蕎
buckwheat
Readings
On'yomi
- キョウ
Kun'yomi
- そば
Meaning
蕎 refers specifically to buckwheat, a plant whose seeds are used to make soba noodles.
Most common words using 蕎
- 蕎麦そばN4
buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum)
- 蕎麦屋そばやN1
soba restaurant
- お亀蕎麦おかめそば
soba in soup with slices of boiled fish paste, shiitake mushrooms, greens, seaweed, etc.
- かけ蕎麦かけそば
soba in hot broth; soba without any trimmings
- ざる蕎麦ざるそば
zaru soba (soba served on a bamboo draining basket with dipping sauce)
- ぶっかけ蕎麦ぶっかけそば
soba with broth poured over it
- 三十日蕎麦みそかそば
soba eaten at the end of the month (esp. at the end of the year)
- 二八蕎麦にはちそば
soba made with two parts wheat flour to eight parts buckwheat flour
- 更科蕎麦さらしなそば
high quality soba
- 月見蕎麦つきみそば
soba with egg
- 狸蕎麦たぬきそば
soba with tempura batter
- 田舎蕎麦いなかそば
dark soba
- 蕎麦がきそばがき
buckwheat dumpling; buckwheat mash; buckwheat dough ball
- 蕎麦つゆそばつゆ
soba dipping sauce
- 蕎麦ボーロそばボーロ
buckwheat cookie
- 蕎麦殻そばがら
buckwheat chaff
- 藪蕎麦やぶそば
yabu soba; green-colored soba made from buckwheat flour milled with green buckwheat berry chaff
- 鰊蕎麦にしんそば
soba in hot broth, topped with a salty-sweet dried herring
Study
Etymology
蕎 combines the grass radical 艹 with the phonetic component 喬, which likely contributed the sound キョウ. The character was used in Chinese for a type of plant, and in Japanese it came to specifically denote buckwheat.
Meaning mnemonic
The grass radical 艹 sits above 喬, like tall buckwheat plants growing in a field.
Reading mnemonic
For キョウ, imagine a buckwheat field in Kyoto: Kyoto -> キョウ, and the buckwheat grows tall under the grass radical.