General term for melons and gourds, including cucumbers, watermelons, and other cucurbitaceous plants.
夏になると、祖母が畑で瓜を育てる。
In summer, my grandmother grows melons in the field.
この瓜はとても甘くて美味しい。
This melon is very sweet and delicious.
キュウリ means cucumber specifically, while 瓜 is the general category that includes cucumbers among other melons and gourds.
瓜 (a melon/gourd) and 爪 (a fingernail or claw) are written with almost identical kanji that learners frequently mix up.
counter for small objects; counter for pieces · counter for military units · individual; one person · counter for years of age difference; counter for school years
cucumber
Okinawan yellow cucumber
wax gourd; winter melon
Japanese snake gourd
hawthorn-leaf maple; uri maple
cucurbit leaf beetle
cucurbits; gourds
melon cucumber; oriental pickling melon
bitter melon; bitter gourd
Standard kanji spelling for melons and gourds.
Katakana spelling is sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the specific type of melon or gourd is not important.
The origin is uncertain, but the word has been used since Old Japanese to refer to melons and gourds.
snake gourd
Zehneria japonica; Japanese wild gourd