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ポンカン Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ポンカン

also: ぽんかん

ポ

ン

カ

ン

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

ponkan orange

usually written using kana alone

A sweet, easy-to-peel citrus fruit, similar to a tangerine. The word is usually written in katakana.

冬ふゆになるとポンカンをよく食たべます。
I often eat ponkan oranges in winter.
このポンカンは甘あまくてジューシーだ。
This ponkan is sweet and juicy.

Written forms

ポンカンUsage87%
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
ぽんかんUsage13%
Hiragana spelling, also common.
ポン柑かん
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the kanji 柑 means citrus.
椪ぽん柑かん

ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form

Ateji spelling; rarely used.

凸柑ぽんかん

ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form

Ateji spelling; rarely used.

Kanji

柑citrus, orange
椪name of a place in India, Poona
凸convex, beetle brow, uneven

Similar words

みかん
みかん is a general term for mandarin oranges, while ポンカン refers specifically to the ponkan variety, which is larger and has a thicker, looser skin.
デコポン
デコポン is a branded seedless citrus with a distinctive bump, whereas ポンカン is a different variety with seeds and a flatter shape.

Etymology

The name is believed to derive from the Indian city of Pune (formerly Poona), where the fruit was first cultivated, combined with 柑 (kan, 'citrus').