繭
cocoon
Readings
On'yomi
- ケン
Kun'yomi
- まゆ
- きぬ
Meaning
繭 centers on the protective casing spun by silkworms: a cocoon. The meaning is concrete and specific, with no major abstract extensions.
Most common words using 繭
- 繭まゆ
cocoon
- 二つ繭ふたつまゆ
double cocoon
- 収繭しゅうけん
cocoon crop
- 小繭蜂こまゆばち
braconid; member of the Braconidae (family of parasitic wasps)
- 屑繭くずまゆ
waste cocoon (silk); bad cocoon; damaged cocoon
- 山繭やままゆ
Japanese oak silkmoth (Antheraea yamamai)
- 山繭蛾やままゆが
Japanese oak silkmoth (Antheraea yamamai)
- 春繭はるまゆ
spring cocoon crop
- 玉繭たままゆ
dupion (double cocoon formed jointly by two or more silkworms); dupioni
- 生繭せいけん
raw cocoon
- 産繭さんけん
(silkworm) cocoon production
- 繭かきまゆかき
taking silkworm cocoons out of the cocoon holder
- 繭をかけるまゆをかける
to spin a cocoon
- 繭価まゆか
price of a cocoon
- 繭玉まゆだま
New Year's decoration with cocoon-shaped cakes
- 蚕繭さんけん
silkworm cocoon
- 黄繭こうけん
yellow cocoon
Study
Etymology
繭 combines 糸 (thread) with a component that likely depicts a silkworm or cocoon shape. The exact historical development of the inner part is uncertain, but the character clearly relates to silk and cocoons.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 艹 suggests plant material, and the bottom has 糸 (thread) and 虫 (insect). Picture a silkworm inside a cocoon made of thread, hanging from a plant: 繭 is a cocoon.
Reading mnemonic
For ケン, imagine a cocoon that looks like a tiny tent: tent -> ケン, and inside the tent a silkworm is spinning its cocoon.