母子草

Japanese

Kanji in this term
はは
Grade: 2

Grade: 1
くさ > ぐさ
Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Etymology

Literally, mother and child grass, 母子(ははこ) (hahako, mother and child) + (くさ) (kusa, grass, plant). The kusa changes to gusa as an instance of rendaku ((れん)(だく)).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ha̠ha̠ko̞ɡɯ̟sa̠]

Noun

(はは)()(ぐさ) or 母子草(ハハコグサ) • (hahakogusa

  1. Pseudognaphalium affine, a species of cudweed
    Synonyms: 御形 (gogyō), 麹花 (kōji-bana), 母子 (hahako), 餅艾 (hana yomogi)

Usage notes

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