苓
plant, herb, mushroom
Readings
On'yomi
- レイ
- リョウ
Kun'yomi
- みみなぐさ
Meaning
苓 centers on small, low-growing vegetation: plants, herbs, or mushrooms. It refers to botanical life, especially in medicinal or natural contexts.
Most common words using 苓
- 土茯苓どぶくりょう
Smilax glabra (species of sarsaparilla, used esp. to refer to its dried rhizome, used in Chinese medicine)
- 桂枝茯苓丸けいしぶくりょうがん
keishibukuryōgan; traditional Chinese medicine prescribed for gynecological disorders
- 猪苓ちょれい
umbrella polypore sclerotium (used as a diuretic, antipyretic, and antitussive in traditional Chinese medicine)
- 猪苓舞茸ちょれいまいたけ
umbrella polypore (Polyporus umbellatus)
- 茯苓ぶくりょう
Poria cocos (species of basidiomycete used in Chinese medicine)
Study
Etymology
苓 combines the plant radical 艹 with 令, which likely provides the sound. The character originally referred to a specific medicinal herb or mushroom.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 艹 is the plant radical, and the bottom 令 looks like a person kneeling under a roof. Picture a person gathering herbs or mushrooms under a shelter: 苓 is a plant or mushroom.
Reading mnemonic
For レイ, imagine a ray of sunlight shining on a small herb: ray -> レイ, and the plant grows in the light.