岩梨

Japanese

Kanji in this term
岩	梨
いわ Grade: 2	なし Grade: 4
kun’yomi

イワナシ (岩梨), Epigaea asiatica

Etymology

Superficially of 岩(いわ) (iwa, “stone”) + 梨(なし) (nashi, “pear”); compare synonyms 岩椿(いわつばき) (iwatsubaki, literally “stone camellia”), 砂苺(すないちご) (sunaichigo, literally “sand strawberry”). Attested from the 13th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [iɰᵝa̠na̠ɕi]

Noun

岩(いわ)梨(なし) or 岩梨(イワナシ) • (iwanashi) 

1. Epigaea asiatica, an evergreen shrub

   Synonyms: いばなし (ibanashi), 岩椿 (iwatsubaki), 砂苺 (sunaichigo), こげし (kogeshi)

2. the edible fruit of the plant
3. lingonberry, Vaccinium vitis-idaea

   Synonym: 苔桃 (kokemomo)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).