草石蚕

Japanese

Kanji in this term
ちょろぎ
Grade: 1 Grade: 1 Grade: 6
irregular
Alternative spelling
草石蠶 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Thought to be a corruption of Korean 지렁이 (jireong'i, earthworm).[1]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [t͡ɕo̞ɾo̞ɡʲi]

Noun

草石蚕(ちょろぎ) or 草石蚕(チョロギ) • (chorogi

  1. Chinese artichoke, Stachys affinis, a perennial plant originating from China
  2. the rhizome of S. affinis, eaten as a vegetable
  3. (especially) the rhizome pickled and dyed red, served as a traditional New Year dish

Usage notes

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

References

  1. ^ Sekai Dai-hyakka Jiten [World Encyclopedia] (in Japanese), Heibonsha, 1999