杏
apricot
Readings
On'yomi
- キョウ
- アン
- コウ
Kun'yomi
- あんず
Nanori
- りょう
Meaning
杏 centers on the apricot fruit, and by extension the apricot tree.
Most common words using 杏
20 of 22- 杏あんず
apricot (Prunus armeniaca)
- 銀杏いちょう
ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba); gingko; maidenhair tree
- 銀杏ぎんなん
ginkgo nut; gingko nut
- 杏仁きょうにん
apricot seed; apricot kernel
- 杏林大学きょうりんだいがく
Kyorin University
- 杏林きょうりん
apricot grove
- アメリカ銀杏蟹アメリカいちょうがに
Dungeness crab (Metacarcinus magister)
- 大銀杏おおいちょう
large ginkgo tree
- 大銀杏髷おおいちょうまげ
ginkgo-leaf top-knot worn by makuuchi and juryo division wrestlers
- 宝冠杏葉章ほうかんきょうようしょう
Order of the Precious Crown, Apricot
- 巴旦杏はたんきょう
plum; almond
- 杏ジャムあんずジャム
apricot jam
- 杏仁油きょうにんゆ
apricot kernel oil; apricot oil; persic oil
- 杏仁豆腐あんにんどうふ
(Chinese-style) almond jelly; dessert of powdered and jellied apricot kernels with fruit
- 杏花きょうか
apricot flower
- 杏茸あんずたけ
chanterelle mushroom (Cantharellus cibarius)
- 杏酒あんずしゅ
sake made from apricot
- 杏露酒しんるちゅう
Shinluchu (apricot wine)
- 牡丹杏ぼたんきょう
variety of Japanese plum
- 銀杏歯鯨いちょうはくじら
ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens)
Study
Etymology
杏 combines 木 (tree) and 口 (mouth), likely representing the fruit of a tree that is eaten. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the tree-fruit association is broadly accepted.
Meaning mnemonic
A tree 木 with a round fruit 口 hanging from it: that fruit is an apricot.
Reading mnemonic
For キョウ, imagine a giant apricot so big it casts a shadow over Kyoto (キョウ). The apricot tree stands tall, and its fruit is as famous as the city.