also: はぎわら
reedy field; field of bush clover
Refers to a field overgrown with bush clover (萩, hagi), a plant associated with autumn in Japanese poetry. Often appears in place names and surnames.
The place name Hagihara derives from the fact that bush clover once grew thickly there.
In autumn, pale purple flowers bloom all over the reedy field.
Standard kanji spelling; the reading はぎはら is the most common pronunciation for this surname and place name.
Alternate reading, also used for surnames and place names, though less common than はぎはら.
Compound of 萩 (hagi, 'bush clover') and 原 (hara, 'field'). The reading はぎわら is a common variant due to rendaku-like voicing of the second element in some contexts, though the exact historical derivation is uncertain.