芭
banana
StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes7
Readings
On'yomi
- バ
- ハ
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
芭 centers on the banana plant, specifically its broad leaves or the plant itself.
Most common words using 芭
- 芭蕉ばしょう
Japanese fiber banana (Musa basjoo)
- アメリカ水芭蕉アメリカみずばしょう
yellow skunk cabbage (Lysichiton americanum)
- 実芭蕉みばしょう
banana
- 扇芭蕉おうぎばしょう
traveller's tree (Ravenala madagascariensis); traveller's palm
- 水芭蕉みずばしょう
Asian skunk cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense)
- 芭月涼はづきりょう
Ryo Hazuki
- 芭蕉扇ばしょうせん
palm-leaf fan
- 芭蕉梶木ばしょうかじき
Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus)
Study
Etymology
芭 combines 艹 (plant) with 巴, which likely contributes the sound. It originally referred to a type of fragrant plant or the banana plant.
Meaning mnemonic
The plant radical 艹 sits above 巴, like a banana plant with broad leaves spreading out from a central stem.
Reading mnemonic
For バ, imagine a banana with a big 'ba' sound when you peel it: ba -> バ, and the plant is a banana plant.