黒慈姑

Japanese

Kanji in this term
くろ
Grade: 2
くわい > ぐわい
Grade: S Hyōgai
kun'yomi jukujikun
Alternative spelling
黑慈姑 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Literally, black arrowhead, (くろ) (kuro, black) + 慈姑(くわい) (kuwai, arrowhead). The kuwai changes to guwai as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Noun

(くろ)慈姑(ぐわい) or 黒慈姑(クログワイ) • (kuroguwai

  1. Eleocharis kuroguwai, a kind of spikerush

Usage notes

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