慈姑

See also: 慈菇

Chinese

		compassionate; gentle; merciful compassionate; gentle; merciful; kind; humane	paternal aunt
trad. (慈姑)		慈	姑
simp. #(慈姑)		慈	姑
alternative forms		慈菇 “arrowhead” 茨菰 “arrowhead”

Etymology

Concerning the name of the plant, Compendium of Materia Medica says:

一根歲生十二子，如慈姑之乳諸子，故以名之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

一根岁生十二子，如慈姑之乳诸子，故以名之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

Yī gēn suì shēng shí'èr zǐ, rú cígū zhī rǔ zhū zǐ, gù yǐ míng zhī. [Pinyin]

One [arrowroot] yields twelve fruits, as a kind mother gives birth to many sons, hence it is so called.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cígu, cígū

  (Zhuyin): ㄘˊ ˙ㄍㄨ, ㄘˊ ㄍㄨ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ci⁴ gu¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chû-ko͘

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cígu
    • Zhuyin: ㄘˊ ˙ㄍㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cíhgů
    • Wade–Giles: tzʻŭ²-ku⁵
    • Yale: tsź-gu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsyr.gu
    • Palladius: цыгу (cygu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰz̩³⁵ g̊u³/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, Taiwan, Mainland)
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cígū
    • Zhuyin: ㄘˊ ㄍㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cíhgu
    • Wade–Giles: tzʻŭ²-ku¹
    • Yale: tsź-gū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsyrgu
    • Palladius: цыгу (cygu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰz̩³⁵ ku⁵⁵/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 慈姑 慈菇 茨菰

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ci⁴ gu¹
    • Yale: chìh gū
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsi⁴ gu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: qi⁴ gu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰiː²¹ kuː⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chû-ko͘
    • Tâi-lô: tsû-koo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zu'kof
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡su²⁴⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡su²⁴⁻²² kɔ³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡su¹³⁻²² kɔ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡su²⁴⁻¹¹ kɔ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡su²³⁻³³ kɔ⁴⁴/

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 慈姑

1. (literary) husband's mother; mother-in-law
2. arrowhead ()

Derived terms

(deprecated template usage)

---

Japanese

慈姑 (kuwai): the arrowhead plant.

Kanji in this term
慈	姑
くわい
Grade: S	Hyōgaiji
jukujikun

Etymology

Unknown. One theory suggests that this is an alteration from 川芋 (kawa imo, “river tuber”), but the old kana spelling of くわゐ (kuwawi) for 慈姑 does not match the old kana spelling of かはうも (kafaumo) for 川芋. This is more likely a compound of 鍬 (kuwa, “plow”), from the shape of the leaves, plus an unknown element ゐ (wi).

The kanji are an orthographic borrowing from Chinese name for this plant.

Noun

慈姑(くわい) or 慈姑(クワイ) • (kuwai) ^{←くわゐ (kwawi)?}

1. (botany) the arrowhead plant, var. edulis, cultivated since ancient times for its edible bulb

Usage notes

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