蕨
bracken, fernbrake
Readings
On'yomi
- ケツ
Kun'yomi
- わらび
Meaning
蕨 refers specifically to bracken, a type of fern, and by extension fernbrake, the thicket where it grows. The meaning is narrow and botanical.
Most common words using 蕨
- 蕨わらび
bracken
- 宮古島花蕨みやこじまはなわらび
kamraj (Helminthostachys zeylanica); tunjuk-langit; di wu gong
- 早蕨さわらび
freshly budded bracken
- 水蕨みずわらび
water sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides); Indian fern; water fern; Oriental waterfern; water hornfern
- 熊蕨くまわらび
Dryopteris lacera (species of wood fern)
- 犬蕨いぬわらび
Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum); pictum
- 蕨手わらびで
furled bracken fronds
- 蕨手刀わらびてとう
type of iron sword with curved pommel (Nara period)
Study
Etymology
蕨 combines the grass radical 艹 with 厥, which likely provides the sound. The character was created to name the bracken plant.
Meaning mnemonic
The grass top 艹 sits above 厥, which looks like a dense thicket. Picture a patch of bracken ferns growing in a wild, tangled brake.
Reading mnemonic
For ケツ, imagine a kettle (ケツ) sitting in a fernbrake, steaming among the bracken. The kettle sound hooks the reading ケツ.