檬
lemon tree
Strokes17
Readings
On'yomi
- モウ
Kun'yomi
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Meaning
檬 refers specifically to the lemon tree, the plant that produces lemons.
Most common words using 檬
- 檸檬鮫れもんざめ
sicklefin lemon shark (Negaprion acutidens); sharptooth lemon shark
Study
Etymology
檬 is a phono-semantic compound: 木 (tree) provides the meaning, and 蒙 (モウ) provides the sound. It was created to represent the lemon tree.
Meaning mnemonic
The tree radical 木 on the left tells you this is a type of tree. The right side 蒙 looks complex, but picture it as a tangled lemon tree branch with leaves and fruit.
Reading mnemonic
For モウ, imagine mowing grass under a lemon tree: mow -> モウ, and the lemon tree stands tall while you mow around it.