rough potato; Metaplexis japonica
A climbing plant native to East Asia, known for its heart-shaped leaves and milky sap. The name is usually written in kana.
The rough potato blooms small flowers in summer.
As a child, I often saw rough potato pods in the fields.
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling, also common.
Kanji spelling; rarely used in modern Japanese.
Alternate kanji spelling; rarely used.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; rarely used.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; rarely used.
Contains outdated kanji; not used in modern writing.
The Japanese name ががいも (gagaimo) is of uncertain origin. The kanji 蘿芋 and variants are likely ateji, chosen for their phonetic or semantic association with vines and tubers.