リンドウ

also: りゅうたん

り

ん

ど

う

Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

gentian; autumn bellflower

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to Gentiana scabra var. buergeri, a blue-flowered autumn perennial native to Japan. The katakana spelling リンドウ is standard.

秋あきになると、山やまでリンドウが咲さきます。
In autumn, gentians bloom in the mountains.
リンドウの青あおい花はなが好すきです。
I like the blue flowers of the gentian.

Written forms

リンドウUsage44%
kana-only spelling
The most common spelling; the plant name is usually written in katakana.
りんどうUsage44%
Hiragana spelling, also common.
竜胆Usage10%
- りんどう
  Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
- りゅうたん
龍胆Usage2%
- りんどう
  Variant kanji form with 龍; even rarer.
- りゅうたん
りゅうたん
Alternate reading of the kanji forms; almost never used in practice.

Kanji

竜dragon, imperial
胆gall bladder, courage, pluck
龍dragon, imperial

Etymology

The Japanese name リンドウ (rindō) is thought to derive from the Chinese name 竜胆 (lóngdǎn), literally 'dragon's gall', referring to the plant's bitter root. The alternate reading りゅうたん is the on'yomi of the kanji, but is rarely used.