檳榔

See also: 槟榔

Chinese

	phonetic
trad. (檳榔)	檳	榔
simp. (槟榔)	槟	榔
alternative forms	賓桹／宾桹賓郎／宾郎

Etymology

Described in Qimin Yaoshu [544 CE] and Taiping Yulan [983 CE].

Borrowed from a Southern language, possibly a Mon-Khmer or Austronesian language. Compare Northern Khmer นาดพลฺืง (“a kind of betel leaf bush”), Thavung พะเล้อฺ (“betel”); Proto-Vietic *p-naːŋ; Eastern Katu panang; Malay pinang; Acehnese pineung, Tsat naːŋ³³ (< Proto-Chamic *pinaːŋ (“betel nut”)), as well as Proto-Mon-Khmer *ml[əw] (“betel”), whence Khmer ម្លូ (mluu), Northern Khmer มลู, Vietnamese trầu (< Proto-Vietic *b-luː), Thai พลู (pluu) and perhaps Chinese 扶留 (OC *pa/ba m·ru/m·rus, “a leaf chewed together with betel nut”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): bīngláng, bīnláng

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄥㄌㄤˊ, ㄅㄧㄣㄌㄤˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ban¹ long⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): pîn-lòng / pîn-nòng

(Hailu, HRS): bin^ˋ long / ben^ˋ long

(Meixian, Guangdong): bin¹ long²
Eastern Min (BUC): bĭng-lòng
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): bing¹ lung² / bing¹ nng²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): pin-nn̂g / pun-nn̂g

(Teochew, Peng'im): bing¹ no⁵ / bêng¹ no⁵ / bing¹ lo⁵ / bing¹ lang⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹pin-laon

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: bīngláng
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄥㄌㄤˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bingláng
  - Wade–Giles: ping¹-lang²
  - Yale: bīng-láng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: binglang
  - Palladius: бинлан (binlan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /piŋ⁵⁵ lɑŋ³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: bīnláng
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄣㄌㄤˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: binláng
  - Wade–Giles: pin¹-lang²
  - Yale: bīn-láng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: binlang
  - Palladius: биньлан (binʹlan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pin⁵⁵ lɑŋ³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: ban¹ long⁴
  - Yale: bān lòhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ban¹ long⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: ben¹ long⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐn⁵⁵ lɔːŋ²¹/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pîn-lòng
  - Hakka Romanization System: bin^ˊ long^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: bin¹ long²
  - Sinological IPA: /pin²⁴ loŋ¹¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pîn-lòng / pîn-nòng
  - Hakka Romanization System: bin^ˊ long^ˇ / bin^ˊ nong^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: bin¹ long² / bin¹ nong²
  - Sinological IPA: /pin²⁴ loŋ¹¹/, /pin²⁴ noŋ¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: bin^ˋ long / ben^ˋ long
  - Sinological IPA: /pin⁵³ loŋ⁵⁵/, /pen⁵³ loŋ⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: bin¹ long²
  - Sinological IPA: /pin⁴⁴⁻³⁵ lɔŋ¹¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: bĭng-lòng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /piŋ⁵⁵ ^(l-)nˡouŋ⁵³/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: bing¹ lung² [Phonetic: bing⁵ nung²]
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: bing-lńg
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /piŋ⁵³³⁻¹¹ ^(l-)nuŋ¹³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: bing¹ nng² [Phonetic: bing⁵ nng²]
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /piŋ⁵⁴⁴⁻²¹ nŋ̍²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Zhangzhou, Taichung, Hsinchu, Yilan, Lukang, Sanxia, Kinmen, Magong)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pin-nn̂g
  - Tâi-lô: pin-nn̂g
  - Phofsit Daibuun: pinnngg
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /pin⁴⁴⁻²² nŋ̍¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei, Yilan): /pin⁴⁴⁻³³ nŋ̍²⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Kinmen): /pin⁴⁴⁻²² nŋ̍²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Lukang): /pin³³ nŋ̍²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /pin⁴⁴⁻³³ nŋ̍²³/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Tainan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pun-nn̂g
  - Tâi-lô: pun-nn̂g
  - Phofsit Daibuun: punnngg
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /pun⁴⁴⁻²² nŋ̍¹³/
  - IPA (Tainan): /pun⁴⁴⁻³³ nŋ̍²⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: bing¹ no⁵ / bêng¹ no⁵ / bing¹ lo⁵ / bing¹ lang⁵
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ping nô / peng nô / ping lô / ping lâng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /piŋ³³⁻²³ no⁵⁵/, /peŋ³³⁻²³ no⁵⁵/, /piŋ³³⁻²³ lo⁵⁵/, /piŋ³³⁻²³ laŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

bing1 no5 - Chaozhou, Shantou;
bêng1 no5 - Jieyang;
bing1 lo5 - Chaoyang.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹pin-laon
  - MiniDict: pin^平 laon
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹pin-laan
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pin⁵⁵ lɑ̃²¹/

Middle Chinese: pjin lang

Rime
Character	檳	榔
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)	唐 (101)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	必鄰切	魯當切
Baxter	pjin	lang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/piɪn/	/lɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/pin/	/lɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/pjen/	/lɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/pin/	/laŋ/
Li Rong	/piĕn/	/lɑŋ/
Wang Li	/pĭĕn/	/lɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/pi̯ĕn/	/lɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bīn	láng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ban¹	long⁴

Noun

檳榔

betel palm
betel nut; areca nut (Classifier: 顆／颗 m; 粒 c mn)

Synonyms

(Hokkien) 菁仔, 菁仔子, 栳箬子, 老枳

Derived terms

檳城 / 槟城 (Bīngchéng)
檳榔嶼 / 槟榔屿 (Bīngláng Yǔ)
檳榔攤 / 槟榔摊
檳榔芋 / 槟榔芋
檳榔西施 / 槟榔西施 (bīngláng xīshī)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (檳榔):

→ Japanese: 檳榔(びんろう) (binrō)
→ Korean: 빈랑(檳榔) (billang)

References

(Min Nan) “檳榔”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
檳	榔
びん Hyōgai	ろう Hyōgai
on'yomi

From Chinese 檳榔 / 槟榔 (bīngláng), itself from Malay pinang.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) びんろー [bìńróó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [bʲĩn̺ɾo̞ː]

Noun

檳(びん)榔(ろう) or 檳榔(ビンロウ) • (binrō) ^{←びんらう (binrau)^?}

Areca catechu, the areca or betel palm

Usage notes

As with many terms in biology, this term is often spelled in katakana.

Derived terms

檳榔子(びんろうじ) (binrōji): areca nut, betel nut

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
檳	榔
び Hyōgai	ろう Hyōgai
irregular

Unknown. From Chinese, but the use of this term as an alternative spelling is of uncertain derivation.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) びろー [bìróó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
(Tokyo) びろー [bíꜜròò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
IPA^(key): [bʲiɾo̞ː]

Noun

檳(び)榔(ろう) or 檳榔(ビロウ) • (birō) ^{←びらう (birau)^?}

alternative spelling of 蒲葵 (birō, “Livistona chinensis, Chinese fan palm”)

Usage notes

As with many terms in biology, this term is often spelled in katakana.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]