楊
willow
Readings
On'yomi
- ヨウ
Kun'yomi
- やなぎ
Nanori
- やな
Meaning
楊 centers on the willow tree, a graceful tree known for its slender, drooping branches.
Most common words using 楊
- 楊枝ようじ
toothpick
- 爪楊枝つまようじN1
toothpick
- 垂楊すいよう
weeping willow
- 小楊枝こようじ
toothpick
- 房楊枝ふさようじ
toothbrush made from a piece of willow frayed at one end
- 朝熊黄楊あさまつげ
Japanese box tree (Buxus microphylla var. japonica)
- 楊子魚ようじうお
pipefish (esp. the seaweed pipefish, Syngnathus schlegeli)
- 楊弓ようきゅう
small toy bow that can be shot while sitting, popular in the Edo period
- 楊弓場ようきゅうば
archery range (sometimes a front for a brothel)
- 楊弓店ようきゅうてん
toy bow archery range (sometimes front for a brothel)
- 楊心流ようしんりゅう
Yoshin-ryu; martial art tradition founded in the Edo period
- 楊梅瘡ようばいそう
syphilis
- 武士は食わねど高楊枝ぶしはくわねどたかようじ
the samurai glories in honourable poverty; keep a stiff upper lip!
- 歯磨き楊枝はみがきようじ
toothbrush
- 犬黄楊いぬつげ
Japanese holly (Ilex crenata)
- 糸楊枝いとようじ
dental floss
- 胡楊樹こようじゅ
Hu poplar; Populus euphratica
- 高楊枝たかようじ
leisurely, post-meal use of a toothpick
Study
Etymology
楊 combines 木 (tree) with 昜, which likely contributes the sound and may relate to spreading or rising, fitting the willow's long, spreading branches.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 木 is a tree, and the right side 昜 looks like a sun 日 with rays spreading out. Picture a willow tree with long, spreading branches catching the sunlight.
Reading mnemonic
For ヨウ, imagine a willow tree swaying and making a soft 'yo' sound in the wind: yo -> ヨウ, as the branches gently wave.