The papaya also known as papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya.

The papaya is a large, tree-like plant, with a single stem growing from 16 to 33 ft. tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is conspicuously scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. They appear on the axils of the leaves, maturing into large fruit 3.9–11.8 inches in diameter. The fruit is a type of berry. It is ripe when it feels soft (as soft as a ripe avocado or a bit softer) and its skin has attained an amber to orange hue.

Two kinds of papayas are commonly grown. One has sweet, red or orange flesh, and the other has yellow flesh. Either kind, picked green, is called a "green papaya".

In a 100 gram serving, papaya fruit provides 43 calories and is a significant source of vitamin C and a moderate source of folate, but otherwise has negligible content of nutrients.