regions; the fruit is too astringent and hard to eat raw, used exclusively for processing
Typical functions	Karin-shu (karin liquor) — traditional homemade and commercial, Karin-shiroppu (karin syrup) — for cough/throat traditional use, Karin-cha (karin tea) — traditional throat-warming beverage, Functional positioning (traditional throat support)
Regulatory status in Japan	Standard agricultural product labeling. Karin requires processing — not eaten raw. Not a designated allergen.

Karin (かりん / 花梨) is Japanese quince (Pseudocydonia sinensis), a fruit too astringent and hard to eat raw, used exclusively for processed applications: as karin-shu (traditional liquor, both homemade and commercial), as karin-shiroppu (syrup for traditional throat-care), as karin-cha (warming tea), and with traditional throat-support functional positioning. Yamagata and Nagano are major modern production regions.

Classification

Tags below link to other ingredients sharing the same attribute, so you can pivot from one ingredient to its peers.

Product applications

Functions

Flavoring

Regulatory tags

Culinary ingredient

Origin

Plant-derived

Used in (typical product categories)

Finished-product categories that commonly include this ingredient in Japanese-market formulations.

Fresh karin (autumn seasonal, October-November, primarily for processing)
Karin-shu retail liquor
Karin-shiroppu retail
Karin-cha tea retail

What it is

Karin is Pseudocydonia sinensis, hard yellow fruit with strong aromatic profile, requiring processing.

Typical uses in Japanese products

Karin-shu liquor.

Karin-shiroppu (syrup).

Karin-cha (tea).

Traditional throat-support functional positioning.

For OEM: karin processing for syrup, liquor, tea, and functional throat product OEM.

Regulatory classification in Japan

Standard food labeling. Processing required. Not a designated allergen.

Regulatory classification in other markets

EU	Niche specialty positioning.
USA	Niche specialty positioning.
China	China has its own karin tradition.
Korea	Korea has its own moqua (모과) culture.

Example products

Example finished products will be added after verification.

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Used in similar product applications

Other ingredients commonly used in the same finished-product families.

Sharing similar functions

Ingredients that overlap on functional benefit tags.

From the same origin

Other ingredients that share an origin classification.

References

MEXT Standard Tables of Food Composition — かりん

Last updated: 2026-04-28. Ingredient entries are reviewed at least annually against current regulatory listings.