ヒルギ

ヒ

ル

ギ

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Refers specifically to mangroves of the family Rhizophoraceae, the typical 'true mangroves' with stilt roots. In everyday use, it may be used loosely for mangroves in general.

沖おき縄なわの海かい岸がんにはヒルギが生はえている。
Mangroves grow along the coast of Okinawa.
ヒルギの林はやしは多おおくの生いき物もののすみかだ。
Mangrove forests are habitats for many creatures.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

蛭leech
木tree, wood
漂drift, float (on liquid)
紅crimson, deep red
樹timber, trees, wood

Related words

マングローブ
マングローブ is the general loanword for 'mangrove' and can refer to any mangrove species, while ヒルギ is the native Japanese term specifically for Rhizophoraceae mangroves.

Word family

ヒルギダマシ
grey mangrove; white mangrove
オヒルギ
black mangrove (Bruguiera gymnorrhiza)
メヒルギ
Kandelia obovata; mangrove species
ヤエヤマヒルギ
Rhizophora mucronata; loop-root mangrove; red mangrove

Built from

ヒル+木き

Written forms

ヒルギUsage100%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
ひるぎ
Hiragana spelling, also used.
蛭ひる木ぎ
Rare kanji spelling; the characters suggest 'leech tree'.
漂木ひるぎ
Rare kanji spelling; the characters suggest 'drifting wood'.
紅樹ひるぎ
Rare kanji spelling; the characters suggest 'crimson tree'.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain. The word is native Japanese, and the kanji spellings are likely ateji or later associations.