ニッコウキスゲ

ニ

ッ

コ

ウ

キ

ス

ゲ

Meanings

noun

Nikko day lily; orange-yellow day lily

usually written using kana alone

A perennial plant native to Japan, especially associated with the Nikko region. The scientific name is Hemerocallis dumortierii.

初しょ夏かになると、戦場ヶ原せんじょうがはらではニッコウキスゲが一いち面めんに咲さきます。
In early summer, Nikko day lilies bloom all over Senjōgahara.
ニッコウキスゲはユリ科かの多た年ねん草そうです。
The Nikko day lily is a perennial plant of the lily family.

Kanji

日day, sun, Japan
光ray, light
黄yellow
菅sedge

Related words

キスゲ
キスゲ is a general term for yellow day lilies; ニッコウキスゲ specifies the species native to the Nikko area.
ヤブカンゾウ
ヤブカンゾウ is another common day lily species in Japan, often with double orange flowers, while ニッコウキスゲ has single yellow blooms.

Built from

日にっ光こう+黄き+スゲ

Written forms

にっこうきすげ
Hiragana spelling is also seen, but katakana is more common for plant names.
日にっ光こう黄き菅すげ
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly found in botanical contexts; learners will almost always encounter the katakana form.

Etymology

Named after the Nikko region (日光) where it is famously found, combined with キスゲ (yellow day lily). The kanji 黄菅 literally means 'yellow sedge', but the plant is a lily, not a sedge.