子こ持もち甘かん藍らん

こ

も

ち

か

ん

ら

ん

Meanings

noun

Brussels sprout

rare term

Rare term; the common word is 芽キャベツ (めキャベツ). This form is seldom used in modern Japanese.

Kanji

子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM
持hold, have
甘sweet, coax, pamper
藍indigo
籃basket

Related words

芽めキャベツ
The standard, everyday word for Brussels sprout. 子持ち甘藍 is a rare, literary alternative.

Built from

子こ持もち+甘かん藍らん

Written forms

子こ持もち甘かん藍らん
Rare kanji spelling for Brussels sprout; the word is almost always written in katakana.
子こ持もち甘かん籃らん
Variant kanji spelling; extremely rare.
コモチカンラン
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling; the usual way to write this word.

Etymology

Compound of 子持ち (こもち, "having children") and 甘藍 (かんらん, "cabbage"), literally "cabbage with children," referring to the many small buds. The exact origin is uncertain; it may be a calque from a European language.