Chinese

Noun

桂花

1. sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans)

桂花

Synonyms

• 樨 (xī)

Japanese

桂花

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Kan'on
• IPA^(key): [ke̞ːka̠]

Alternative forms

• 桂華 (rare)

Etymology 1

*/kweːkwa/ → /keːkwa/ → /keːka/

From Middle Chinese compound 桂花 ‎(kuei^H xwæ, literally “cassia; osmanthus + flower”). Compare modern Min Nan reading kùi-hoe.

Noun

桂花 ‎(hiragana けいか, romaji keika, historical hiragana けいくわ)

1. sweet osmanthus
2. the flowers of the sweet osmanthus

Usage notes

The term 桂花 is generally reserved for compounds. The tree and the flowers are usually distinguished within Japan between the white-blossoming 銀木犀 ‎(ginmokusei, “silver osmanthus”) and the orange-blossoming 金木犀 ‎(kinmokusei, “gold osmanthus”), with the latter being more popular.

Derived terms

Synonyms

• 金木犀 (きんもくせい) ‎(kinmokusei): gold osmanthus
• 銀木犀 (ぎんもくせい) ‎(ginmokusei): silver osmanthus
• 木犀 (もくせい) ‎(mokusei): Osmanthus fragrans in general

Etymology 2

From a Chinese legend that the phases of the moon were caused by 桂 trees (kei in Japanese: general name for Lauraceae and other fragrant trees), which would bud, blossom, then drop their flowers and leaves again as if in accelerated seasons. Literally, “kei flower”, likening the phases of the moon to the budding and blooming of the trees.^[1]

Noun

桂花 ‎(hiragana けいか, romaji keika, historical hiragana けいくわ)

1. (euphemistic) the moon

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan