肉にっ桂けい

also: にっき

に

っ

け

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

cinnamon

Refers to the spice cinnamon, commonly used in cooking and baking. Can also be used attributively with の.

このクッキーには肉にっ桂けいが入はいっています。
These cookies contain cinnamon.
肉にっ桂けいの香かおりが好すきです。
I like the smell of cinnamon.

noun

cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum sieboldii)

usually written using kana alone

Specifically refers to the tree species Cinnamomum sieboldii, a type of cinnamon tree. Usually written in kana in this sense.

ニッケイはクスノキ科かの常じょう緑りょく樹じゅです。
The cinnamon tree is an evergreen tree of the laurel family.

Kanji

肉meat
桂Japanese Judas-tree, cinnamon tree

Related words

シナモン
シナモン is the more common loanword for the spice in everyday contexts, while 肉桂 is more traditional or formal.

Word family

肉にっ桂けい色いろ
cinnamon (color); cinnamon brown
ヤブニッケイ
Japanese cinnamon
セイロンにっけい
true cinnamon tree; Ceylon cinnamon tree

Written forms

肉桂Usage34%
- にっけい
  Standard kanji spelling for cinnamon (spice) and the tree. The reading にっけい is the most common.
- にっき
ニッキUsage27%
ニッケイUsage23%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used in botanical or commercial contexts.
にっきUsage16%
Alternate reading for the same kanji spelling. Less common than にっけい, but still used.

Etymology

The kanji 肉桂 literally mean 'meat' and 'cassia', referring to the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. The reading にっけい is the on'yomi, while にっき is a variant. The word is of Chinese origin.