Related words 葷くん 酒しゅ Also an obsolete Buddhist term, referring specifically to pungent vegetables and alcohol, often seen together with 葷羶 in old texts.
精しょう 進じん 料りょう 理り Modern term for Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, which avoids both 葷 (pungent vegetables) and 羶 (meat).
Written forms 葷くん 羶せん
Obsolete kanji spelling; both characters are rare. 葷 refers to strong-smelling vegetables, 羶 to the smell of raw meat.
葷くん 膻せん
Variant spelling using 膻 instead of 羶 ; equally rare and obsolete.
Etymology From Chinese 葷羶 (hūnshān), combining 葷 'strong-smelling vegetables' and 羶 'rank smell of meat'. The term entered Japanese through Buddhist texts and is now obsolete.
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