Archaic term for the gourd plant or its fruit, especially the bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria). In modern Japanese, ひょうたん is more common.
dried gourd flask
Specifically a dried, hollowed-out gourd used as a container or flask. Often associated with historical or traditional contexts.
Travelers carried sake in a dried gourd flask.
Old documents record that gourds were used as water bottles.
Most common kanji for gourd/calabash; also read ひょう in some contexts.
Kana spelling is common in modern usage, especially for the plant or dried gourd.
Rare kanji variant for gourd; also read ひさ.
Rare kanji variant for gourd.
The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 瓢, 瓠, and 匏 all refer to gourds or calabashes and are used interchangeably in classical texts.