オタネニンジン

お

た

ね

に

ん

じ

ん

Meanings

1

noun

Asian ginseng; Panax ginseng

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to the plant species Panax ginseng, used in traditional medicine.

オタネニンジンは漢かん方ぽう薬やくの原げん料りょうとして知

し

ら

れ

て

いる

。

Asian ginseng is known as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.

Kanji

御honorable, manipulate, govern
種species, kind, class
人person
参nonplussed, three (in documents), going

Related words

朝ちょう鮮せん人にん参じん
Synonym for Asian ginseng, but オタネニンジン is the more scientific/standard term.
人にん参じん
Usually means carrot; context distinguishes it from ginseng.

Built from

お+種たね+人にん参じん

Written forms

オタネニンジン
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is standard for this plant name; usually written in kana.
御お種たね人にん参じん
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly historical; learners will almost always encounter the katakana form.

Etymology

御種人参 originally referred to ginseng cultivated from seed officially distributed under the shogunate; 御種 denotes the honored or government-supplied seed. 人参 is the established Japanese name for ginseng.