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in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Translingual
Commons:Category
In Chinese , Korean and Vietnamese scripts, the right side component is written 每 (contains 母 with 2 dots). In Japanese shinjitai , the component is simplified to 毎 (contains 毋 with a single middle stroke). Due to Han unification , both characters (梅 /梅 ) are encoded under the same Unicode codepoint. A CJK compatibility ideograph (U+FA44) exists for the kyūjitai form of 梅 .
Han character
梅 (Kangxi radical 75, 木 +7 in Chinese , 木+6 in Japanese , 11 strokes in Chinese , 10 strokes in Japanese , cangjie input 木人田卜 (DOWY ), four-corner 48957 , composition ⿰木 每 (G H T K V ) or ⿰木 毎 (J ))
Derived characters
References
Kangxi Dictionary: page 528 , character 8
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14795
Dae Jaweon: page 916, character 23
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1215, character 13
Unihan data for U+6885
Chinese
Glyph origin
Old Chinese
脢
*mɯːs, *mɯː, *mɯːs
挴
*mlɯːʔ, *mɯːʔ
海
*hmlɯːʔ
毐
*ʔmɯː, *ʔmɯːʔ
呣
*mɯ
拇
*mɯʔ
母
*mɯʔ
胟
*mɯʔ
姆
*mɯʔ, *mɯs, *maːʔ
畮
*mɯʔ
踇
*mɯʔ
苺
*mɯs, *mɯːʔ, *mɯːs
莓
*mɯs, *mɯː, *mɯːs
敏
*mrɯʔ, *mrɯŋʔ
鰵
*mrɯŋʔ
慜
*mrɯŋʔ
毋
*ma
梅
*mɯː
酶
*mɯː
鋂
*mɯː
每
*mɯːʔ
毎
*mɯːs
痗
*mɯːs, *hmɯːs
晦
*hmɯːs
誨
*hmɯːs
悔
*hmɯːʔ, *hmɯːs
霉
*mrɯl
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声 , OC *mɯː ) : semantic 木 ( “ tree ” ) + phonetic 每 ( OC *mɯːʔ) .
Etymology
Seemingly related to Old Japanese 梅 ( ume2 ) (Shibatani, 1990; Miyake, 1997; apud Schuessler, 2007) (which was possibly borrowed from Middle Chinese). Its origin is unknown (Schuessler, 2007 ); its referent , Prunus mume , originated around the Yangtze River ,[ 1] now in south China yet initially outside the Chinese civilization 's cradle in the Central Plain .
Pronunciation
Mandarin
Cantonese
Hakka
Northern Min
Eastern Min
Southern Min
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Quanzhou , Zhangzhou , Taipei , Lukang , Sanxia , Kinmen , Magong , Hsinchu )
(Hokkien : Kaohsiung , Taichung )
(Hokkien : Tainan )
(Hokkien : Xiamen , Quanzhou , General Taiwanese , Hsinchu )
(Hokkien : Zhangzhou , Yilan , Taichung )
Note :
Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou:
m̂ - vernacular;
mûi/bôe - literary.
mainstream Taiwan:
môe/m̂ - vernacular;
mûi - literary.
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
梅
Reading #
1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
méi
Middle Chinese
‹ mwoj ›
Old Chinese
/*C.mˁə/
English
plum tree
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
梅
Reading #
1/1
No.
9302
Phonetic component
母
Rime group
之
Rime subdivision
0
Corresponding MC rime
枚
Old Chinese
/*mɯː/
Definitions
梅
Prunus mume (Chinese plum or Japanese apricot)
話梅 / 话梅 ― huàméi ― li hing mui
烏梅 / 乌梅 ― wūméi ― smoked plum
( in compounds ) A plant sharing similarities with Prunus mume in habit, flowers or fruits
蠟梅 / 蜡梅 ― làméi ― Chimonanthus praecox
茶梅 ― cháméi ― Camellia sasanqua
楊梅 / 杨梅 ― yángméi ― Myrica rubra
西梅 ― xīméi ― Prunus domestica
( obsolete ) Alternative name for 楠 (nán , “Machilus nanmu ”).
Short for 梅雨 (méiyǔ ).
Short for 梅州 (Méizhōu ).
a surname
梅 光達 [Cantonese , trad. ] 梅 光达 [Cantonese , simp. ] mui4 gwong1 daat6 Mei Quong Tart ( merchant )
梅 艷芳 [Cantonese , trad. ] 梅 艳芳 [Cantonese , simp. ] mui4 jim6 fong1 Anita Mui ( singer )
Descendants
Others :
→ ? Old Japanese: 梅 ( ume2 )
→ Vietnamese: mơ
Compounds
References
^ Uematsu, Chiyomi, Sasakuma, Tetsuo, Ogihara, Yasunari (1991 ) “Phylogenetic relationships in the stone fruit group of Prunus as revealed by restriction fragment analysis of chloroplast DNA”, in The Japanese Journal of Genetics , volume 66 , number 1, →DOI , →PMID , page 60 : “P. mume had its origin in South China around the Yangtze River (Kyotani, 1989b). ”
Japanese
Kanji
梅
(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji , shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 梅 )
Readings
Compounds
Etymology 1
Alternative spellings
梅 ( kyūjitai ) 楳
梅 ( ume ) : Japanese plum trees and white plum blossoms of Hirohashi Bairin in Shimoichi, Nara
梅 ( ume ) : a generic plum blossom crest
⟨me2 ⟩ → */mːəɨ/ → *⟨mume2 ⟩ → ⟨ume2 ⟩ → */uməɨ/ → /ume/
From Old Japanese .[ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
Probably ultimately from Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj ),[ 6] [ 7] with the borrowed me reading gaining a pronounced kind of initial m- sound, perhaps realized as *mme . The phonetic spelling was often rendered as むめ ( *mme, mume ) from the Heian period ,[ 5] [ 7] with *mme /mume and ume apparently existing in free variation. The reading eventually settled on うめ ( ume ) . Compare the similar pattern of phonetic shift for 馬 ( ma → *mma → muma → uma , “ horse ” ) , likely from Middle Chinese 馬 (MC maeX ).
Pronunciation
Noun
梅( うめ ) or 梅( ウメ ) • (ume )
Japanese plum or apricot , Prunus mume
a white plum blossom , as opposed to 紅梅 ( kōbai , “ red plum blossom” )
Synonym: 白梅 ( hakubai )
the lowest of a three -level rank system
Hypernym: 松竹梅
Coordinate terms: 松 , 竹 , 梅
a 家紋 ( kamon , “ family crest ” ) with varying designs of plum blossoms
Short for 梅襲 ( ume-gasane ) : a style of layering garments with dark crimson over light crimson
( card games ) the suit of plum blossoms in 花札 ( hanafuda ) , representing the month of February
Coordinate terms: 松 , 梅 , 桜 , 藤 , 菖蒲 , 牡丹 , 萩 , 芒 , 菊 , 紅葉 , 柳 , 桐
( historical , colloquial ) Synonym of 天神 ( tenjin ) : the second -highest ranked prostitute in Edo-period Kamigata , below the 大夫 ( tayū )
Usage notes
As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana , especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ウメ .
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:梅 .
Derived terms
Proverbs
Descendants
See also
Proper noun
梅( うめ ) • (Ume )
a female given name
a surname
Etymology 2
Alternative spelling
梅 ( kyūjitai )
⟨me2 ⟩ → */mːəɨ/ → *⟨mume2 ⟩ → /mume/
Possibly from Old Japanese .
This reading becomes common during the Heian period ,[ 5] [ 7] later falling into disuse.
Superseded by the ume reading above.
Noun
梅( むめ ) • (mume )
( archaic , obsolete ) the Japanese plum or apricot , Prunus mume
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:梅 .
Derived terms
Descendants
Etymology 3
Alternative spelling
梅 ( kyūjitai )
From a later borrowing of Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj ).
Noun
梅( ばい ) • (bai )
( usually in Chinese contexts ) the Japanese plum or apricot , Prunus mume
( historical , colloquial ) Synonym of 天神 ( tenjin ) : the second -highest ranked prostitute in Edo-period Kamigata , below the 大夫 ( tayū )
Affix
梅( ばい ) • (bai )
plum
Short for 梅雨 ( baiu ) : East Asian rainy season
Short for 梅毒 ( baidoku ) : syphilis
Derived terms
Proper noun
梅( ばい ) • (Bai )
a surname
References
^ “梅 ”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia ] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation , 2015–2024
^ 白川静 ( Shirakawa Shizuka ) (2014 ) “梅 ”, in 字通 ( Jitsū ) (in Japanese), popular edition, Tōkyō : Heibonsha , →ISBN
^ Haga, Gōtarō (1914 ) 漢和大辞書 [The Great Kanji-Japanese Dictionary ] (in Japanese), Fourth edition, Tōkyō : Kōbunsha, →DOI , page 1133 (paper), page 617 (digital)
^ Shōundō Henshūjo, editor (1927 ), 新漢和辞典 [The New Kanji-Japanese Dictionary ] (in Japanese), Ōsaka : Shōundō, →DOI , page 685 (paper), page 355 (digital)
↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988 ) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition) ] (in Japanese), Tōkyō : Shogakukan , →ISBN
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Matsumura, Akira , editor (2006 ), 大辞林 [Daijirin ] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo : Sanseidō , →ISBN
↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Matsumura, Akira (1995 ) 大辞泉 [Daijisen ] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , →ISBN
Korean
Etymology
From Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj ). Recorded as Middle Korean ᄆᆡ ( moy ) (Yale : moy ) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회 ), 1527.
Hanja
Wikisource
梅 (eumhun 매화 나무 매 ( maehwanamu mae ) )
hanja form? of 매 ( “ Prunus mume , a fruit tree ” )
hanja form? of 매 ( “ plum blossom , a blossom of this tree” )
hanja form? of 매 ( “ a Korean surname ” )
Compounds
References
국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典 .
Old Japanese
Etymology
Possibly a shift from Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj ).[ 1] [ 2]
Noun
梅 (ume2 ) (kana うめ )
the Japanese plum or apricot , Prunus mume
Usage notes
Also used phonetically as 借音 ( shakuon ) for ⟨me2 ⟩ .
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:梅 .
Descendants
References
^ Matsumura, Akira (1995 ) 大辞泉 [Daijisen ] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo : Shogakukan , →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira , editor (2006 ), 大辞林 [Daijirin ] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo : Sanseidō , →ISBN
Vietnamese
Han character
梅 : Hán Nôm readings: mai
rattan
Compounds
梅花 ( mai hoa , “ red avadavat; red munia; strawberry finch ” )