raw cotton; cotton wool
Refers to cotton in its raw, unprocessed form, or as a fluffy material used for padding, stuffing, or medical purposes.
Cotton cultivation is thriving in this region.
I applied cotton wool to the wound to stop the bleeding.
コットン is a loanword from English, commonly used for cotton fabric or in fashion contexts. 綿花 is more technical and refers to the raw material.
Standard kanji spelling, common in news and general writing.
Alternate kanji form using 棉; less common than 綿花.
Sino-Japanese compound from 綿 (めん, 'cotton') and 花 (か, 'flower'), referring to the cotton flower or the raw cotton boll.