noun
toothed medick; bur clover
A leguminous plant (Medicago polymorpha) with bur-like seed pods, often used as fodder. The Japanese name literally means 'horse fattening'.
春になると、道端に馬肥やしが黄色い花を咲かせる。
In spring, bur clover blooms with yellow flowers along the roadside.
noun
Colloquial use for white clover (Trifolium repens), though 白詰草 (しろつめくさ) is the standard term. May cause confusion.
See also: 白詰草
子供の頃、馬肥やしで冠を作って遊んだ。
As a child, I made crowns out of white clover and played.
Katakana spelling often used in botanical contexts or for emphasis.
Irregular okurigana variant; less common but recognized.
Standard term for white clover; 馬肥やし is a colloquial synonym that can also refer to bur clover.
Literally 'horse fattening', from 馬 (uma, 'horse') + 肥やし (koyashi, 'fertilizer' or 'fattening'), referring to its use as fodder.