[Etymology] Nihon Shakumei (34) Trees (Torreya, Willow, Brushwood, Camellia, Boxwood, Orange, etc.)
|Torreya (Kaya)
When you burn brushwood and use the smoke to fumigate mosquitoes, they retreat well. |Mosquito-repelling (Kayari) fire is used, so it should be called "mosquito-repelling tree," but it has been abbreviated. "|Fir (Momi)" is the Korean name.
* "Fusubureba" means to |fumigate (fusubu). It means to create smoke or to smolder. * Reference: "Haikai Saijiki Shiorigusa Autumn/Winter/Miscellaneous Section, Expanded and Revised (
Torreya)", "Illustrated Textbook of Natural History: With Q&A Method, Q&A Method 2 (Torreya)" (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
|Camphor Tree (Kusunoki)
It is a "smoldering tree." This tree has a strong scent and is something that smolders.
* "Kusuboru" means to |smolder (kusuboru). To smoke.
|Lychee (Ritei)
This is the Tang pronunciation of "reishi." "Ri" corresponds to "rei," and "chi" corresponds to "shi." "I" is the elongated sound of "chi."
* "Elongated sound" means to insert the sounds "i," "u," or "n" between words to pronounce them with a long, drawn-out voice.
|Japanese Star Anise (Shikimi)
It means "bad fruit." Commonly written as "櫁." "Shiki" is "ashiki" (bad). The "a" is omitted. "Mi" is fruit. The fruit of the shikimi is poisonous. If eaten, it kills people. Therefore, it is a bad fruit. Children should be warned not to eat it.
|Rose of Sharon (Mukuge)
This is a case where the sound has been |shifted (ten) to become the reading. "Muku" corresponds to "moku," and "ge" corresponds to "kin."
* "|Shifted (ten) to" means to change.
|Willow (Yanagi)
It is "iyanaga" (always long). The "i" is omitted. "Ga" and "gi" correspond to each other. Because the willow is something that grows easily, it means "to become long."
|Maple (Kaede)
The shape of the leaf resembles a frog's hand. "Kaeru-te" (frog hand) is abbreviated to "kaede."
Brushwood
It is 'lower leaves'. It refers to a low tree. It is 'leaves of a lower tree'. The middle part is omitted. Also, the grass 'Shiba' is likely leaves that spread out below.
* 'Hikiku' means low. Reference: 'Futsū Dokuhon Jikai ({Dwarf/Small)' (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Tobira tree
On New Year's Eve, if you stick branches of this tree into the doors of a private house, it wards off plague demons. In the medieval period, this was commonly said. It is named because it is stuck into the door. Popularly, it is called 'tobera'. In 'Wamyō Ruijushō', it is read as 'tobira'.
* 'New Year's Eve' refers to the last day of the year.
Trunk
It is 'tree base'. The base of a tree is called 'koashi'. 'Ashi' means 'base'.
Sucker (sprout)
Small branches growing from the roots of a tree are called 'hikobae'. It is 'hikibae'. It means 'growing low'. Also, there is a theory that it is like calling a grandchild 'hiko'. It refers to something small.
* Reference: 'Rigen Shūran, Vol. 2, Meiji 33, Supplement ({hi)', 'Kojitsu Sōsho, Anzai Zuihitsu ({hiko)' (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Twig
'Suha' means 'end'. It is 'end branch'.
Camellia
It is 'thick-leaf tree'. The beginning is omitted. Camellia leaves are thick.
Cherry
It is 'to split'. The bark of that tree naturally splits horizontally while standing. 'Ra' and 'ru' are interchangeable.
Pomegranate
Uses the sound as the reading.
Hazel
The leaves of this tree resemble those of the Japanese snowball, and are brushwood-like.
|Gallnut
An abbreviation of 'shibushi'. Its nature is astringent.
|Boxwood
It is 'tsuyuki'. This tree's leaves turn yellow during the rainy season, and then turn green again afterwards. 'Tsu' is 'tsuya' (gloss). 'Ge' is interchangeable with 'ki'. It means 'yellow'.
|Apricot
A Tang dynasty pronunciation.
|Ginkgo
|Ginkgo is 'one leaf'. Unlike other trees, it does not have ●● and each has one leaf.
Yuzuriha (Daphniphyllum macropodum)
For other trees, their leaves fall in autumn and winter. This tree's leaves do not fall within the year. The old leaves remain until spring, and fall only after the new leaves of the year have grown. It is named because it yields to the new leaves before falling. One theory says the stem of its leaf is like a bowstring. This theory is not correct. The reason it is written as 'bowstring leaf' in the Man'yoshu is because the reading is the same.
* The character for 'leaf' in 'new leaf' looks like 'brushwood', but I have read it as 'leaf' in accordance with the reprint in the Taisho-era dictionary 'Kobunko'. Reference: 'Kobunko Vol. 19 (Yuzuriha)' (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
|Japanese plum
It is 'sukimomo'. Its shape resembles a peach, and the taste is sour.
Wood shavings
Refers to 'wood shavings'. 'Ko' is 'tree'. 'Kera' is 'to shave'. The 'tsu' is omitted. 'Ru' and 'ra' are interchangeable.
|Oak
An abbreviation of 'katashi' (hard). The wood is hard.
|Amur cork tree
It is |Kihada (Amur cork tree)|. The skin is yellow.
* "Hadae" means |skin|. It refers to the skin.
|Ukogi (Acanthopanax)|
"Uko" is the Tang pronunciation of "Wujia". It is not a Japanese word.
|Kurumi (Walnut)|
"Kuru" is "Wu". In the "Engishiki", it is written as "Wu peach". It is a fruit that came from the land of Wu.
* "Engishiki" refers to the Engishiki (Procedures of the Engi Era).
|Sane (Seed/Pit)|
"Sane" means "small root". The seed of a tree fruit is something that already has a small root growing inside it. You should try examining persimmon seeds, chestnut seeds, lotus seeds, and the like.
* "Sane" refers to the seed of a fruit. * "Renniku" refers to a lotus seed.
|Nashi (Pear)|
"Nashi" means "white inside". The skin of a pear is green, and the inside is white.
|Daidai (Bitter orange)|
It is named so because the stem base has two pedestals stacked on top of each other. One where the pedestal is not stacked on the stem base is called "kabusu". It is named "kafusu" because when you use its dried peel to smoke out mosquitoes, the mosquitoes leave, hence the name.
* "Hozo" refers to the stem of a fruit. * "Dai" is a pedestal. * "Fusubureba" means |to smoke|. It means to create smoke or to smolder. * "Kabusu" is |bitter orange|. * Reference: "Shonen Hakubutsushi Vol. 1, Parts 2-4 (
Bitter orange
)", "Futsu Shokubutsu (Daidai, Bitter orange)" (National Diet Library Digital Collection)
|Momiji (Autumn leaves/Maple)|
Is this a word derived from the rice husks in autumn fields turning red? "Chi" likely refers to "paddy land".
* "Ine no momi" refers to |rice| |husks|.
|Fushitsuke (Unknown tree)|
This refers to placing tree branches into water during the cold winter season to gather and catch many fish in one place. It is done by putting wood into the water so that the fish can lie hidden.
* "Atsumetoran" means to gather and catch.
* "Ryou" means fishing.
* "Fushikakururu you ni" means so that they can lie down and hide.
* Reference: "Kotoba no Sono, Volume 4 (Fushizuke)" and "Dai Nihon Kokugo Jiten, Volume 5, Revised (Fushizuke)" (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Japanese Kerria (Yamabuki)
It grows in the mountains, and the color of its flowers is like that of the butterbur (fuki). In Japan, in the past, people mistakenly read the characters for 'butterbur' as 'yamabuki'.
Soapberry (Mukuroji)
The term 'mokuranji' was transformed into 'mukuroji'. It is not a native Japanese reading.
* "Tenjite" means to change or transform.
Hollow tree (Utsugi)
It is called this because it is hollow inside. The Deutzia flower (unohana) is the flower of the hollow tree.
Hackberry (Enoki)
It is a 'burning tree' (moe no ki). While all trees burn, this tree burns well, produces little smoke, and the smoke does not hurt the eyes, making it a good tree for a bonfire.
* "Keburi" means smoke.
Paulownia (Kiri)
It is called the 'kiri tree' because it grows quickly and becomes large when cut back repeatedly.
Magnolia (Ho-no-ki)
The sound of 'hoku' was transformed, and it was read as 'hoho' to make it a Japanese word.
Author's note: ● represents characters that could not be deciphered. I will update this as needed when new characters are deciphered or when I notice typos or misreadings. For details, please read the "Self-Introduction/Disclaimer" section. 📖