イボタ

い

ぼ

た

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

A species of privet native to Japan and Korea, often used for hedges and as a source of insect wax. The Japanese name イボタ is also used for the wax produced by insects that feed on this tree.

Kanji

疣wart
取take, fetch, take up
水water
蝋wax
蠟wax, candle, waxy

Related words

ネズミモチ
ネズミモチ (Ligustrum japonicum) is a synonym for イボタ, referring to the same plant. イボタ is the more common name in everyday contexts.

Written forms

イボタUsage67%
kana-only spelling
Usually written in katakana; usually written in kana.
水蝋いぼたUsage33%
Rare kanji spelling; 蝋 means 'wax', referring to the wax obtained from the plant.
疣取いぼた
Rare kanji spelling; the characters mean 'wart' and 'remove', reflecting a traditional use.
水蠟いぼた
Rare variant of 水蝋 using the older form 蠟 for 'wax'.

Etymology

The name イボタ is said to derive from 疣 (いぼ, 'wart') and 取る (とる, 'remove'), as the plant was traditionally used to treat warts. The kanji 水蝋 refers to the wax (蝋) obtained from the plant.

イボタ

い

ぼ

た