also: ひゃんちん
Chinese mahogany; Toona sinensis
A deciduous tree native to East and Southeast Asia, valued for its edible young leaves and reddish wood. In Japanese, the name is usually written in katakana.
The young shoots of Chinese mahogany are sometimes eaten as tempura in spring.
The wood of the Chinese mahogany is sometimes used for furniture.
Alternate reading variant, less common.
The Japanese name チャンチン is likely derived from a Chinese dialect name for the tree, possibly from Mandarin 香椿 (xiāngchūn). The exact borrowing path is uncertain.