蒟蒻

蒟蒻

Chinese

		betel
trad. (蒟蒻)		蒟	蒻
simp. #(蒟蒻)		蒟	蒻

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jǔruò

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄩˇ ㄖㄨㄛˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): geoi² joek⁶

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jǔruò
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄩˇ ㄖㄨㄛˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jyǔruò
    • Wade–Giles: chü³-jo⁴
    • Yale: jyǔ-rwò
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jeuruoh
    • Palladius: цзюйжо (czjujžo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ ʐwɔ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: geoi² joek⁶
    • Yale: géui yeuhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: goey² joek⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gêu² yêg⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɵy̯³⁵ jœːk̚²/

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• Middle Chinese: /kɨo^X|kɨo^H  ȵɨɐk̚/

Rime
Character	蒟	蒟	蒻
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	見 (28)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)	虞 (24)	陽 (107)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	III	III
Fanqie	俱雨切	九遇切	而灼切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɨoX/	/kɨoH/	/ȵɨɐk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/kioX/	/kioH/	/ȵiɐk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/kioX/	/kioH/	/ȵʑiɑk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kuə̆X/	/kuə̆H/	/ȵɨak̚/
Li Rong	/kioX/	/kioH/	/ȵiak̚/
Wang Li	/kĭuX/	/kĭuH/	/ȵʑĭak̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/ki̯uX/	/ki̯uH/	/ȵʑi̯ak̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jǔ	jù	ruò
Expected Cantonese Reflex	geoi2	geoi3	joek6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*koʔ|kos  njewɢ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	蒟	蒟	蒻
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
No.	7101	7106	10949
Phonetic component	句	句	弱
Rime group	侯	侯	藥
Rime subdivision	0	0	2
Corresponding MC rime	矩	屨	若
Old Chinese	/*koʔ/	/*kos/	/*njewɢ/

Etymology 1

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

Noun

蒟蒻

1. konjac (foul-smelling plant grown in Asia, Amorphophallus konjac)
2. (literary, rare) betel and bulrush

   • 其園則有蒟蒻茱萸 [MSC, trad.]
     其园则有蒟蒻茱萸 [MSC, simp.]

     From: Western Jin dynasty, 左思, 蜀都賦

     qí yuán zé yǒu jǔruò zhūyú [Pinyin]

     The garden has betel and bulrush, as well as zhuyu

Synonyms

• (konjac): 魔芋 (móyù), 蒻頭／蒻头 (ruòtóu)

Etymology 2

Pun on 巨弱 (jù ruò, “very weak”).

Noun

蒟蒻

1. (Mainland China, slang, usually self-deprecatory) inexperienced competitor in Chinese science Olympiads (especially informatics olympiads, such as NOI and NOIP)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
蒟	蒻
こん Hyōgaiji	にゃく Hyōgaiji
kan’yōon	goon

Alternative spelling
菎蒻

Etymology

Probably from Old Japanese, in turn from Middle Chinese 蒟蒻 (MC kɨo^X|kɨo^H ȵɨɐk̚). The plant is not native to the Japanese archipelago, and was imported from China.

First cited to the 本草和名 (Honsō Wamyō) of circa 918 CE with the reading konyaku.[1] The geminate reading konnyaku is first cited to a text from 1336.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こんにゃ​く [kòńnyáꜜkù] (Nakadaka – [3])[2]
• (Tokyo) こんにゃく​ [kòńnyákúꜜ] (Odaka – [4])[2]
• IPA^(key): [kõ̞ɲ̟ɲ̟a̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

蒟(こん)蒻(にゃく) • (konnyaku) 

1. [from 918] 蒟蒻, 菎蒻: konjac (both the plant and the food made from the plant)
2. [from 1775] 蒟蒻: (slang) Short for 蒟蒻島 (Konnyaku-jima).: obsolete name for the 新川 (Shingawa) area in modern-day 中央区 (Chūō-ku, “Central Ward”) in Tokyo

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with コニャック (konyakku, “cognac”).

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Further reading

• Entry at Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)