empty grain husk; hollow object
Primarily refers to empty husks of grains like rice or wheat; also used for any hollow or empty object. Often appears in agricultural or botanical contexts.
This rice ear has many empty husks, so the harvest is small.
unripe fruit
Refers to fruit that has not ripened; less common than the husk sense. Often used in agricultural or botanical descriptions.
The unripe persimmons are still astringent and cannot be eaten.
風で粃が飛ばされて、実だけが残った。
The empty husks were blown away by the wind, leaving only the grains.
Standard kanji form for しいな, referring to empty grain husks or unripe fruit.
Variant kanji form; less common than 粃.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 粃 and 秕 both contain the rice radical 米, indicating association with grains. The reading しいな is native Japanese, and the variant readings しいだ and しいら are obsolete.