胡
barbarian, foreign
Readings
On'yomi
- ウ
- コ
- ゴ
Kun'yomi
- なんぞ
Nanori
- えびす
- くる
Meaning
胡 centers on the idea of foreignness, especially from a historical Chinese perspective referring to northern or western non-Han peoples. The meaning 'barbarian' is a pejorative extension of that same concept of being outside one's own culture.
Most common words using 胡
20 of 77- 二胡にこ
erhu (2-stringed Chinese instrument played with a bow); erh hu
- 胡桃くるみ
walnut (Juglans spp., esp. Juglans regia)
- 胡麻ごま
sesame seeds
- 胡瓜きゅうりN1
cucumber (Cucumis sativus)
- 胡椒こしょうN3
pepper
- 胡散臭いうさんくさい
suspicious-looking; shady; questionable; dubious; fishy
- 胡蝶こちょう
butterfly
- 胡こ
barbarian tribes surrounding ancient China
- 胡坐あぐらN1
sitting cross-legged
- 胡散うさん
suspicious
- 胡坐こざ
sitting cross-legged
- 胡麻木ごまぎ
Siebold's arrowwood (Viburnum sieboldii)
- 荏胡麻えごま
wild sesame (Perilla frutescens var. frutescens); oilseed perilla; egoma
- 胡麻和えごまあえ
dish dressed with sesame sauce
- 胡粉ごふん
artists' chalk; white pigment; powdered calcium carbonate
- 胡麻を擂るごまをするN2
to flatter; to toady (to); to curry favor (with); to butter up; to grind sesame seeds
- 三島柴胡みしまさいこ
Bupleurum stenophyllum (species of medicinal herb)
- 五胡ごこ
Wu Hu (five tribes that migrated into China in 300-500 CE: Xiongnu, Jie, Xianbei, Di, Qiang)
- 五胡十六国ごこじゅうろっこく
Sixteen Kingdoms (collection of sovereign states in and around China; 304-439 CE); Sixteen Kingdoms period
- 京胡きょうこ
jinghu (2-stringed Chinese instrument played with a bow)
Study
Etymology
胡 originally referred to a specific ancient nomadic people or region north/west of China. The character combines 古 (old) and 月 (flesh/meat), but the exact historical rationale for this composition is uncertain; it may have been used phonetically to represent the foreign name.
Meaning mnemonic
Imagine an ancient Chinese border guard seeing a foreigner with old-fashioned (古) clothes and a piece of raw meat (月) hanging from his belt, marking him as a barbarian from outside the civilized world.
Reading mnemonic
For ウ, picture a barbarian shouting 'Ooh!' (ウ) in surprise when he sees something unfamiliar in a foreign land. The 'Ooh!' sound cues the reading ウ.