Chinese

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west
melon; claw; gourd
melon; claw; gourd; squash
 
trad. (西瓜) 西
simp. #(西瓜) 西
Literally: “western melon”.
 
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Etymology

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(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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西瓜

 
西瓜
  1. watermelon

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (西瓜):
  • Japanese: 西瓜(すいか) (suika)
  • Korean: 서과(西瓜) (seogwa)

Others:

Japanese

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Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ja
Kanji in this term
西
すい
Grade: 2

Jinmeiyō
tōon kan'on
Alternative spelling
水瓜

Etymology

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From Middle Chinese 西瓜 (MC sej kwae, literally “west melon”). Compare modern Mandarin 西瓜 (xīguā, watermelon). Sui is the 唐音 (tōon) of 西.[1][2][3][4] There is an alternative spelling of 水瓜,[1][3][2][4][5] which may be seen as both ateji and a calque of English watermelon.

Various Japanese references indicate that the fruit was imported from China in the early Edo period in the 1600s.[1][3][2] However, the word is first attested in Japanese in a text from the 1360s, suggesting that the fruit was originally imported earlier, but did not become more widely known until the 1600s.[4]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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西(すい)() or 西瓜(スイカ) (suikaすいくわ (suikwa)?

  1. watermelon

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 西瓜”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 西瓜・水瓜”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  5. 5.0 5.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  6. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

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Hanja in this term
西

Noun

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西瓜 (seogwa) (hangeul 서과)

  1. hanja form? of 서과 (watermelon)

Okinawan

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Kanji in this term
西
しー
Grade: 2
くゎ
Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

Pronunciation

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Noun

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西(しー)(くゎ) or 西瓜(シークヮ) (shīkwa

  1. watermelon
    Synonym: 広東瓜 (kwantuui)

References

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  • シークヮ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).