イヌガラシ

イ

ヌ

ガ

ラ

シ

Meanings

noun

variableleaf yellowcress; Rorippa indica

usually written using kana alone

A common weed in the mustard family, found in fields and roadsides in Japan. The name literally means 'dog mustard', implying it is a false or inferior mustard.

道みち端ばたにイヌガラシがたくさん生はえている。
A lot of variableleaf yellowcress is growing by the roadside.
イヌガラシは春はるに小ちいさな黄き色いろい花はなを咲さかせる。
Variableleaf yellowcress blooms small yellow flowers in spring.

Kanji

犬dog
芥mustard, rape, dust
辛spicy, bitter, hot
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM

Related words

カラシ
カラシ (mustard) is the cultivated plant used for condiments, while イヌガラシ is a wild, weedy relative not used for food.
タネツケバナ
タネツケバナ (Cardamine scutata) is another small white-flowered mustard-family weed, often confused with イヌガラシ when not in bloom.

Written forms

イヌガラシUsage100%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for plant names and is the usual written form for this word.
いぬがらし
Hiragana spelling is also used, especially in informal contexts.
犬いぬ芥がらし
Kanji form using 芥 (mustard/weed). Rarely used; the plant is normally written in kana.
犬いぬ辛がら子し
Kanji form using 辛子 (mustard). Rarely used; the plant is normally written in kana.

Etymology

Compound of 犬 (inu, 'dog') and 芥子/辛子 (garashi, 'mustard'). The 'dog' prefix often indicates a false or inferior version of something, so the name means 'false mustard' or 'wild mustard'.