also: よし
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
common reed; Phragmites australis
Refers to the plant species Phragmites australis, a tall perennial grass found in wetlands. Often written in kana (アシ or あし) in everyday use.
Reeds are growing thickly along the riverbank.
Common reeds grow thickly along the lakeshore.
I played a flute made from a reed stem.
In autumn, work to cut the reeds along the river takes place.
I made a flute out of reed stalks.
葦 (あし/よし) is the common reed that grows in wet marshes and riverbanks, while 荻 (おぎ) is a similar tall grass with broader leaves and a fluffier, silvery plume that grows in slightly drier fields, and the two are often mixed up at a glance.
葦 refers to the tall wetland reed (Phragmites), whereas 菅 is a shorter, tufted sedge plant.
book; volume; script · this; present; current; in question · main; head; principal · real; genuine; regular; proper · counter for long cylindrical objects; counter for films, TV shows, etc.; counter for goals, home runs, etc.; counter for telephone calls
reed bed; reed field
withered reeds
ashide; reed-hand painting · ashide-style calligraphy
reed pipe; reed flute
papyrus boat; reed boat
reedy shore; shore overgrown with reeds
Phacelurus latifolius; a species of perennial grass
lush waterside reeds
dapple gray (horse coat)
Standard kanji spelling for the common reed. High news frequency.
Katakana spelling for the alternate reading, used similarly to アシ.
Simplified variant, often used in proper nouns.
Variant kanji form, also common in news contexts.
Uncommon variant kanji.
Alternate reading, often used in names and traditional contexts.
Katakana spelling, common in botanical or general contexts where kana is preferred.
The word is native Japanese. The kanji 葦 is a phono-semantic compound with 艹 (grass) and 韋 (phonetic, also suggesting a bending motion, as reeds sway). The alternate reading よし may be a shift from あし, possibly influenced by avoidance of homophony with 悪し (bad).
flea-bitten gray (horse coat color)
crane (archaic)