蛋
barbarian, egg
Readings
On'yomi
- タン
Kun'yomi
—
Meaning
蛋 centers on a primitive or uncivilized person (barbarian) and, by extension, the egg of such creatures or simply an egg. The two meanings are linked through the idea of something raw or undeveloped.
Most common words using 蛋
- 蛋白たんぱく
protein
- 皮蛋ピータン
century egg; thousand-year old egg; hundred-year old egg; preserved egg (Chinese delicacy)
- リポ蛋白質リポたんぱくしつ
lipoprotein
- 低密度リポ蛋白ていみつどリポたんぱく
low-density lipoprotein; LDL
- 低密度リポ蛋白質ていみつどリポたんぱくしつ
low-density lipoprotein; LDL
- 動物性蛋白どうぶつせいたんぱく
animal protein
- 核蛋白質かくたんぱくしつ
nucleoprotein
- 植物性蛋白しょくぶつせいたんぱく
vegetable protein
- 正蛋セイタン
seitan; wheat gluten
- 燐蛋白質りんたんぱくしつ
phosphoprotein
- 総蛋白そうたんぱく
total protein
- 蛋民たんみん
Tanka people (of southern China)
- 蛋白同化ステロイドたんぱくどうかステロイド
anabolic steroid
- 蛋白工学研究所たんぱくこうがくけんきゅうしょ
Protein Engineering Research Institute
- 蛋白石たんぱくせき
opal
- 蛋黄たんこう
egg yolk
- 血清総蛋白けっせいそうたんぱく
total serum protein
- 高リポ蛋白血症こうリポたんぱくけっしょう
hyperlipoproteinemia
- 高蛋白血症こうたんぱくけっしょう
hyperproteinemia
- 鶏蛋けいたん
hen's egg (esp. in Chinese cuisine)
Study
Etymology
蛋 combines 疋 (a foot or leg) with 虫 (insect/reptile). The exact historical development is uncertain, but it likely originally referred to a type of barbarian tribe, with the egg meaning arising later as a phonetic loan or semantic extension.
Meaning mnemonic
A barbarian's foot (疋) stomps on an insect (虫), crushing it like an egg. This links the barbarian and egg meanings through a violent, primitive act.
Reading mnemonic
For タン, imagine a barbarian tanning an egg-shaped leather hide under the sun: tan -> タン.