瑚
ancestral offering receptacle, coral
Readings
On'yomi
- コ
- ゴ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
瑚 centers on a precious vessel used in ancestral rites, and by extension the coral-like material from which such vessels were sometimes made. The two meanings connect through the idea of a treasured, ornate receptacle.
Most common words using 瑚
- 珊瑚さんご
coral
- 床板珊瑚しょうばんさんご
tabulate coral (extinct coral of the order Tabulata)
- 床板珊瑚類しょうばんさんごるい
tabulate corals (extinct corals of the order Tabulata)
- 珊瑚婚式さんごこんしき
coral wedding (anniversary); 35th wedding anniversary
- 珊瑚樹さんごじゅ
sweet viburnum (Viburnum odoratissimum)
- 珊瑚水木さんごみずき
Cornus alba
- 珊瑚海さんごかい
Coral Sea
- 珊瑚石さんごいし
corallite
- 珊瑚色さんごいろ
coral (color); light red
- 珊瑚花さんごばな
Brazilian plume flower (Justicia carnea); Brazilian plume
- 珊瑚蛇さんごへび
coral snake
- 管珊瑚くださんご
organ-pipe coral
- 脳珊瑚のうさんご
brain coral
- 赤珊瑚あかさんご
red coral (Corallium japonicum)
- 黄色珊瑚鯊きいろさんごはぜ
yellow clown goby (Gobiodon okinawae)
Study
Etymology
瑚 combines 王 (jade/jewel) with 胡, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to a ritual vessel made of precious material, later extended to coral.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 王 (jewel) suggests something precious, and the right side 胡 (a phonetic component) can be imagined as an ornate container. Picture a jewel-encrusted ancestral offering vessel made of coral.
Reading mnemonic
For コ, imagine a small, precious coral vessel that is a "co"-llector's item: co -> コ, and the jewel-like coral makes it a treasure.